Lausanne World Pulse – Themed Articles – Internet Outreach to Muslims in North Africa

In Muslim countries where conversion and proselytizing is illegal, cyberspace is an anonymous haven for North Africans to explore Christianity—and a means for the gospel to penetrate a closed society. With Avant Ministries’ assistance, the growing underground church is establishing public cybercafés equipped with pay-per-minute computer terminals.

Already popular venues in North Africa, these cyber cafés will be the first ones managed and operated by national Christians. Believers are so discriminated against in Muslim culture that they often cannot find employment. But a cybercafé supports the home church movement financially and spiritually; it provides a profitable community service, sustainable income for employees, a legitimate business cover for Internet users and outside visitors, a potential evangelism outlet and a discipleship training forum.

“It provides a safe place for Christians to go where the owner will not be hanging over their head and watching what they do,” said Maher Haddad, director of Arabic ministries for Avant’s Malaga Media Center (MMC) in southern Spain. “We’re hoping to get more into Internet chat room ministry and voice chat, especially after [café] hours in private.”

The cybercafés will also help direct traffic to the MMC-sponsored website Asdika.org (Friend), where Muslims can quietly learn about the Christian faith. The cybercafés were inspired by a church leader searching out a haven for North Africans conducting telephone follow-up with Muslims who call about the MMC’s radio and television broadcasts. Each cybercafé would be self-sustaining within six months. The start-up cost of equipping and furnishing one cyber café with five computers, including operating expenses for six months, is almost US$13,000.

Church leaders hope to open a network of at least five cybercafés in various cities; funding has been secured for two.

(This article was originally written for an Avant Ministries publication. This article cannot be reproduced without permission from Avant.)