U.S. State Department's Report Incites The Violation Of Public Order In Algeria

The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Endowments said that the U.S State Department’s report on religious freedoms in Algeria for 2016 is inaccurate and some of its paragraphs “have nothing to do with freedom of religion or freedom of worship, but they are directly related to the violation of public order, which is protected by the national laws and the international covenants and treaties”.

In response to tits website, the Minister Mohamed Issa expressed, in a statement, his reservations about some of the paragraphs in the American report, which claimed that Algerians hate non-Muslim religions, while the public authorities emphasized their activities, especially the import of Christian and Jewish books.

The U.S. report also referred to the Ahmadiyya community, which has recently occupied public opinion, and stated that the security services tried to restrict their activities, according to its allegations.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs, in its first official comment on the report, estimated that the information that is contained in the report was “inaccurate for some citizens” and regretted that it “did not receive enough information to gather comprehensive information in the assessment”.

It also said that “The State will take detailed official observations on the report through the authority that is empowered to provide a response in this area, namely the Foreign Ministry, which shares with the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Endowments consultation and cooperation”, noting that; “this will allow to ensure a broader and accurate understanding of the reality of religious freedom In Algeria, and ensure the defense of Algeria’s interests and security in all areas, especially its intellectual and religious security”.

Despite the reservation of the Ministry of Religious Affairs to some paragraphs of the US State Department’s report, it noted with satisfaction the positive points that are contained in the section that is devoted to Algeria in the report, due to its appreciation of Algeria’s efforts in the field of religious freedom, clarity, and objectivity, as compared to previous reports, and reflects in its entirety the reality of framing of religious life “.

It added that “the report allowed firstly to raise the curtain on the many measures and procedures that were initiated by the Algerian government in order to strengthen the great goal in the religious field, which is to strengthen the national religious authority, so as to maintain the moderation and the consolidation of human values such as tolerance, coexistence and respect for others, and not choosing extremism, violence and terrorism “.