It has been reported that assaults upon Iranian Christians has increased in recent weeks. Most recently, Iranian police who identified themselves as agents of Iran’s “Ministry of Information,” staged an undercover raid upon a house church run by Pastor Bahnam Irani.
Irani was arrested and taken to a detention center in the city of Karaj. In addition, ten believers who were worshipping with Pastor Irani, were briefly detained, forced to disclose the names of other Christians associated with Irani’s church and told they would be interrogated at a future date. The agents confiscated most of his personal belongings such as pictures, cameras, computers, CDs, DVDs, and Bibles.
Two days earlier, a similar raid took place when 19 year old Daniel Shahri was arrested at home in Isfahan. In that raid, agents produced an arrest warrant for Shahri, issued by the revolutionary court, charging him with forming a home church. In February, Hamid Shafiee and his wife, were abducted by force from their home in Isfahan and await being formally charged in prison.
As is common in the arrests of Christians, Iranian authorities seize cell phones and computers by which they may ascertain the whereabouts of even more Christians who are then persecuted.
Although Iran’s Ministry of Information is ostensibly in charge of that country’s telecommunications industry, they are actually an arm of the Ministry of Intelligence and Security of the Islamic Republic of Iran (MISIRI), the muscle behind Iran’s police state. MISIRI is an Islamic version of their predecessor, the SAVAK who terrorized Iranian citizens under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Their chief function seems to be to deprive Iranian citizens of fundamental human rights in an effort to protect the Islamic ruling class.
While Christians are suffering persecution around the world, the American church continues to celebrate their belief that they will not have to suffer for the sake of their testimony.
© 2010 Craig Portwood
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Comments
I wonder how many of these so called Christians are CIA agents or paid agents of USA goverment.
Very interesting Craig!
Thank you for calling attention to the religous bigotry that exists in other nations. This proves that it is the United States that is tolerant more so than any in the middle east.
How sad that people in these nations have to resort to underground churches to practice Christianity, and even so they know they are at risk from the hatred of those who fear the Christian message of love and tolerance for all people in the world. If only they knew who Jesus really is.....
John Sheridan,
I do believe that the reason that Christianity is tolerated in the U.S., is that most churches are licensed by the government. It is called the 501(c)(3) corporate tax exemption. This agreement with the government prevents the “church” from preaching about political matters. In effect, it is a gag on their freedom of speech.
Muslim countries cannot license the Christian church and so, there can be no such deal. I do believe that at some point, American Christians will be forced to worship in the (corporate) image of the beast. I will refuse.
In places like China, Christians are allowed to practice their faith, only in state licensed churches. Those who do not are arrested, beaten, have their assets confiscated, and are persecuted generally. The state wants to control religion.
We must each decide to whose authority we will submit. The two choices Christians have are the state and God.
I have made my choice already.
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