Communities where Christ is least known

Foreign students

There are about 280,000 foreign students in France. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and of International Development for France declared recently that France intends to double this number by 2020.

In recent years, Chinese students have become the largest group (more than 25,200), followed by Moroccans (23,000), Algerians (17,400) and Tunisians (8,900). Almost 45 percent of foreign students come from Africa (including the Maghreb).

There is an openness to the Gospel among foreign students, but there is a great need for more workers. There is currently only one SIM worker ministering among foreign students in France.

Muslim community in France

The Muslim community in France is about seven to eight percent of the total population (figure includes all the immigrants coming from predominantly Muslim countries). Studies give an estimate of 70,000 to 110,000 Christian converts among this group. A large part of the community is second, third or even fourthgeneration immigrants. The 2016 influx of refugees is challenging European Christians to find ways to show Christ’s love. But following terrorist violence in 2016, the Muslim community has begun to question Islam. Muslim-background believers are often persecuted by their families and relatives, but the terrorist incidents have led to more opportunities to discuss our Christian beliefs.