Libya's reform comes slowly; believers sense freedom

(Photo by Crethi Plethi)

Libya (ODM/MNN) ― On February 20, the first elections since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddaffi were held in Misrata, Libya's third-largest city.

Reform is coming slower than the revolutionaries want, but the National Transitional Council says elections served as a model for the June vote that will usher in a 200-member national assembly. The assembly will name a new government and select a panel to write a constitution.

In the meantime, there is a sense of freedom in Libya, which seems to be giving Christians new determination. An Open Doorsworker, who wants to stay anonymous, says, "The Christians in Libya are more open right now; they have more courage to share about their faith. But of course the freedom is still minimal."

At the beginning of 2011, before the revolution, Open Doors estimates there were about 180,000 expatriate Christians living in the country and just 180 indigenous believers. The vast majority of the Libyans are Sunni Muslim. However, as the dust settles post-revolution, it seems that many expatriates left the country, significantly reducing the numbers of believers.

The hostilities some Christians are reporting stem from racism connected to politics. "Sub-Saharan Africans have said that they are discriminated more openly. On the streets they hear people saying bad words to dark-skinned people, for example. Before the revolution, this didn't happen so strong and open", the Open Doors worker says. According to him, the racism has partly to do with the fact that Gaddaffi used sub-Saharan Africans to fight for him. As a result, members of the churches for the sub-Saharan Africans are trying to survive in an increasingly unfriendly environment.

Skepticism about the politics isn't helping. "Politicians are having a hard time at the moment. Nobody trusts them, and they can't do anything right in the view of the majority of the people. Nobody has any respect for them, and every decision is being criticized," the Open Doors worker says. "This might be understandable after so many years of oppression, but for the long run, this might be not a very constructive way of thinking for rebuilding the country."

Pray for all the Muslims that might be open to the Gospel, that they will meet Christians to help them. Pray for the expat churches that exist in Libya that they, even though it is forbidden, will find ways to reach out to locals.