Muslims Introduced to Jesus in Rooftop Bible Study in Tunis.

Some foreign students in the country of Tunisia held a Bible study in their apartment on Saturday nights. In order to generate interest, they had fun night on Fridays and had Muslims come over to play games,  have fellowship, food and a good time. It was a time to get to know each other, build trust with each other and then invite them to the study. 

The students had a room on the roof of their apartment and they converted it into a room that resembled a mosque. They would sit on the floor, pray and sing Christian songs in Arabic. Every Saturday night they would have 3-4 Muslims come to the meetings to discuss religion, debate about Islam and Christianity, inquire, and to study the Bible. Now many years later there is fruit from those meetings as the seed of truth was planted in their hearts.

Christian Missionaries Caught in Tunisia Distributing Bibles.

In Tunisia, a small team of evangelical Christians were very bold and aggressive in their desire to see the Gospel spread in their adopted country.  They had an emphasis on putting Gospels of Luke into people's mailboxes. They were doing a hit and run blitz in order to keep out of the watchful eye of government authorities. One day they were in a small food store buying some groceries and the shop owner said, “Hey your book is in the newspaper.”  They looked and there was a copy and picture of some of the literature they had been handing out. They bought a copy of the newspaper and ran home to read it and the headline said, “Missionaries Amongst our Houses!” Their distribution of literature campaign had angered some journalists who found out about it. They wrote an article that thoroughly embarrassed the government. As a result, the government got very upset and felt something had to be done quickly.  The group was known for our missionary activities, and so the leader was summoned by the Minister of the Interior and given 48 hours to pack his bags and leave the country. 

He asked them if he could come back into the country and they said, “Of course.”  He wasn't so sure they were telling the truth. Three weeks later he tried to return with a short term missions team that was going to do some literature distribution. The team got into the country, but the leader was stopped at the border and deported a second time.  The government got rid of one missionary, but nine more got in the country to do literature distribution! The plans of the Lord cannot be thwarted!

Tunisian Man Sees Special Book in Tourist's Pocket.

Recently some tourists were walking down the streets of the old city of Tunis. One of them had ta thin green book and only the top was sticking out. They were walking and talking and passing by shops and one of the shopkeepers said, “Stop!” He pointed to the tourists and said, “That’s the Injil (Gospel of Luke) in your pocket!”

Apparently the shop owner had done some Bible correspondence courses and had received the same Gospel of Luke in the mail. So when he saw it, he wanted to talk more about Jesus and the Christian faith. He visited the tourists in their apartment where they showed him the Jesus video in Arabic  He left their house with tears streaming down his face, clearly touched by what God had done for him through Jesus.

Another time the tourists decided to present a message to people in Belvedere park in Tunis.  They thought it was a crazy idea to do this in a Muslim country, but they were young and radical. They had a sketch board and had an artist from France was able to quickly draw caricatures. So they gave the story of the Prodigal Son in the middle of the park. About 150 Tunisians gathered to listen. Sure enough, here came the police. The tourists thought, “Uh, oh, we have problems.”  But the police simply looked and walked on by! Later, the tourists spent time talking to people who were interested in the message of hope that Jesus gave through the Bible.

How to Find a Bible in Muslim North Africa

Fez, Morocco

Christians have found it difficult trying to get booksellers to sell the Bible in North Africa. Bookstores usually do not sell Arabic Bibles because they were too afraid they would be shut down. Creative ways needed to be found to get literature out to the people. One way of doing this was through used booksellers. Used booksellers tend to congregate around the universities and run their business out of "shacks" or on a blanket on the sidewalk.

One Christian man nervously approached the used booksellers with several bags of Arabic Bibles and offered them for sale. They said they would take them all!  This went on for several years and during the course of that time, they asked for more and more Arabic Bibles and New Testaments. Asked why they wanted so many Bibles, they said they wanted  Bibles because the students in the universities were encouraged by the professors to read the Bible as a piece of literature. So they were encouraged to go out and look for Bibles and the first place they went were the used book sellers.

The used booksellers would buy them and put them out and take the risk that the people at the bookstores would not take. They didn't care if they were shut down, because they would just open up in another shop, stall or blanket somewhere else. That was a great ministry and isn’t being done anymore today because there’s no one who wants to do it.  This is a HUGE opportunity for someone to take on to sell Arabic Bibles to used booksellers in all of the major cities of North Africa. 

This could be accomplished by people who embark on short term missions trips to Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and many other Muslim countries. 

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?

Revolution in Tunisia Forces President to Flee and Seek Asylum.

Mohamed Ghannouchi has taken over the leadership of the country of Tunisia. Born in 1941 in the coastal town of Sousse, Mr Ghannouchi has a degree in economics and was part of a team which entered government when Mr Ben Ali took over as prime minister from Tunisia's previous President, Habib Bourguiba.  Mr Ghannouchi is a leading member of the ruling Constitutional Democratic Rally party and has served as Finance Minister and International Co-operation Minister before becoming Prime Minister in 1999.

The fleeing President of Tunisia Ben Ali.

The government has been dissolved and it is not clear who is in control at this time. Recent riots as a result of high unemployment and rising food prices have led to this unrest which has been brewing in the North African nation for many years.

Plane loads of tourists are leaving all the major resort areas and returning to their home countries which lie primarily in Europe. This will have in impact upon the tourist industry and if the unrest is prolonged, it could have a devastating effect upon the overall economy. Tunisia is highly dependent upon it's tourist industry for revenue. Thousands of tourists are stranded in Tunisia as some flights have been canceled.

Reports are emerging that former President Ben Ali has flown to France where he will seek asylum. The situation in Tunisia remains intense with demonstrations and rioting continuing amidst celebrations of the president's departure.

What do you think the future holds for the country of Tunisia?

Tunisia Erupts in Chaos as President Ben Ali and Tourists Flee.

More than 50 people have died in riots in Tunisia.

Tunisia is a country which has seen peaceful times until recently. Today, the Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, quickly resigned as President and fled the country. The government has been terminated and there is now a huge void as to the running of this country. This is a new day for Tunisia and the Tunisian people. Where will their country go? Will it lead to a free press, more jobs, further prosperity or will it lead to anarchy and chaos.

At the moment, Tunisians are rejoicing after many years of dictatorship rule. Both young and old alike are anxious about the future. Young Tunisians are hoping for enhanced employment opportunities. The elderly are concerned about maintaining law and order. Even with the social struggles, Tunisians don't realize that of all the African nations, theirs is one of the best. However with Europe so close, it is hard to look at the rest of Africa and consider their plight.

With the changes that will eventually come to Tunisia, will it lead to an increase in personal freedoms? How about religious freedoms and human rights? Tunisia once boasted that it was the human rights capitol of the Arab world. Now is the time when it will be tested. In regards to religious freedom, the past few decades have not provided this liberty.

Mohamed was a young Tunisian man who had converted from Islam to Christianity and was having a rough time. He became a follower of Jesus while in Europe and had gone back to North Africa and was looking for work. Some students came in contact with him and tried to encourage him and spend time with him. His family had heard he had became a Christian, so they rejected him.  They encouraged him to try to reconcile with his family.

One afternoon one of the students and Mohamed went to his house and as soon as they walked into the front door, his mother, sisters and brothers spotted him. His mother charged him and started beating on him and screaming and yelling at him. She picked up the trash can and threw it at him. She yelled, “You are not my son any more. You have shamed us!”

Mohamed was shocked by the reaction of his family. He ended up sleeping in the park under the trees because he had no where to go, no job and what seemed like no future. It was a very difficult situation which a lot of Muslim converts face when they decide to leave Islam and follow Jesus Christ. The persecution from families is often more severe than the persecution from governments.  Unemployment is over 40% in North Africa, so new believers sometimes end up on the streets with no work, no place to live and no one to take them.  It’s a heavy price to pay.

For more information about Christianity in Arabic go to: www.maarifa.org

What is your opinion? 

Near Riot in Tunisian University

University in Tunis

A young foreign student had a friend who was an English professor at the university of Tunis in Tunisia, North Africa. At the end of the semester, they were conducting exams. The student was asked by his friend to help him and come to the university to supervise classes while they waited to take their exams.  The student asked him if it would be OK if he brought some Bibles and give them to the students. He said, “I don't mind as long as you take the consequences of whatever happens.”  The student packed his backpack full of Arabic/English New Testaments, knowing that some of the students might find this to be an interesting and valuable book.

When they arrived, the classroom was mobbed and lots of students were hanging around and waiting for their turn to take the exams. The student stood in front of the class and said, “I have an announcement. I have some books here which are free—Arabic English New Testaments. If anyone would like to have one, you are welcome to have one.” Before he knew it, most of the students rushed forward and started grabbing for the New Testaments.  Books were flying everywhere and there was total chaos and a near riot. He didn't have enough for everybody so he make a list of names to try to get them Bibles later on. The Bible is a forbidden book in many of these Muslim countries. They want to know why it is forbidden and what is in it. Because it is forbidden, it generates curiosity among the young people.

Years later in another Muslim country, the student tried the same thing.  He was in a classroom full of Muslims who were studying French.  At the end of the course, he asked the teacher if he could hand out to each student, a French/Arabic book.  She said he could, and just as he started handing out French/Arabic New Testaments, the director of the school walked in.  Oops, not good timing. But the student gave one to him as well. Everyone was calm and grateful and one young man took 7 copies.  He wanted to sell them in his shop.

More information in Arabic about the Christian faith can be found at: www.maarifa.org

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!