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German Tourist Sentenced
On November 28, a Moroccan court sentenced a German tourist, Sadek Noshi Yassa (64) to six months in prison and a fine of 500 dirhams ($68 CAD) for trying to "shake the faith of a Muslim." Authorities allege that Yassa was distributing books and CDs about the Christian faith to young Muslims on the streets of Agadir. The case follows reports in the local media that some Christians were launching a clandestine campaign to convert Moroccan Muslims to Christianity. Contrary to a Reuters report on November 30 that Sadek had been imprisoned, The Voice of the Martyrs has been informed that he was able to leave Morocco before the sentence was handed down.
Pray for the continued spread of the gospel in Morocco despite opposition.
For more information on the persecution of Christians in Morocco, click here.
The charges against Mohamed El Baladi, a convert to Christianity who was arrested for "shaking the faith of a Muslim," were recently overturned. While the judge ruled that Mohamed had engaged in general conversation about his faith, there was no evidence that he had coerced or offered financial incentives to others for converting.
Mohamed El Baladi was released from the Moroccan prison where he had been confined since his arrest in late August. However, the release has only been granted until his official appeal hearing, which is scheduled for October 10th. Mohamed was initially sentenced to two-and-a-half years' imprisonment for the crimes of evangelism and "shaking the faith of a Muslim." To review a previous report on this case, please click here.
During a recent court hearing, a Moroccan Christian man was ordered to serve a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for evangelizing Muslims. On August 28th, police raided the home of 34-year-old Mohamed el Baldi, of Ain Aicha, confiscating his Bible and about 30 additional Christian books. Following the raid, Mohamed was arrested and interrogated by police. At the court hearing, he was sentenced to 30 months in prison and fined 5,000 dirhams (about $600) for "shaking the faith of a Muslim."
Three Christian men were arrested in a city café on March 1 in Morocco. During the arrest, police apparently gained information about other secret believers in the country. The arrest involved two young men who were meeting with an older believer from another city. While the two young men were released later that night, the older believer remains in custody. The families of the two young men did not know the men were following Christ. One of them was no longer welcome in his home once his beliefs were discovered.
Many foreign Christians were expelled from Morocco two years ago, and this had a significant impact on the Church as anti-Christian sentiment seems to be growing in the country. Moroccan believers now meet in small groups for fear of persecution. While becoming a Christian in Morocco is not actually illegal, it is forbidden to share the gospel with non-Christians.
Please pray that Moroccan Christians will continue to gather despite the threats of reprisals. Pray that the believer in prison will remain strong in his faith and will be freed. Pray that Moroccan Christians' passion for Christ will be the light that draws others to Jesus (Matthew 5:14-16).
For more information on persecution in Morocco, please visit the Morocco Country Report.
On November 28, a Moroccan court sentenced a German tourist, Sadek Noshi Yassa (64) to six months in prison and a fine of 500 dirhams ($68 CAD) for trying to "shake the faith of a Muslim." Authorities allege that Yassa was distributing books and CDs about the Christian faith to young Muslims on the streets of Agadir. The case follows reports in the local media that some Christians were launching a clandestine campaign to convert Moroccan Muslims to Christianity. Contrary to a Reuters report on November 30 that Sadek had been imprisoned, The Voice of the Martyrs has been informed that he was able to leave Morocco before the sentence was handed down.
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