German Christian sentenced for sharing faith

Morocco (MNN) — While Muslims in the West try to convert people to their faith, laws prevent anyone from trying to convert Muslims out of their faith. Morocco has a similar law, which has a German tourist in trouble.

According to reports, 62-year-old Sadek Noshi Yassa, of Egyptian descent, was sentenced to six months in jail and fined the equivalent of US $60, for sharing his faith. Reports claim Yassa handed out Christian books and CD’s to young Muslims on the streets in Morocco’s main tourist destination, Agadir.

Moroccan law allows prison sentences of up to six months for anyone who uses incitements to share the faith of a Muslim or to convert him to another religion.

Fortunately, Yassa was able to leave the country before his sentence was handed down, and his whereabouts are currently unknown.

Morocco’s constitution technically allows freedom of religion but Islam’s classification of the ‘state religion’ makes it difficult for Christians to express their beliefs. State-controlled local media have accused Christians of launching a secret ‘clandestine campaign’ to convert Moroccan Muslims to Christianity. Christians comprise roughly 1 percent of Morocco’s 33 million people.