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IranReligious persecution of certain minorities has intensified in Iran since 2005. This is particularly aimed at the Baha'i, at Sufi Muslims and at Christians, especially MBBs. According to the state, only Armenians and Assyrians can be Christian - ethnic Persians are by definition Muslim, and therefore ethnic Persian Christians are by definition apostates. This makes almost all Christian activity illegal, especially when it occurs in Persian languages - from evangelism to Bible training to publishing Scripture and Christian books. Yet the regime's harsh treatment of Christians only further fuels the flames of church growth. Islam is the official religion in Iran, and all laws and regulations must be consistent with the official interpretation of sharia law. Although ethnic (Armenian and Assyrian) Christians are a recognized religious minority who officially are guaranteed religious freedom, they have reported imprisonment, physical abuse, harassment and discrimination because of their faith. Armenian and Assyrian churches are allowed to teach fellow countrymen in their own language, but it is forbidden to minister to people with a Muslim background (speaking Farsi). Under the judicial interpretations of sharia law, any Muslim who leaves Islam to embrace another religion faces the death penalty. Many church services are being monitored by the secret police. Believers, especially converts from Islam, who are active in churches or the cell group movement are being pressured: they are questioned, arrested and put in jail and beaten. Individual believers are being oppressed by society, under pressure of the authorities, and family. During the last few months of 2010 and the beginning of 2011, mass arrests of Christians took place; more than 200 Christians were arrested during the reporting period. This number is comparable to the number of Christians arrested during the previous World Watch List reporting period. The remarkable difference this time is the statements against Christianity in Iran which religious and political leaders made in the media preceding the arrests. For the first time ever, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned of the ever expanding influence and numbers of home-based churches during a speech on October 19th. Iran's supreme religious leader blamed "the enemies of Islam for establishing and encouraging the expansion of Christianity in Iran". Also in October, Iran's intelligence minister said that his agents had discovered hundreds of underground church groups, including 200 in the Muslim holy city of Mashhad. In January the provincial governor of Tehran, Moreza Tamadon, said in a reaction to the arrests of Christians that more will follow in the near future. He especially criticized Christian evangelicalism, calling it a "corrupt and deviant movement", "a cultural invasion of the enemy" and likened the Protestant movement to the Taliban and the Wahabis in Islam. More recently, the Minister of Intelligence, Heydar Moslehi, has reportedly warned of the threat of house churches and other Christian interests during October and November 2011. He also indicated that new efforts are being made to battle against the growth of the house church movement in Iran. Since the start of the anti-Christian rhetoric, the number arrests of Christians have increased. Although most Christians were later released, pressure on the church remains high. The regime lost credibility following the turmoil after the 2009 elections, and in an effort to distract attention from internal problems, it is increasingly lashing out against Christians. Several Christians were sentenced to jail or death for Christian activities. However there were no reports of the implementation of death penalties. Also, we did not receive any reports of Christians being killed for their faith whereas this was the case during the last reporting period. Therefore there is a slight decrease in total of points for Iran (from 67.5 last year to 66 points this year). At the same time the points for other countries in the top ten increased and as a result Iran went down a few positions from number two to five. Nevertheless, the situation of religious freedom for Christians has not improved; it is as serious as last year and no improvement is expected on the short run. The Iranian authorities' fear of the increase of Christianity in the country is based on facts and not just paranoia. Curiosity and interest in Christianity (and in other non-Islamic religions) is growing strongly among Iranian Muslims who are disillusioned with Iran's state-sponsored Shi'ism, as a result of what the Iranian government has done in the name of Islam. In total, there are now 460,000 Christians (from an Islamic and Assyrian/Armenian background) in Iran. |
