Archive for the ‘Iran and Christians’ category

Islamic Republic of Iran detains dozens of converts to Christianity

December 5, 2016

Islamic Republic of Iran detains dozens of converts to Christianity, Jihad Watch

Obama’s cash contributions to the Islamic Republic of Iran at work.

housechurchiran

“Iran Detains Dozens Of Christian Converts As Rights Group Urge World To Intervene,” BosNewsLife, December 3, 2016:

TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)– A group of 19 influential human rights groups have urged the United Nations and the international community to help protect Christian converts in Iran saying scores of believers were detained for leaving Islam. In a statement to BosNewsLife the activists said that the “Islamic Republic of Iran” has been “homing in on converts from a Muslim background”.

Between May and August 2016 security forces forces arrested at least 79 Christians, according to activists, family members and friends.

“The majority of those arrested were interrogated and detained for periods ranging from a few days to months.” the groups said.

“At the time of writing some of these 79 Christians remain in detention and have still not been formally charged.”

Rights groups say “the true number of Christians apprehended by the authorities could be notably higher” as “many” arrests would have gone unreported.

In 2012, Iran’s government began to bar converts from Muslim backgrounds from attending services in official churches. Instead Christian converts “are forced” to gather in informal groups known as “house churches”, the activists said. “These gatherings are considered illegal by authorities and are often raided. In August 2016 alone security agents allegedly raided at least four house churches and the house church members were arrested and interrogated.”…

Muslim cleric from terror sponsor Iran praises Pope for saying Islam is peaceful

August 24, 2016

Muslim cleric from terror sponsor Iran praises Pope for saying Islam is peaceful, Jihad Watch,

He is thanking the Pope for furthering what he must know are false statements that keep people ignorant and complacent about the jihad threat. He is, in effect, thanking the Pope for being a tool of the global jihad.

*****************

“Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi of Qom wrote in a letter to the Pope: ‘I am really delighted to have heard your comments during your last trip to Poland in which you stated “Islam is not equal to terrorism” and further dismissed the association of violence and harshness with any and all divinely-sent religions.’”

Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi of Qom must know better. He must know that the Qur’an and Sunnah teach warfare against unbelievers, as I demonstrate here and in many other places. He is thanking the Pope for furthering what he must know are false statements that keep people ignorant and complacent about the jihad threat. He is, in effect, thanking the Pope for being a tool of the global jihad.

grand anat

“Top Muslim cleric praises Pope Francis for saying it is wrong to identify Islam with violence,” by Carey Lodge, Christian Today, August 23, 2016:

A top Iranian religious leader has praised Pope Francis for saying it is wrong to identify Islam with violence.

Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi of Qom wrote in a letter to the Pope: “I am really delighted to have heard your comments during your last trip to Poland in which you stated ‘Islam is not equal to terrorism’ and further dismissed the association of violence and harshness with any and all divinely-sent religions.

“Your wise and logical stance regarding Islam in disassociating the religion from the inhumane actions and atrocities of the Takfiri groups such as Daesh is truly admirable.”

Pope Francis told reporters on his plane back from Poland last month: “I think it is not right to identity Islam with violence. This is not right and this is not true.”

He was speaking following the murder of Father Jacques Hamel, an 85-year-old Catholic priest in Rouen, France, in an attack that was claimed by Islamic State.

“I think that in nearly all religions there is a always a small fundamentalist group,” the Pope said. “I don’t like to talk about Islamic violence because every day when I look at the papers I see violence here in Italy – someone killing his girlfriend, someone killing his mother-in-law. These are baptised Catholics.

“If I speak of Islamic violence, I have to speak of Catholic violence. Not all Muslims are violent.”

In his letter, Shirazi said that “such barbaric acts have nothing to do with divinely-sent religions and their various schools of thought. Rather, they originate from the inferior materialistic objectives of some corrupt superpowers who seek nothing but to obtain more illegitimate wealth.”…

Christian Movement Growing in Iran; Up to 1 Million

March 7, 2016

Christian Movement Growing in Iran; Up to 1 Million, Clarion Project, March 7, 2016

Iran-Christian-Captive-IP
Maryam Rostampour was imprisoned in Iran for practicing Christianity. (Photo: Video screenshot)

While Christians are routinely arrested and imprisoned for practicing their faith in Iran, estimates of the number of Christians worshipping in secret number in the hundreds of thousands and that is only growing.

Open Doors USA, a non-profit Christian group that provides support to persecuted Christians living under oppressive regimes, records about 450,000 Christians in Iran. Others place the number closer to a million.

Christians in Iran are forced to keep their religion under wraps. They worship in house churches with a maximum of four to five others. The group must change their meeting place each time they get together.

A push to train Christian leaders was launched by the London-based Pars Theological Centre, which says it is currently training 200 Iranian Christians.

“This is not a political movement at all, but it will have political implications because it is touching the core foundations of society,” a spokesperson for Pars stated. “If you want to live in a country that doesn’t fund terrorists, you have to develop the values of the grassroots.”

The spokesperson emphasized the leadership training is not “anti-Iranian” in nature, but rather a means to “transform the Iranian society from the bottom up.”

The majority of the leadership training is done in Iran through offline computer training materials. Students stay in touch with their mentors through email.  In addition, Pars broadcasts courses into Iran through two satellite channels.