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In a recent weekly program on YouTube, Brother Rachid stated that people don’t realize that North Africa was once a Christian land; some of its prominent Christian leaders were North Africans. They were persecuted, and some died as Martyrs for their faith.

He referred to Cyprian and the martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity, whose culture was called Amazigh or Berber.

Cyprian was born to wealthy pagan parents and was educated in law. He practiced as a lawyer in Carthage (present-day Tunisia) and converted to Christianity in 246. Within two years, he became Bishop of Carthage. He met severe persecution and was martyred on 30 August 257. Carthage | History, Location, & Facts | Britannica.

Perpetua (born c. 182—died March 7, 203) wrote a journal recounting her trial and imprisonment, that was continued by a contemporary who described Perpetua’s death in the arena. Ancient and modern Christians have highly revered both her martyrdom and its account. Her text is a rare surviving document written by a woman in the ancient world. Perpetua began her diary with an account of her imprisonment and continued it with descriptions of her trial and her father’s impassioned but fruitless plea for her to renounce her Christian identity. On the evening before her scheduled death, Perpetua gave her diary to another Christian, who then continued the story of the martyrdom of Perpetua and her fellow Christians. He described how one of Perpetua’s companions, the pregnant slave Felicity, gave birth while in prison; he wrote of the young Christians’ bravery in the arena when they were attacked by wild beasts and, finally, of Perpetua’s voluntary acceptance of death by the sword. Perpetua’s diary was read annually in Carthage’s churches for centuries, and 200 years later Augustine (354–430) wrote sermons commenting on the young martyr’s words (see Perpetua_and_Felicity).

The word martyr in the Early Church referred to Christian witnesses who died for their Christian faith. Due to their great numbers, martyr now refers to someone who died for his faith.

Martyrdom is not a thing of the past; in 2015, 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians were martyred by jihadists in Libya, by the notorious Islamic State terrorists.

A feature of a YouTube presentation enables the viewers to comment on the speaker’s subject.

The following testimonies are on the Martyrs listed above.

“As a believer from Iraqi Kurdistan, I greatly appreciate your messages.”

“I ascribe glory to Jesus Christ, who rescued me from the darkness of Islam and brought me to Christianity’s light.”

“You are in my prayers asking the Lord Jesus Christ to bless you and your family.”

“Brother Rachid, how I appreciate your programs exhibiting the summit of truth, and always to the point. You have persisted in your ministry. May the Lord bless you and give you the strength to pursue your work.”

“I’m an Iraqi, I count you as a messenger sent by God! A million greetings”

“Your program is reviving Christianity in North Africa! Thanks for your ministry.”

“As a Tunisian believer, I glorify our Lord Jesus Christ for having sustained our Tunisian martyrs.”

“I’m a rural Amazigh Moroccan woman, proud of all the Amazigh saints! Moroccans must learn about their background. May the light of Jesus Christ shine throughout all the regions of North Africa!”

“I’m a North African believer and appreciate learning about the martyrdom of Perpetua. It’s the Blood of the Martyrs that’s causing the spread of Christianity in our lands.”

“While Saint Augustine isn’t our contemporary, his wisdom is relevant and apropos. He said: ‘Everything in the world is passing away, hurry therefore and let the Lord be your guide.’”

“Greetings from a former Muslim; I appreciate your messages. I learned that Saint Augustine was an Amazigh.”

“Thank you, Brother Rachid, for addressing this history. Persecution of believers goes on, and yet is deliberately ignored and forgotten.”

“We North African Crossovers¹ support you and are proud of your bravery.”

“An exceptional essay, your work is of good quality, providing us with the original sources! Now we have a non-falsified historical account of the past.”

“Brother Rachid has lifted the rocks and cleansed the dust covering the past and unveiled the history that had been buried. You are a new Tertullian; may the Lord bless you!”

¹ Al-'Abiroon are Muslims who “crossed over” to the Christian faith, as opposed to Arabs born as Christians. They consider the experience an Exodus like the experience of the Israelites who crossed over the Red Sea to freedom.