VISIT TO THE CHRISTIAN KABYLE CHURCH: Illu d Lehmala - God is Love

This past Thursday I accidentally visited one of the oldest christian communities in the world: the Christians from Algerian Kabyle. I first knocked on the doors of the Synagogue of Belleville, but the doors as before, remained shut. But on my way back I saw a North African looking lady entering a church. I asked her if it was open, she said yes and invited me in. Her eyes were twinkling with love and happiness. "I was not always like this", she said, but Jesus saved me.

I attended a room with high windows, outside there was a tasteful garden, inside a mixed group of men, women and children. What I noticed quite directly was the strong passion of these people. They chose to be Christians against all odds. Some of them even feared for their lives. Sadly it is quite hard to choose your own spiritual path within the Muslim world. Many Muslims who leave their faith for another one get shunned by their own families and even can face violence or being treated like a criminal by their own governments of origin!

This of course goes against the Islamic basic principle of Compassion and Freedom of choice!

I thought to myself: "these very first Muslims of the Kabyle who produced the greatest Christian thinker in history: Saint Augustine, had been persecuted by the Romans and now are persecuted by the Arabs." They were the oldest and most persecuted group of Christians in the world. This emotioned me to the extent that I started crying. (Thankfully nobody noticed this because of my hat.)

I looked around and saw a smiling and kind community of Christians who made their children the center of their affection. On the wall a simple, but poetic and emotionally moving painting of Jesus, presumably made by one of the church goers.

They started singing songs in French and Kabyle: two ladies started singing and one young guy with a guitar made the background rhythm. One of the singers sung with her eyes closed as if in a trance. 

Slowly they pulled me hundreds, thousands of years back in time. I was in the community of Augustine.

I raised my hands, closed my eyes and sung with everybody: Illu d Lehma, God is love.

The reverent, an Algerian Berber who looked like he just came out of a Fayyum Portrait raised his hands: "Amèn." "Jesus is LOVE".

A young man came to me and offered me a bible. I soon noticed that for these people the Bible was not just a book, but something like the Lamp from the cave of Aladdin. "Everything you need in life is in this book."- someone from the public cried. He gave me his most prized possession. I felt thankfulness.

The preacher then gave a sermon about La Jeune (the fast) and gave examples from the bible. It had to be between you and God. You don't fast for the others. You could fast by eating only vegetables. You could fast by drinking only water, or by not eating a certain part of the day. Fasting was an important part of being a Christian. It brought you closer to God.

After the sermon a prayer was done for the children in the room. They all came to the front and with open arms the reverent blessed the children together with the public. After this blessing the reverent asked if anyone needed prayers. Many raised their hands and all of them were blessed. In the end it was my turn. I said I came to help the orphan girls from Sierra Leone and would like to have a prayer for them. The reverent started a prayer for the girls, but couldn't withstand the temptation to do a prayer for me so that I would follow the path of Christ and asked if I believed if Jesus was the son of God. I answered I believed he had the holy Spirit inside of him, which was love. And that if this is what he meant then I was a believer too! How can I not believe in LOVE ?

I closed the meeting by reading my card to the congregation of Kabylian Christians. I blessed them and thanked them for their hospitality.

At the end we lemonade and tea was distributed with a chocolate cookie. I talked to a previous illegal and homeless man. His eyes had conviction in them. after he received the bible everything in his life changed. The bible saved him literally and spiritually. According to him the girls of Sierra Leone needed a bible, after that everything will change for them. Another sister suggested sending bibles to the girls. She also wanted to send clothes and asked if I had their address.

At the end the sister who had let me in gave me a big hug. I had just met her, but felt a strong and sisterly connection. 

Outside the songs kept on going through my head as I walked smiling through the roads of Paris.
Today Paris was the city of Love...

With love,

Salima el Musalima

Avant- Garde Imam