Tunisia Revolution a Warning for Morocco, Algeria, and Egypt.

Countries of the Maghreb face revolutionary unrest.

The recent revolution in Tunisia is a big wake up call for the other governments of North Africa. Morocco, Algeria, Libya and Egypt all have dictatorial governments that frequently oppresses their people. Human rights abuses abound, and there is a lack of freedom of religion, freedom of speech and the press is tightly controlled by the few who are in power. Morocco is ruled by a monarchy, King Mohammed VI, and is currently a peaceful nation. But unemployment is also high and the jobless youth are getting restless. Satellite TV and the internet are spreading images rapidly around the world and reigniting the restlessness that exists in the Arab world. The time has come for change and the leaders of Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya and Egypt are not prepared for the future. The most progressive is Morocco with the king having made huge strides in reforming the country. But will it be enough? Time will tell along with the population. Rising food prices and other commodities are a leading cause of this unrest.

United States President Barak Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have both called for calm. Meanwhile the former President of Tunisia, Ben Ali continues to seek a country where he can request asylum. Having amassed huge amounts of wealth through his powerful position, Ben Ali won't be suffering in his future home country. His family has also fled the country.

Arab governments around the world are concerned that this unrest may spread. Rioting youth and the powerful images displayed on international news programs could ignite further revolutionary idealists around the world. Algeria has a very large jobless population along with the other Maghreb countries. Their populations have been amazingly patient for decades, but the clock is ticking and they are seeking change now.

What do you think will happen? What will happen to the Jews and Christians in Tunisia?

Libyans Looking for a Good Time in Tunisia Find Something Else.

A young tourist was in the south of Tunisia.  In the hotel room next to his were three men from Libya. They had come over the border looking for a fun time.  They invited the tourist along with them. They all got into a car and were drive down some roads with no lights.  It was pitch black.  I then the tourist realized that what he had done probably wasn’t so smart.  He thought, "I might end up dead."  So he prayed, “Lord you are in control and I trust you in this situation.”

They eventually drove up to a large hotel where the Libyan guys wanted to go to the disco and find some girls.  Everything was closed, so the Libyans were disappointed. They drove back to the little hotel where they were staying and they sat in the room with long faces because of how things had turned out. This gave the tourist the opportunity to share the Gospel with them and give each them a Bible.  Interestingly, they were very open to discussing spiritual things.  It was a good opportunity to reach these guys who were going back to Libya - a country that desperately needed the Gospel!

Libya Receives International Visitors Via Floating Bookstore.

Libyan dancers welcome Logos Hope.

A floating book store on board the ship Logos Hope brought help, hope and knowledge to Libya. The vessel's inaugural tour of the Arab world has so far been warmly welcomed. Logos Hope called at the three ports of Tripoli, Misurata and Benghazi. During the five-week visit, some 134,468 people climbed the gangways to enjoy a cultural and educational experience on board. Among these, over 7,300 children came on board to experience an interactive program, put together especially for them.

Logos Hope's International Cafe gave visitors a chance to sit down after browsing the book fair. Good and positive interaction took place between the crew members from around the world and the local Libyan people. In discussion with crew members about different life experiences, it became obvious that the inquisitive Libyans wanted to know why Logos Hope staff were so different from the picture they had in their minds of people from Western nations. The values, standards and morals of the crew were noticed to be positively different and left a lasting impression on many locals.

The importance and value of such a visit was made clear by the many expressions of admiration left in the Captain's Log electronic guest book by visitors to the ship. One read, "Your visit has caused a lot of commotion in Libya. There is a very nice atmosphere here. It is very different and nice. I haven't found this anywhere else."

Local and national authorities, as well as many thousands of individuals in Libya, look forward to the next visit of one of our ships to their nation.