Christianity growing in Afghanistan

Pray that many more in Afghanistan will come to Christ.

Afghanistan, a country long suffering from civil wars, has not experienced peace for many years. Ongoing bombings by fundamentalist Muslims have stolen peace from the lives of Afghanis. However, the country has recently seen signs of change as people hear the Good News of Jesus Christ.

According to Mohabat News, "Informed Afghan authorities acknowledge that Christianity has obtained a special place not only among youth, but also among various layers in society. (In addition), house churches are growing tremendously."

Further, an independent Shi'ite website in Iran reportedly quoted a knowledgeable Afghan official as saying, "There is evidence of widespread Christian propaganda in Afghanistan, and the existence of more than 10 churches that operate secretly in residential houses have been proven."

New reports indicate that some members of the country's parliament have embraced Christianity. A Farsi news service also published a report on these conversions, writing, "Evangelism and Christian propaganda is taking place in the country at a high level, but this is the first time that those who call themselves representatives of the Afghani people not only have become 'apostates' but have joined Christian ministries to evangelize. This time they want to present their Christian services to Muslim people through parliament."

Muslims make up the vast majority of Afghanistan's population at 99.85 per cent. Christians account for 0.05 per cent. While there is limited freedom to practice other religions, there is no freedom to propagate another faith or to convert from Islam.

Please pray for Afghanistan.

• Thank the Lord for the way He is working in this nation. 
• Ask Him to give Afghani Christians a strong and mature faith with a bold desire to share the gospel. 
• Pray the Lord will continue to work to bring many more to repentance. 
• Pray for protection of believers in Afghanistan.

For more on the trials Christians face in Afghanistan, please visit our Afghanistan Country Report.

Iranian court bars Christian convert from university for one year

Women pictured inside the Evin Prison
Photo: Mohabat NEWS

A Christian convert was recently sentenced to one year of deprivation of education by a court in Tehran, Iran, reports Mohabat News.

Fatemeh Nouri, an art student in one of the universities in Tehran, was arrested in September 2011 at her home and was then transferred to Evin prison. Fatemeh was convicted of attending a house church, insulting sacred figures, and activities against national security.

She was released on November 30, 2011, after spending almost three months in prison. However, she is not allowed to receive an education for the duration of her one-year deprivation sentence.

The Iranian constitution allows religious freedom for followers of non-Islamic faiths. The sentencing violates the country's own laws, as well as the universal declaration of human rights, which considers education a right for all regardless of race, colour, belief, religion and gender.

While the Islamic Republic has in the past made Christian students attend Islamic courses in an effort to convert them, it now seems that the deprivation of education or expulsion from universities may be the new method for opposing the spread of Christianity.

You can help by praying!

• Please pray that this sentence will be recognized as unlawful and will be overturned. 
• Pray that Fatemeh will not become discouraged, but that she will find new strength in Christ. 
• Please pray for Fatemeh's future as well as for the futures of all young Iranian Christians seeking to further their education and bring glory to God with their gifts.

To learn more about persecution in Iran, go to the Iran Country Report.

Christian convert sentenced to two years in prison in Iran

Women pictured inside the Evin Prison
Photo: Mohabat NEWS

Leila Mohammadi, a Christian convert from Islam, has been sentenced to two years' imprisonment after enduring five months of uncertainty in Iran's notorious Evin prison, reports Mohabat News.

Leila’s trial was held on January 18, where she was charged with "collaboration with foreign-dependent groups, broad anti-Islamic propaganda, deceiving citizens by formation of what is called a house church, insulting sacred figures and action against national security." She was acquitted only of collaboration with foreign-dependent groups because the judge believed she had done that unintentionally.

Leila was arrested after a number of security agents raided her home on July 30, 2011, in Kianshahr town, east of Tehran. The agents thoroughly searched her house and also confiscated some of her belongings.

Another Christian, Parviz G, was freed after spending three days in the Evin custody centre. Apparently his arrest was related to the Christian activities of his wife, who was linked to the case of Leila.

Please pray!

• Please pray Leila will be released from prison.
• Ask the Lord to strengthen, protect and sustain her and all those in Iranian prisons for their faith in Christ.
• Pray that God will provide opportunities in prison for Leila to clearly share the gospel for which she suffers (Colossians 4:2-3).

To learn more about persecution in Iran, go to the Iran Country Report. To post a prayer of solidarity with Leila, please visit our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall.

Church leader's prison sentence extended by five years in Iran

Behnam Irani's prison sentence has been extended.
Please pray for him. (Photo: Mohabat News)

The prison sentence of Behnam Irani, an Iranian church leader, has been extended by five years, reports Mohabat News. The extension of his sentence was issued on October 18, three days before his scheduled release from prison.

In April 2010, a Behnam Irani was arrested following a raid on his home in Karaj where approximately 10 young men newly converted to Christianity had gathered for fellowship and Bible study. Officers later entered his home and confiscated most of his personal belongings, including pictures, cameras, computers, Bibles, and other Christian literature (for more information, click here). He was eventually sentenced to one year imprisonment for “propaganda against the regime.”

According to local sources, there is concern that Behnam may be charged with apostasy.

Please pray!

• Pray that Behnam will remain strong in his faith.
• Pray that he will have opportunity to share the gospel with others.
• Pray that this ruling will be reversed and that he will be freed from prison.
• Pray for other Iranian Christians facing imprisonment for their faith in Christ.

For more information on Iran's persecuted Church, please visit the Iran Country Report.

Iranian Christian website targeted by government

The Iranian government has been targeting Farsi-language websites for being "anti-Islamic," including a news site dedicated to exposing the systematic persecution of Iranian Christians, reports Beliefnet and Mohabat News.

The number of Internet users in Iran has risen sharply in recent years, threatening the government's grip on information and causing officials to form a special committee to monitor web access. More than 5 million so-called "immoral" and "anti-Islamic" sites have reportedly been blocked. The government has also stated their plan to intensify the filtering of various sites.

Mohabat News, which serves Persian Christians in Iran and surrounding countries, has been shut down repeatedly in the past year. In February, cyber-attacks shut down the site for two days.

On August 19, attackers overloaded the server and forced the site down for three days. Managers of Mohabat News were eventually able to transfer the website onto a more secure server operating outside the country. Other such sites, however, are not able to operate from an outside server, raising fears that they will continue to be vulnerable to attacks.

Please join us in praying!

• Pray that the attacks on Mohabat News and other such sites will cease. 
• Pray for courage and wisdom for those involved in raising a voice online for suffering Iranian Christians. 
• Pray that a spirit of unity and faithfulness will govern the Church in Iran as believers face opposition. 
• Pray that the Word of the Lord will continue to touch many hearts in Iran.

Imported Bibles seized by Iranian government

The Iranian government is expressing great concern over the large volume of Bibles entering the country, reports Mohabat News.

Authorities reportedly seized 6,500 Bibles in transit between the cities of Zanjan and Abhar in northwest Iran.

An Iranian official recently stated that “missionaries with reliance on huge money and propaganda are trying to deviate our youth.” He also expressed his concern that “religions are strengthening their power to confront Islam.”

Prior to this, in November 2010, police officers and revolutionary guards seized 300 Bibles and burned them.

Please pray with us!

• Pray the Word of the Lord will continue to go forth in Iran and that many will come to embrace Christ as their Saviour.
• Pray Iranian believers will never be ashamed of the gospel because, through its power, God brings salvation (Romans 1:16).
• Pray for strength and insight for all those involved in ministry in Iran.

Iranian university student arrested for evangelizing

Iranian university student Mostafa Zangooyee
was arrested while leaving his home for
“propagating” the Christian faith.
(Photo: Mohabat News)

An Iranian university student, Mostafa Zangooyee, 24, was leaving his home recently when he was arrested by plain-clothes security officers, reports Mohabat News. The security officers contacted his parents informing them of the arrest.

The charges against Mostafa are evangelization and the propagation of the Christian faith on the university campus. Mostafa remains in custody and his whereabouts are unknown.

Recently, a government-managed newspaper in Iran reported that a university professor was fired for propagating Christianity at the university where he taught. The professor at the Free (Azad) University of Iran was fired from his teaching position for openly sharing his Christian faith with his students and coworkers. The newspaper warned its readers about the dangers and rapid growth of Christianity among university students and professors.

For the full report, please click here.

Pray for Christian university students and professors in Iran:

• Pray Mostafa’s family will find out where he is being held and that he will soon be released.
• Pray Christian university professors and students will be able to boldly share their faith.
• Pray for those who have been witnessed to by Mostafa and other Christians. Pray God will open their hearts to the gospel.

Iranian Christian held in solitary confinement

Farshid Fathi

Friends and family of a detained Iranian Christian are calling for clarification of his case more than five months after he was sent to Tehran's notoriously brutal Evin prison, reports Release International and Mohabat News.

Farshid Fathi, 32, was one of several believers detained by government security officials in December 2010 during a series of raids on Christians' homes in Tehran. He has endured months of solitary confinement even though no court orders or instructions have been issued in his case. Interrogators have reportedly used psychological torture in attempts to force Farshid to reveal details of Christian contacts.

Farshid's wife and two young children have been allowed to speak to him only once a week. Farshid's family was forced to sell his father-in-law's home in order to survive financially and have not been able to pay the bail to secure his release.

You can help Farshid Fathi by praying!

• Pray God will strengthen and console Farshid as he suffers for his faith.
• Pray his family will trust in the Lord for provision and comfort.
• Pray the steadfast faith of Iranian believers will encourage other Christians in the country who are suffering persecution.
• Pray the Word of the Lord will continue to go forth in Iran and that many will come to embrace Him as Lord.

Fate of Iranian Christian prisoner unclear

Farshid Fathi, 32, a Christian resident of Tehran, was arrested in September 2010, and remains in custody in the political prison ward of Evin Prison, reports Mohabat News.

Unlike the detainees in other home invasions that took place in December 2010, Farshid has remained in custody for months. Of the more than 60 believers rounded up in December, half were released within hours of their arrests.

Farshid, however, continues to be subjected to psychological torture by security forces and interrogators in an attempt to extract a full list of individuals he has evangelized as well as details on his foreign contacts. One such method included temporarily releasing Farshid and then immediately re-arresting him and putting him in solitary confinement.

Farshid’s family has not seen or heard from him in more than five months. The high bail amount set by the authorities leaves the family unable to pay for his release.

You can read the full article here.

You can help by praying!

• Pray Farshid Fathi’s faith will not waiver under the tremendous pressures of prison life.
• Pray Farshid’s family will see God’s provision for them despite the financial and psychological pressures that they face.

Government media goal to discredit Christians in Iran

Christian numbers are increasing in
Iran despite opposition!

Is Iran a true supporter of freedom of speech and belief?

In recent months, high-ranking religious leaders and experts have launched harsh and confrontational campaigns against Christianity and other non-Islamic beliefs inside Iran, reported Mohabat News. Government media outlets such as newspapers, websites and news agencies have been reflecting these attacks.

Reports from inside Iran indicate that more than ever before people, especially the younger generation, are turning to Christianity as the faith of choice. This is happening despite extensive sums allocated and spent on creating and managing the government propaganda machine that pumps out Islamic ideology.

Government-friendly media have made concerted efforts to publish articles and news items that could be perceived as destructive to Christianity. The goal is to discredit Christianity and further antagonize security and judicial authorities to take harsher measures against evangelical Christians in Iran. Mohabat News says this is evidenced by the increased repressive and confrontational measures that have resulted in home invasions and arrests of dozens of Christians across Iran.

Contrary to its claims and propaganda, the Iranian government has proven that it bears no flexibility toward other beliefs and faiths unless they are aligned with the government’s agenda and ideology. Any and all anti-Islamic views are crushed in the harshest manner possible.

Despite this, the number of Iranian Christians is increasing. Praise the Lord!

Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Iran today. Pray for physical, mental, emotional and spiritual strength. Pray they keep their eyes focused on Jesus and not on their circumstances. Pray, also, for Iranian leaders, that their eyes may be truly opened to the light and love and truth of Jesus Christ.

'Christians evangelists misleading youth,' says Iranian Ayatollah

Ayatollah Vahid Khorasani

“People have become Christians, and Shiite youth are being misled by Christianity,” said Ayatollah Vahid Khorasani during a March 9 religious class for students in the Islamic Seminary of Qom in Iran.

Mohabat News reported that a government-related website, Ayandeh, released words the Ayatollah shared with the class, criticizing Christian evangelism in Iran.

“The Christian-deviated teachings are being diverted to our nation, if the authorities even assume that something is going to shake their power, they will confront it with full force, but they do nothing against these evangelists who are misleading our Shiite youth population,” said the Ayatollah.

In an October visit to Qom, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (the Supreme Leader of the Islamic republic) warned against the growth of house churches in Iran. He called them enemies of Islam and said, “The enemies are working hard to promote Sufism, Baha’ism and Christianity in Iran.

Mohabat News said the Supreme Leader’s remarks were a green light to arrest Iranian Christians, especially new Christian converts from Islam.

Christians in Iran have faced a wave of arrests since last Christmas, and more than 200 believers have been detained.

Conditional release of Christian couple in Iran after bail bond is posted

Hassan Razavi Derakhshan and Parya Jamali

A Christian couple who were arrested by secret security police on charges of “belief in the Christian faith” and “organizing and participating at a home-based church” were allowed to post bail and be temporarily released from the detention centre in Mashhad, reported Mohabat News.

Hassan Razavi Derakhshan and his wife, Parya Jamali, were arrested on December 27 and detained for 35 days. Allegedly, the couple organized a Christmas celebration in their home on December 22 (see more details here).

The couple was transferred to the Vakil-Abad Prison in Mashhad and subjected to ongoing and harsh interrogations. The harsh treatment was prolonged despite both husband and wife suffering from various ailments.

The couple must now await their upcoming court hearing.

Praise the Lord for Razavi and Parya’s release. Pray for their complete exoneration and freedom. Pray for their safety and well-being. Pray for all believers in Iran today!

Imprisoned Iranian Christian unable to post bail

Because a Christian prisoner’s family is unable to pay a $40,000 bond, he must remain in prison, reported Mohabat News this week.

Ebrahim Firoozi, 26, is a new believer from Robat Karim who was arrested by security forces on January 11. After several interrogations, he was transferred to Ghezel Hesar Prison, one of the largest prisons in the Middle East.

In his first court hearing on January 29, the young Christian was charged with evangelism, being in possession of bibles, having a relationship with external forces and apostasy.

A close friend of Ebrahim’s told Mohabat News that Ebrahim could not afford to obtain a lawyer. He said the judge told Ebrahim’s family that Ebrahim might be sentenced to death or serve life in prison because of the apostasy charge against him. The decision would be made in one month’s time. Ebrahim has since been transferred to Rajai Shahr Prison.

During a short phone call to one of his close friends, Ebrahim said he is going through a lot of interrogations that are being recorded and photographed.

Please pray for Ebrahim and his family. Pray Ebrahim will rest in the knowledge that the Good Shepherd walks with him through this difficult time (Psalm 23). Pray he will exemplify the love of God through consistent love and prayer for those who persecute him (Matthew 5:43-48).

Iranian Christian couple detained for holding prayer and worship services

A Christian couple in Mashhad, Iran, has been detained for hosting Christian prayer and worship meetings in their home, reports Mohabat News. The couple has been identified as Hassan Razavi Derakhshan, 65, and his wife, Parya, 61.

Based on reports, several plainclothes security agents arrived at the couple’s home on December 27. Only Parya was home, and the officers—identified as agents of the revolutionary court—demanded she call her husband and have him return home immediately. Her husband obliged.

There is no report of what transpired between security officers and the couple. When relatives noticed the couple’s absence, they contacted Razavi’s workplace; his colleagues made them aware of the arrest.

Relatives say the couple’s house is missing personal items such as bibles, Christian literature, CDs and pictures of Jesus that had been hanging on the walls. After many attempts to gain information on the couple’s whereabouts, colleagues and relatives learned the couple was arrested and taken to the Vakil-Abad detention centre.

Sources reported that the couple was arrested because they hosted prayer and worship meetings in their home. They also organized a Christmas celebration at their home on December 22.

Family and friends are concerned, as Parya recently had major back surgery, following a car accident, and is not in the best of health.

Please pray for Razavi and Parya. Pray for their safety, health and well-being. Pray for all believers in Iran, that increased persecution will result in increased boldness (Acts 4:29-31). Pray that the persecutors will know Christ’s love, forgiveness and blessing through the lives of the Christians (Romans 12:14, 12).

New Christian convert beaten, tortured in Iran

Karaj is about 25 km from Tehran.

A newly converted Iranian Christian and active member of a house church in Karaj was arrested in September 2010 and beaten and tortured during his interrogation at the Shahryar detention center, reports Mohabat News, the Iranian Christian News Agency.

Alireza Najafzadeh, a 23-year-old new father and resident of Sharhyar, was arrested on the charge of Christian activism. He was severely beaten and tortured physically and psychologically for three days.

While in custody, Alireza was asked about his house church activities, the names of its members and leaders and which foreign Christian networks and affiliations he was associated with. He had water poured over his hooded head, and he was kicked and beaten. On more than one occasion, he was hung from a hook and whipped with a cable or water hose. All the while, his assailants insulted him, his family, his faith and Jesus Christ.

After three days of nonstop torture, Alireza’s family was able to find someone to post bail for him. The security officers agreed to release Alireza on the condition that he not seek any medical treatment from any doctor.

“The told me if I talk about my interrogation or torture or continue my Christian activities, I would face severe consequences such as being killed intentionally by a car that would look like an accident or my family would find my dead body in a farm field outside of the town with no reasonable explanation as to the cause of death,” Alireza told a Mohabat News reporter more than two months after his release.

Alireza and his family have since fled the country. They have become refugees, losing everything because of their faith in Christ.

To hear Alireza describe his arrest and torturous experience in his own words and to see images of his wounds, click here.

Please pray for Alireza and his family. Pray for their safety, well-being and health. Pray they would be encouraged to continue standing up for their faith in the midst of trials. Pray all Iranian believers would be filled with the peace of God.

Status of Christians in Hamadan Prison remains unknown

Image from FCNN video news report
on YouTube

Back in September, VOMC reported that nine Iranian Christians were arrested in Hamadan on charges of evangelistic activities. Three months later, charges against four of the individuals are still undecided.

Having heard from Mohabat News reporters and the Iranian Christian News Agency (ICNA), ASSIST News Service is reporting that Armenian-Iranian Christian Vahik Abrahamian and his wife, Sonia Keshish Avanessian, and Farsi-speaking Arash Kermanjany and Arezou Teimouri remain in jail.

Mohabat and ICNA reported that security authorities, in collaboration with the media, said the group’s purpose was to destroy the Islamic Republic of Iran. The story reportedly called them, “Zionist Christians.”

On the evening of September 4, security forces entered Vahik’s home and arrested him. Two other Christian converts were there as guests at the same time. Security officers searched the house and collected some personal belongings. Later they took the individuals to an undisclosed location.

Mohabat and ICNA sources said Vahik and Arash are incarcerated in Section 4 of the Hamadan Public Prison, and Sonia and Arezou are in the women’s section of the same facility.

Additionally, Mohabat and ICNA said judicial authorities have yet to say why these believers are still imprisoned without being formally charged.

You can read the full report here.

Please pray for the release of these believers. Pray that God will equip them to share the truth for which they suffer, even in prison. Pray that increased persecution in Iran will result in increased boldness among Christians (Acts 4:29-31).