Early History of the Kabyles of Algeria

When the Arabs invaded North Africa, they Arabized and Islamized the Berbers, many of whom had been at least nominally Christian as early as the second and third centuries AD. Many Berbers had been martyred for their faith under Roman persecution, well before the Arab conquest. The Kabyle Berbers fled to the mountainous regions of Kabylia and, despite the many centuries of Arab occupation, have been able to keep their language alive by passing it on orally to each generation. They have also kept their traditional clothing (colourful dresses and headwear for the women). Their Christian faith, however, did not withstand Islam, although the Kabyles were very reluctant to become Muslim. The fact that the Bible was never translated into Berber in those early years is a major reason why the Kabyles eventually became Muslim. The Kabyles have been Muslims for many centuries. Christian missionaries came and went without seeing fruit. Some died as martyrs.

Work among the Kabyles of Algeria

In the early 1980s, the Lord started moving among the Kabyles in a new way. An Arabic Christian shared the Gospel with some young Kabyles on a football team. They accepted Jesus and in turn reached out to their people. Others saw dreams and visions. Small house churches began in the mountains. All this took place secretly for fear of persecution from the Muslim population. The churches grew in size and eventually became visible. It is now well known that many Kabyles are Christians. A few years ago the Algerian government even published figures indicating the presence of at least 7,000 Kabyle Christians.

Some Kabyles started translation work and saw the emergence of Kabyle in writing. The first book ever written in the new Kabyle Berber script was the New Testament and the first film ever translated was the Jesus film. Worship tapes in Kabyle now exist. Soon the entire Bible in Kabyle will be printed. The Kabyles are bold people, willing to share their faith. Clearly, a revival is taking place.

Flag of Algeria

Map of Algeria

An excellent book concerning the early Christians in North Africa is This Holy Seed by Robin Daniel (published by Tamarisk Press in the UK). You can also discover more about Kabylia at the non-Christian website kabyle.com.

Pray for the Muslim Kabyles of Algeria:

* Thank God for the Kabyle Church. Pray through Paul's prayers in Colossians 1:2b-12, applying them to the Kabyle Church.

* Pray for strengthening of these young but dedicated churches through the various training programmes which have already started.

* Pray for closer and better relationships between church leaders. A promising partnership has already begun and needs to grow.

* Pray for the Kabyle Christians to have a greater vision to reach out to other Muslim people groups in Algeria and beyond. May they take the blessing of Abraham everywhere they go (Gal. 3:8-14).

Background on Algeria (World Factbook)

After more than a century of rule by France, Algerians fought through much of the 1950s to achieve independence in 1962. Algeria's primary political party, the National Liberation Front (FLN), has dominated politics ever since. Many Algerians in the subsequent generation were not satisfied, however, and moved to counter the FLN's centrality in Algerian politics.

Intense fighting between 1992-98 resulted in over 100,000 deaths - many attributed to indiscriminate massacres of villagers by extremists.

Longstanding problems continue to face the government, including the ethnic minority Berbers' ongoing autonomy campaign, large-scale unemployment, a shortage of housing, unreliable electrical and water supplies, government inefficiencies and corruption, and the continuing - although significantly degraded - activities of extremist militants. Algeria must also diversify its petroleum-based economy, which has yielded a large cash reserve but which has not been used to redress Algeria's many social and infrastructure problems. The Arab uprising across the Near Eastern and North African region beginning in December 2010, coupled with a sudden rise in the cost of food staples, triggered a wave of protests across Algeria during early 2011. Changes have been promised.

Economy of Algeria

Algeria has the eighth-largest reserves of natural gas in the world and is the fourth-largest gas exporter; it ranks 18th in oil reserves. Algeria has decreased its external debt to less than 10% of GDP after repaying its Paris Club and London Club debt in 2006. Real GDP has risen due to higher oil output and increased government spending. There is still high unemployment and low living standards. Structural reform within the economy, such as development of the banking sector and the construction of infrastructure, moves ahead slowly hampered by corruption and bureaucratic resistance.

About Algeria

Second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan).

Population: 34,994,937 (July 2011 est.) World rank #35

Life Expectancy at Birth: 74.5 years. World rank #98

Ethnic Groups: Arab-Berber 99%, European less than 1% - See notes below

Religions: Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1%

Languages: Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects

Literacy: total population: 69.9%; male: 79.6% / female: 60.1%

School life expectancy: 13 years

Ethnic groups Note: almost all Algerians are Berber in origin, not Arab; the minority who identify themselves as Berber live mostly in the mountainous region of Kabylie east of Algiers; the Berbers are also Muslim but identify with their Berber rather than Arab cultural heritage; Berbers have long agitated, sometimes violently, for autonomy; the government is unlikely to grant autonomy but has offered to begin sponsoring teaching Berber language in schools.

Sights and Sounds of Algeria: Video (1:56)

Algeria HD from Tadjer on Vimeo.

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Algeria: population: 33.8 million

According to some estimates, there are possibly 25,000-50,000 Algerian believers of all denominations (Catholic, Protestant, Pentecostal and other). Some believe that the numbers are greater and there are various degrees of commitment to Christ which are manifest among them. Many Algerians have discovered Jesus through visions, dreams and supernatural events. Many more have discovered the Messiah in recent years through meeting other Algerian believers as well as through radio, satellite TV and films. Significant numbers of people have come to faith. As a result, in 2006 a law was passed opening the door to official persecution of Algerian believers. Several have been arrested, detained and tried for various offenses. While the situation is not as grave as in Iran or Saudi Arabia, Algerian believers are under increased supervision and have experienced the beginnings of significant governmental persecution. They have been courageous and generally continue to affirm their faith. Proselytising is a criminal offense. Any individual trying to convert a Muslim either through education, health, social, culture or financial means can be sentenced up to five years in jail with a maximum fine of $7,000. Pray along the lines of Acts 4:29-31. See more details at persecution.org.

Tunisia: population 10.5 million

Tunisia has the appearance of being a Muslim country, however the number of committed Muslims is limited. The vast majority of Tunisians are pursuing their dreams of having a better lifestyle. Tunisians need to reflect more on the meaning and the brevity of life. Tunisian believers number less than 1,000. Pray using Matthew 6:24-34.

Morocco: population 33.8 million

A very small number of Moroccan believers exist (possibly only a few thousand). Their numbers are slowly increasing, but knowledge of the Gospel in Morocco is very limited. Believers have suffered significant threats and mistreatment by relatives and some government officials. Pray along the lines of Isaiah 40:9-11; 52:7. Pray for King Mohammed VI and the royal family. Hassan, the Crown Prince, is six years old.

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| · The following is a fictional story based on real events.

Rachid loved to look out across the white buildings of Central Algiers. They reflected the dazzling sunlight back toward him perched on his fourth floor balcony near the Main Post Office. Rachid strained to see a ship arriving from the Mediterranean Sea just beyond the harbour. To the south he could see the towering national Martyrs monument and to the north he could see parts of the casbah (the old city). Traffic was jammed near the Main Post Office. Car horns and many passing ears got no rest as impatient drivers sought to escape the blocked street. Just before 1:00 PM the muezzin began his call to prayer over the local mosque's loud speakers. Soon dozens of mosques were echoing the same refrain throughout the city in Arabic.

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar
(Allah* is the greatest)
I bear witness that there is no god except Allah (x2)
I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God (x2)
Come to prayer (x2)
Come to prosperity (x2)
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar
There is no god except Allah**

Several men in the street below starting to move toward the local mosque. Rachid did not usually have the habit of participating in the prayers even on Fridays. However, the recent death of his uncle had made him start reflecting about getting serious with his religious duties. He also needed to get married. His late evenings in neighbouring Tipaza partying with his young friends were probably going to have to end. Rachid knew that the seriousness of life would soon overtake him.

Flag of Algeria

Map of Algeria

All over the world Muslims are called to prayer five times per day. In many cities it is possible to hear the call from dozens of local mosques at once. In the early morning the phrase "Prayer is better than sleep" is added to the call.

Prayer requests:

* Over two million people live in greater Algiers. There are possibly several hundred Christians from a Muslim background among the Arabs and Berbers who make up the population. Several thousand new believers in the Messiah live among the Berbers of Kabylia a few hours to the east of Algiers. A 2006 national law essentially forbids any Christian evangelism efforts (Acts 5:27-29).

* Many of Algiers young people are torn between western youth culture and their traditional roots. May they find the father. (Luke 15:11-32).

* Pray that house groups may flourish in the following districts of the city and suburbs (Acts 20:20, 21:8, 28:30, Romans 16:5).

*Please note that the word Allah is used by Muslims and almost all Arab Christians when referring to the God of Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus. However there are profound differences in Muslim and Christian understanding of the God of Abraham (see our Understanding Islam articles).

Video: Sights and Sounds of Algeria

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Imagine waking up one morning in the middle of the great Sahara desert under a cobalt sky surrounded by arid breathtaking mountains and discovering that the water supply you'd left outside your tent is frozen solid (temperatures vary very significantly in the desert each 24 hours). This is not an uncommon experience for the Kel-Tamahaq people of the stark and beautiful Hoggar Mountains of Southern Algeria, at altitudes of up to almost 3,000 meters. Once well visited by tourists, the civil unrest of recent years in the north of the country has left a dearth of tourist activity and loss of income even in this remote southern region. (Algeria has suffered over 100,000 deaths through civil unrest based on Islamic terrorism and the resulting military and police repression during the last 10 years).

The "Arabisation"

The Kel-Tamahaq, once sole inhabitants of the southern desert region, are now a small marginalised minority among the ever growing Algerian Arabic population moving down from the North. The "Arabisation" of their people and the consequent loss of both their language and their cultural identity has all but destroyed them. The Kel-Tamahaq are considered little more than living curios of the past by the majority population and in much the same way have long been the object of cultural curiosity for Western anthropologists. Literally hundreds of books have been written about them and their unique nomadic way of life over the decades. However in spite of several translation attempts many decades ago, the Book of books (the Bible) has never been accessible to the Kel-Tamahaq, and there are no known believers in this (now sedentarised) unreached people group.

Tuaregs

The Kel_Tamahaq are one of the smaller of different groups of Tuaregs (speaking different dialects) spread over the Sahel region of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. In these other dialects there are small groups of believers. However, none of them have yet caught the vision to reach out to their northern cousins.

Flag of Algeria

Map of Algeria

Let the desert and its towns raise their voices; let the settlements where the Kel-Tamahaq live rejoice. Let the people of the Hoggar sing for joy, let them shout from the mountaintops. (based on Isaiah 42:11)

Prayer Guide for the Hoggar Tuaregs of Algeria

* Pray for divine intervention in the lives of influential Hoggar Tuaregs via dreams, Christian radio broadcasts, dissatisfaction with their religious situation, encounters with Christian tourists, the Jesus film on Satellite TV etc.

* Pray for the President as he struggles with militant groups of other minority peoples in Algeria the current national policy making may greatly influence the Tamahaq people and their ability to function openly as a unique cultural entity.

* Pray for the city of Tamanrasset where some of the Kel-Tamahaq have settled.

* Pray for the two groups who are actively praying and strategising to reach the Kel-Tamahaq.

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The character and attitudes of the Mzab people have been formed by the harsh environment of the desert: they are tough, practical, tolerant, dialogue-orientated, and modest, and rely on the support of the community. A Spaniard who is familiar with the region once wrote about its inhabitants: "The Mzab have developed a society which is very strict, but which at the same time is built on the solidarity of the community, pious but also integrating, in the midst of a landscape that is hostile to man." The valley of Ghardaia is not a place for individualists: those who go by themselves cannot survive there. The Mzab have only survived the harsh living conditions by sticking together. The Mzab look after the weak, the sick and the needy in their communities.

Islamic Sect

The Mzab are a Berber people and part of the so-called Ibdites, an Islamic sect, which was founded by Abdullah ibn Ibd and is a splinter group of the Kharijites. According to their teaching, anyone who commits a serious sin is an infidel. They suppose that such a sinner has to remain in the fires of condemnation forever. Most Muslims do not agree with this doctrine, so the Mzab preferred to go into exile in AD661. First, they went to an area called Ouargla, about 100km east of Ghardaia. In the 11th century they moved on and founded a new community at the edge of the desert. The Mzab are traders who are dispersed all over Algeria and also live in France.

Flag of Algeria

Map of Algeria

The city of Ben Isguen was founded in the 14th century and is considered the holy city of the Mzab region: it is a most orthodox town - smoking, open clothing, and photography are not allowed. Islam is practised strictly according to the letter of the Qur'an. The people are very religious. From the age of 12 onwards, girls have to wear a veil, which covers everything except one eye. No stranger is allowed to spend the night in the city.

Though many governments have ruled Algeria over the centuries, but, in the words of one writer, "The powers come and go, the Mzab stay."

Prayer Guide for the Mzab of Algeria:

* Pray for the Mzab to hunger and thirst for the righteousness of God and a longing for forgiveness and for the Prince of Peace (Matt 5:6).

* Pray for Jesus to be revealed to the Mzab through His Word in their own language.

* Pray that the Mzab living in France hear the gospel and believe in Jesus Christ.

* Pray for regular and committed intercessors for the Mzab.

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