Release International

The Moroccan authorities have expelled eight more foreign Christians, much to the distress of the country's small Christian community.

In this, the third wave of deportations since March, eight Christians were summoned to police stations on June 25, accused of 'threatening public order', then told they had 48 hours to leave the country. One of them, a Lebanese woman who was recently diagnosed with cancer, was forced to leave behind her husband and six-year-old daughter.

This brings to 128 the number of foreign Christians deported from Morocco since March. Christians are said to be living in fear, especially because the Christians expelled recently included foreigners married to Moroccans.

In March, all 16 overseas workers at the Village of Hope children's home were thrown out of the country with just a few hours' notice and were forced to leave behind the 30 orphaned children in their care. The children, who are Moroccan nationals, consider these foreign Christians to be their adoptive parents.

Release sources say that, despite citing public order offences, officials are in fact cracking down on what they perceive as Christian 'proselytising'. Some of the expelled Christians who were able to obtain official deportation papers are launching appeals through the Moroccan courts.

(Sources: Compass Direct, Village of Hope)

• Ask God to comfort and strengthen all the families divided by deportations.
• Pray for a change of heart in the Moroccan authorities so this 'purge' of foreign Christians will end.

Back to top