By Amber Holloway
On Thursday, December 27, while approximately 50 newly converted, Persian Christians had gathered to celebrate Christmas,
Underground believers
government security forces began a coordinated and pre-planned raid. It resulted in the immediate arrest and interrogation of all individuals present for several hours. This incident resulted in the arrest and detention of an Armenian pastor whose whereabouts and condition remain unknown at this time.
Filed under Muslim conversions, persecution
By International Christian Concern
Underground believers in Iran
Reports of Iranian authorities arresting Christians for their faith are pouring in, indicating that the Islamic nation is running a massive campaign targeting house churches.
Officials from Iran’s Cyber Police force raided the home of a Christian convert, Alireza Ebrahimi, in the northern city of Gorgan, Mohabat News reported on Nov. 16. The officials had an arrest warrant for Ebrahimi, who was apparently not at home at the time and it remains unclear if he was being held in prison. The Christian man is a blogger who uses social media for evangelism.
Filed under persecution
They refuse to recant their faith in Jesus
Iranian Christian beaten by police
By Dan Wooding
The mass arrests and disappearance of 40 Christians in Shiraz and Cavar by the state security agents of the Islamic Republic in late September was confirmed in the semiofficial media of Islamic Republic, reports the Farsi Christian News Network (FCNN).
In a massive operation conducted by the agents of the Ministry of Islamic Information (Intelligence) in various parts of Shiraz in the last days of September, some 30 Christians were arrested and transported to the ministry’s infamous detention center, locally known as “Number 100,” while others had already been detained, according to FCNN.
Filed under persecution
By Mark Ellis
Underground believers
As a member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard he witnessed appalling human rights abuses that caused him to question his faith in Islam and the current regime. He became a CIA spy and later escaped to the West. His contacts on the ground in Tehran tell him Islam’s days are numbered there.
“Many have lost faith in Islam,” says Reza Khalili, a pseudonym taken by the ex-spy for safety reasons. “In the streets of Tehran, people are cursing at Mohammad,” he reports. “Millions wake up to text messages they send each other every day mocking the regime and the religion.”
Filed under evangelism & outreach, missions, Muslim conversions
By Michael Ireland
Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is well-known for his denial of The Holocaust.
Iran’s leader
Now, in a speech during the Women and Islamic Awakening Summit held in Milad Tower in Tehran, Ahmadinejad claimed that God has never sent any religion into the world called Christianity or Judaism, “But He appointed the prophet of Islam, Mohammad, as the prophet for all mankind, from Buddhists to Christians and Jews.”
Filed under end times, persecution
By Mark Ellis
Reza Khalili in disguise
As a member of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard he witnessed horrific acts that caused him to question his faith in Islam and the regime he served. After he became a CIA spy and later escaped to the West, he found a new revolutionary to follow who offered a love that overwhelmed his soul.
Filed under evangelism & outreach, missions, Muslim conversions, testimonies
By Mark Ellis
Padina’s story is told in VOM’s book, “IRAN: Desperate for God"
In her unparalleled zeal for Allah, she mourned for dead imams and prayed day and night at her Islamic school. But a failed marriage and a mother dying of multiple sclerosis left her depressed and suicidal. Where could she find a path to the joy and peace she craved?
At an early age, Padina committed herself to Allah. She thought to herself, “If I could do all the things he demanded, he would answer my prayers, give me peace, and someday allow me to enter his paradise.”
Filed under evangelism & outreach, missions, Muslim conversions, testimonies
By Jeremy Reynalds
underground believers
The wide range of Iranian people watching Christian television programs and Christian websites shows increasing interest in Christianity, according to a report by Mohabat News.
Many believe that the frequency of arbitrary detention and harassment of Christians is because the younger generation is increasingly dissatisfied with the Islamic faith.
“The wave of acceptance of Christianity in Iran is increasing on a daily basis,” says Shahram Nikoo, an Iranian Christian and manager of the Iranian Church in Europe. “We know this from Christian television networks which are being broadcast through satellite signals, and also the feedback people give from inside Iran regarding these programs. It’s also obvious from the (viewing numbers) on our websites. All these factors show that many people in Iran are interested in committing their lives to Jesus Christ.”
Filed under evangelism & outreach, missions
