The Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Committee of the Libyan Parliament called on foreigners residing on Libyan territory to “respect the constants of Libyan society.”
The statement said that “preaching another religion is rejected by social norms in Libya” and called for the “tightening of relevant laws.” The Committee praised the efforts of the security forces in combating these negative phenomena.
The statement was issued after security forces arrested two US citizens for alleged proselytising in the country.
The Internal Security Agency said it had arrested the Director and Assistant Director of a training center in Tripoli, identifying him by the initials “SBO”. They were detained for “inciting our children to renounce Islam and convert to Christianity”.
The Libyan Parliament said that “the actions of the American citizens are unacceptable and must be prevented from recurring.” It demanded that the accused be referred to the judicial authorities as soon as possible, to complete the investigations.
It also urged diplomatic missions abroad to warn all travellers that preaching another religion is forbidden in Libya. It renewed its thanks to the members of the Internal Security Agency for “carrying out their work in a professional and legal manner.”
Last week, the US State Department confirmed that it was aware of reports related to the detention of a US citizen in Libya. The Spokesman for the department told CNN that “when a US citizen is detained abroad, the department works to provide all forms of assistance required, and that they had no greater priority than the safety and security of their fellow citizens abroad.”
Libyan security forces said Thursday it had also arrested two Libyans, including a 22-year-old woman who had allegedly converted to Christianity when she was 15.
In a video, she describes how she in turn became a “missionary” and tried to persuade other Libyans to switch faiths.
According to the US State Department’s travel instructions, Libya ranks at the fourth level, with Americans warned not to travel there.
