The Constitution declares Islam the state religion and prohibits religious discrimination. Article 9 of the constitution forbids practices contrary to Islamic morals. Article 28 states that the citizens are equal before the law without any possible discrimination on the basis of birth, race, gender (sex), opinion or all other conditions or personal or social circumstance. Article 35 provides for the freedom of conscience and the freedom of opinion.
According to United Nations reports, Christians and Jews are allowed to practice their faiths without interference. There is continual violence in the country as clashes occur between government forces and militant Islamists. The Armed Islamic Group, an extremist faction seeking to topple the government, is intent on eliminating Jews, Christians, and polytheists from Algeria.
As Algeria is a former French colony, anti-France and anti-USA sentiment runs high. There has been systematic violence against Jews in Algeria since the 1960s. Recent incidents of religious persecution includes the kidnapping and murder of seven French Trappist monks and the killing of a French Bishop. During 1995 two Roman Catholic priests and three nuns were murdered, and a fourth nun was wounded by extremists.
2003 U.S. State Department International Religious Freedom Report on Algeria
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