Religious tensions of ideological and sectarian origin have encumbered Maghreb countries, in particular Algeria, for the past twenty years. The recent rise of a number of radical religious movements involving Ahmedism, Salafism, Shiism, Wahhabism, and takfiri ideology have raised concerns among officials in the Algerian Ministry of Religious Affairs and Endowments, which has decided to take action by strengthening the monitoring and control of places of worship and universities — that is, the places targeted by the radical Islamists for recruits.
On May 12 in an interview with Radio Alger Chaine 3, Mohamed Aissa, the ministry's inspector general, confirmed the religious radicalization taking place in the country. Authorities, however, have indicated that they will not shirk from confronting these currents, given their awareness of the religious elite of the country.
