Freedom of religion in Algeria

The Constitution declares Islam to be the state religion but prohibits discrimination based on religious belief, and the Government generally respects this prohibition in practice, with some limited exceptions. The law limits the practice of other faiths; however, the Government follows a de facto policy of tolerance by allowing, in limited instances, the conduct of religious services by non-Muslim faiths in the capital which were open to the public. The small Christian and tiny Jewish populations generally practice their faiths without government interference.

Missionary groups are permitted to conduct humanitarian activities without government interference as long as they are discreet and do not proselytize openly. If they do, they are arrested [1]. Many of the "home churches" in which Christians worship are in contact with the Government, and none report being intimidated or threatened.

The study of Islam is a strict requirement in the public and private schools for every Algerian even if the person is not Muslim.[2]

Muslim women cannot marry non-Muslim men, and Muslim men cannot marry non-monotheist women [3].

In February the quasi-governmental High Islamic Council sponsored an international symposium on interfaith cooperation in Algiers entitled "The Dialogue of Civilizations," followed by a second symposium in April examining trends in Western and Eastern religious thought. The country's leading Islamic and non-Islamic religious leaders also attended regional symposia hosted but the Algerian immigrant community in France to discuss Algerian Jewry, inter-faith relations, and religious tolerance. In March 2002, an international symposium on "Rapprochement among Islamic Rites" was held in Algiers. Topics discussed included terrorism, religious fundamentalism, and women's rights.

The majority of cases of harassment and security threats against non-Muslims come from the now nearly destroyed Armed Islamic Group, an organization fighting the government who are determined to rid the country of those who do not share their extremist interpretation of Islam. However, a majority of the population subscribes to Islamic precepts of tolerance in religious beliefs. Moderate Islamist religious and political leaders have criticized publicly acts of violence committed in the name of Islam.

In general noncitizens who practice faiths other than Islam enjoy a high level of tolerance within society; however, citizens who renounce Islam generally are ostracized by their families and shunned by their neighbors. The Government generally does not become involved in such disputes. Converts also expose themselves to the risk of attack by radical extremists.