Libya

Libya is rated number 17 on the Open Doors World Watch list. The main sources of persecution today are family, community, fanatical armed groups and, to a lesser extent, the government. To import Arabic Scriptures remains strictly forbidden and proselytising and missionary activity is officially prohibited. Many Libyan Christians are fleeing their homeland. It is unlikely that the situation will change, even with a new constitution. (Opendoors)

The majority of Libya are Sunni Muslim. Most Christians are migrant workers or NGO workers. The biggest churches in the country are the Coptic Church, who are mostly Egyptian foreign residents, and the Roman Catholic clergy are present in larger cities, primarily in hospitals, orphanages, and with the elderly or physically impaired. One can also find small house churches or independent churches through out the country.

There are some laws which restricts religious freedom in the country. Islam is seen as the state religion and is regarded as the main source for legislation. There is no law providing for an individual’s right to choose or change his or her religion or to study, discuss, or promulgate one’s religious beliefs. There is also no law prohibiting conversion from Islam to another religion; however, in practice the government prohibited proselytizing to Muslims.

There were reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious affiliation, belief, or practice. On December 29, an explosion near the Coptic Orthodox Church in Misrata killed two men and injured three. Both men were killed while attending church services. This was the first attack specifically targeting a church since the 2011 revolution. The attackers and the motive remain unknown, and there have been no arrests. Officials from the Ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation condemned the attacks and pledged a full investigation. There were also periodic reports of anti-Christian and anti-Semitic behaviour during the year 2012. A video on the Internet in March showed armed Muslim men in the British military cemetery in Benghazi desecrating Christian and Jewish head stones and attempting to destroy a large crucifix with sledge hammers. On September 14, 2012 private Internet television station Libya Alhurra aired a sermon from a mosque in Benghazi that called on Allah to “destroy the rancorous Christians and the corrupt Jews.”

Only about 124 churches (including house churches) exist in a country of more than 6 million people. There is a limit of one church per denomination per city. Meetings of more than six people are illegal, though this is not enforced. Evangelicals make up just 0.3 percent of the population. Foreigners are free to worship as they please, but the evangelization of Libyans is prohibited. The former Libyan government had an extensive secret police network that made sharing the gospel with Muslims difficult and dangerous. It is uncertain whether these difficulties will continue under the new regime. Libya’s justice system is nominally based on Shariah law. While most Libyans are Muslim, many are indifferent to matters of faith and hate the restrictions of Shariah law. Christian literature enters the country only through secretive means.People have been arrested on suspicion of being Christian missionaries, as proselytising is illegal.