Christianity in Libya - Characteristics

Characteristics

The largest Christian group in Libya is the Coptic Orthodox made up entirely of European immigrant workers, with a population of over 300,000. The Coptic (Egyptian) Church is known to have historical roots in Libya long before the Arabs advanced westward from Egypt into Libya. However, the Roman Catholics have a large number as well, with 140,000 members. Orthodox communities other than that of the Egyptian Copts include the Russian Orthodox, Serbian Orthodox, and the Greek Orthodox. There is one Anglican congregation in Tripoli, made up mostly of African immigrant workers in Tripoli and which belongs to the Egyptian Anglican diocese. The Anglican bishop of Libya has his seat in Cairo. There is also a priest in Sabha. There is only a few, though growing, number of native Libyan Arab and Berber converts to Christianity.

There are relatively peaceful relations between Christians and Muslims in Libya. However, there are restrictions for Christian religious activity. It is prohibited to proselytize Muslims, even though a non-Muslim man must convert to Islam if he wants to marry a Muslim woman. Also, religious literature is restricted.