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Morocco has around 1000 Christian converts from Islam, but the government refuses to recognise them or their churches.
They might have Islamic names like Mohammed or Ali, but every Sunday these Moroccan converts to Christianity go discreetly to "church" – to the ire of Islamic militants and under the suspicious eye of police."There are about a thousand of us in around 50 independent churches across the big cities of the kingdom," explained Abdelhalim, who coordinates these evangelical Protestant groups in Morocco.
"As we are tolerated, but not recognised (by the state) we must, for security reasons, conduct ourselves as a clandestine organisation," said the 57-year-old, who preferred to use a pseudonym.
The state sanctions official Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant churches, but only foreigners may worship in them.
Morocco also tolerates, but does not recognise, conversion to Christianity. Abdelhalim, although he has been a Christian for 16 years, is still considered a Muslim by the state. He has no right to a Christian burial. Neither are church marriages involving Muslim converts to Christianity recognised; to make it legal, such couples must also be married by Muslim clergy in accordance with Sharia law.
Evangelisation can be problematic. The penal code forbids “undermining” a Muslim’s faith or encouraging conversion. Violations are punishable by prison terms of six months to three years.
