Why did Christianity disappear in North-Western Africa?
Upvote:2
If you compare the Christian presence in North Africa now to that from 100 years ago, there has been a noticeable decline. The main reason for this was anti-colonialist sentiment at the end of World War II. Of course, this was merely a continuation of a process of exclusion and elimination that has occurred over centuries. For example, in Algeria there have been no large Christian communities since the medieval period.
Upvote:2
The answer to this question is very simple.........the Medieval Arab Muslim conquest.
It is true that in the early middle ages, North Africa-(from Egypt, to Tunisia), had a sizable Christian presence-(both Roman and Byzantine rite). In fact, much of North Africa, during the early Middle Ages/(the so-called, "Dark Ages"), was under direct Byzantine imperial rule. The famed early Medieval Roman rite Christian, Saint Augustine, was probably of Berber ethnic extraction and was originally from either Libya or Tunisia. One can even go back to Saint Mark, who was also from Libya and is the Patron Saint of Egyptian Coptic Christianity.
However, with the birth of Islam in the early 600's, followed by the subsequently rapid spread of Islam throughout the Arabian peninsula, as well as throughout the Middle East, neighboring North Africa would shortly follow....... from Egypt,to Morocco. The North African Muslim campaigns were led by the Umayyad Caliphate and many-(though not all) of North African's Christians, were forcibly converted to Islam. Egypt, for example, is approximately 15% Christian, though the presence of Christians in the remainder of North Africa is infinitesimal.
Upvote:7
I would think that the main reason for the decline of Christianity in North Africa since Roman Times was largely due to the rapid expansion of Islam in the first century of its existence. Arabs of the Rashidun and Umayyad Caliphates spread Islam at the point of the sword all the way across North Africa, up the Iberian Peninsula into France.
The high water mark was Southern France, at the Battle of Tours 732 CE when a Frankish Army under Charles Martel, defeated the Umayyad Caliphate. From then on Christian forces rolled back Islamic forces out of Spain until Granada fell in 1492.
Upvote:11
The decline of Christianity in the Maghreb is related to the Arab conquest and the rule of Muslim governors. An important step in that decline was the rule of Almoravids and Almohads, under which most Christian and Jew populations were forced to convert or to be exiled. That's probably the difference between North West Africa and the Middle East (including Egypt) where some Christian groups remain, although they are a minority of the population.
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