Finding faith in IRAN
19 June 09
Thirty years after the Islamic Revolution, many Iranian people feel frustrated by Islam.
They are searching for spiritual truth and finding it in Jesus.
It is estimated that there are more than 100,000 secret believers from a Muslim background, meeting together in rapidly growing house churches. Such believers are actively targeted by the authorities. In 2008 at least 50 Christians, mostly Muslim converts, were arrested, interrogated and tortured – some were even killed.
At the same time, the number of official Christians has halved from 250,000 Armenian and Assyrian Christians before the Islamic revolution of 1979, to around 125,000 in 2009. Many have left Iran as a result of discrimination and persecution. Following the election of President Ahmadinejad in 2005, Christian persecution increased still further with security forces rigidly enforcing anti-Christian legislation.
A hidden God
Of Iran’s 72 million population, 99 per cent are Muslim. Yet according to Islamic scholar, Katajun Amirpur, Iranian society is the most secular in the Islamic world, with many turning their backs on the mullahs. Referring to recent research, she said that 70 per cent of survey respondents claimed they were dissatisfied with the Iranian state and advocated a separation of state and religion.
Former Muslims report that many Iranians are suffering from spiritual emptiness, looking for a God they can’t find. Those who haven’t found Christ are resorting to drugs, fundamentalism or mysticism.
The gospel bears fruit
New Christians are very keen to tell their family members, friends, neighbours, colleagues or fellow students about Jesus. One Iranian became a Christian while living abroad. Within a month of his return home, 50 members of his extended family had converted. By the time of his next visit one year later, this house church had grown to 250 members.
One burglar stumbled upon a sermon in the Farsi language while trying out his stolen satellite dish. After giving his life to Christ, he told his friends, who also worked in the world of crime, and today they form a house church of 12.
According to an employee of the Home Ministry, even children of government ministers and mullahs convert to Christianity.
A church grown in secret
Most house church members meet in secret to avoid the gaze of the authorities, militant Islamists, informers and religious vigilantes. They rely on Christian radio and TV programmes, internet sites and books in Farsi to develop their spiritual lives.
“Once we sent Bible couriers into a remote town,” shares Open Doors’ Head of Operations for Iran. “When they unpacked the Bibles in a house church the Christians there were overjoyed. Their leader said: ‘These brothers and sisters who converted through Christian radio programmes have been waiting for a Bible for years. So we decided to fast and pray for one week. Today is the last day of the fast!’”
It is impossible to assess the number of Christians living at present in Iran. Many of them still live out their faith in secrecy. “How many souls have Christians robbed of Muslims?” one mullah asked an Iranian pastor some years ago. Cautiously, he replied: “10,000,” a figure valid for the time of the Shah. The mullah laughed: “Nonsense! Both of us know that there are many more. Be honest, did you already arrive at one million?”
There are many more articles and news updates on the Open Doors website, so if you are interested in reading more, visit this link. http://www.opendoorsuk.org/resources/iran/