PRAY FOR NORTH AFRICA

Please pray for the people of North Africa who have been rocked in recent days by a series of terrorist attacks in Algeria and Morocco that have left dozens dead and hundreds wounded. Pray, too, for the tens of thousands of Muslims who have turned to faith in Jesus Christ across that region in recent years. Radical Islamic jihadists -- many of them linked to Al Qaeda -- are targeting Christians, Americans, and those friendly to the West, hoping to turn North Africa into a base camp for a new jihad into Europe and the U.S.

Excerpt from Epicenter: "When I was in Casablanca and Rabat in 2005, I found the Moroccan media up in arms about the 'phenomenon of Moroccans converting to Christianity.' Newspaper and magazine articles estimated that 25,000 to 40,000 Muslims have become followers of Jesus Christ in recent years. These numbers are overstated, church leaders in the country tell me, but the fact that they are being published and widely discussed says a lot about the dynamic that is at work and how rapidly the church is growing there....In neighboring Algeria -- the birthplace of St. Augustine but for centuries almost devoid of a Christian presence -- more than 80,000 Muslims have become followers of Christ in recent years. The situation has become so alarming to Islamic clerics that in March of 2006, Algerian officials pass a law banning Muslims from becomeing Christians or even learning about Christianity. Christians trying to share their faith with Muslims face two to five years in jaili and fines of 5,000 to 10,000 euros." (p.208-210)

(AP photo: Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika visits victims of last Wednesday's bombing.)

* Morocco on 'extreme alert' over terror attacks
* Three Al Qaida bombers attack U.S. consulate in Morocco
* U.S. Consulate Closes in Morocco Over Security Concerns
* Algeria Bombing Death Toll Now 33 -- 220 wounded