- Current Ministry Project
VOMC has partnered to equip Muslim Background Believers with skills for ministry so that they will be empowered to share the Gospel among the unreached in this region of the world.
Project Fund: Equipping the Saints
- Country Information
Population
4,244,878 (2023 est.)Ethnicity (%)
Black Moors (40), White Moors (30), Sub-Saharan Mauritanians (30)Religion (%)
Muslim (100)Leader
President Mohamed Cheikh El Ghazouani (2019)Government type
Presidential republicLegal system
Mixed legal system of Islamic and French civil law.Source: CIA World Factbook
- Pray for Mauritania
Pray that Christians in Mauritania will find support and fellowship with other believers, despite their small numbers.
Pray seekers will encounter Jesus, and those who follow Him will be courageous in their witness.
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Mauritania News
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Christian "Hit List" Posted Online
Pray that the Spirit of Christ will draw Mauritanians to Himself. According to Greg Kelley from World Mission, Islamic extremists in the Northwest African nation of Mauritania have created an online hit list containing the names of Christian leaders. Describing this action as a "call to warfare," the mission representative has expressed great concern over what he perceives as a green light for opposing militants to kill Christians.
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Penalties for Apostasy Increased
Christians in Mauritania are concerned about recent changes to the laws regarding religious conversion. On April 27th, the Mauritanian National Assembly approved changes to increase the penalty for apostasy.
According to the new regulations, the death penalty is now mandatory for those convicted of "blasphemous remarks" or "sacrilegious acts." Further, those found guilty of "the breach of prohibitions prescribed by Allah or the facilitation of their non-compliance," or "outrage to public decency and the values of Islam," can face a prison sentence of up to two years, along with a fine.
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Christian aid worked killed
Photo from Ralph Buckner Funeral Home Al-Qaeda has reportedly claimed responsibility for shooting and killing an American aid worker, Christopher Leggett (39), on June 23 in Nouakchott, the capital city of Mauritania. On June 25, Al-Jazeera TV reportedly received an audio statement from al-Qaeda which stated that "two knights of the Islamic Maghreb succeeded Tuesday morning at 8:00 a.m. to kill the infidel American Christopher Leggett for his Christianising activities." Leggett worked for a non-governmental organization in Mauritania involved in training and equipping prisoners to re-enter society. He also oversaw a microloan program which fostered the growth of small businesses. He had been a resident of Mauritania for the past seven years along with his wife and four children.
Thank the Lord for Christopher Leggett's life as a cross-bearing disciple. Ask God to comfort those who mourn for him. Pray that Christians in Mauritania will be emboldened to follow in their Saviour's footsteps and remain steadfast in faith (1 Corinthians 4:9-14, 16).
To learn more about trials facing Christians in Mauritania, go to the Mauritania Country Report.
