Iran's Crusade against Christians in the Middle East
Christians in the Middle East are walking on broken glass.
On February 20th I traveled to London for an interview with the advocacy director of Article 18, Mr. Mansour Borji, and for the official publication of their annual report of Christian persecution in Iran which was held in Portcullis House, in the British Parliament. This year’s report, ‘Faceless Victims,’ a joint publication of Article 18, Open Doors, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, and Middle East Forum, all organizations that advocate for religious freedom tells the stories of several Christians from Iran who managed to escape the country that has been ruled by the mullahs since the Revolution of 1978. Shortly after my visit to the UK, on March 1st, there were parliamentary elections in Iran, which many Iranians boycotted as a form of protest against the regime. Since Iran is a theocracy and religion therefore is highly politicized, let’s take a closer look into the country.
Iran’s Christians
For many of us, Iran is an Islamic theocracy, and most of us will not consider Christian communities living inside the Islamic Republic of Iran, and yet, many Christian communities live there and have done so for centuries, such as Armenians, Assyrians, and Chaldean Christians. Some ethno-religious groups have lived in regions that are now recognized as Iranian territory but historically speaking, before nation-states were established, were their land. This is well reflected in the many languages that are spoken in Iran (besides Persian), often connected with people’s ethno-religious background, such as Kurdish, Arabic, Armenian Georgian, Tajik, and Azerbaijani.
Other Christian communities escaped oppression during the Ottoman Empire and fled to Russia, Georgia, and Iran. The association with religion and language also plays a role in the state’s persecution of Christians. I asked Mansour Borji, advocacy director of Article 18, if the protests that erupted after the death of Masih Amini increased pressure from the Iranian government on Christians in Iran and his answer was repelling:
MB: “Especially for the Persian-speaking Christians in Iran because they are considered a threat to the regime. Being able to follow or to be exposed to church services or read the Gospel in your own language, may, the mullahs reason, attract many to convert to Christianity. You see, in Iran, under the theocratic regime, Islam and politics are associated with one another.
“The Armenian and Assyrian-speaking churches are fairly okay, but specifically the Persian-speaking congregations are being controlled by the regime, they are being intimidated and harassed. Bear in mind that some Armenian and Assyrian churches are also Persian-speaking congregations and they too will receive the same treatment from the government. And also, just look at the numbers, before the Revolution in 1978 there were 300.000 Armenian and Assyrian Christians living in Iran, but since the regime took over, there are less than 100.000 of them left. Most have emigrated for example to Lebanon.”
Muslim converts
There are also Muslim converts to Christ, who are predominantly protestant Christians. It's crucial to acknowledge the historical approach of Muslim empires towards non-Muslims, epitomized by the Pact of Umar. Under this pact, Jews and Christians were permitted to practice their religion but were prohibited from proselytizing Muslims. Presently, in Iran, efforts to evangelize Muslims are strictly forbidden. Ancient Christian communities in Iran, the Armenians, Assyrians, and Chaldeans, are bound to this law, Armenian churches, for example, do not evangelize and they also don't accept Muslim converts. However, this agreement is from before the sixteenth century when the protestant movement began, and in addition to that, not all evangelists are from Iran and therefore many Protestant evangelizers do not feel obliged to adhere to this contract.
Apostasy in Islam is strongly condemned (although the Quran leaves punishment for those who apostatize to Allah in the hereafter). In Islamic jurisprudence, however, based on the sayings and example of Muhammad, apostasy is punishable, and many believe apostates should be put to death. The Islamic Republic of Iran never codified apostasy and according to the Article 18 report, many apostates in Iran are oppressed in alternative ways without facing judicial execution for apostasy.
Religion in Iran is as mentioned above, highly politicized, according to the Article 18 report, with Christian converts from Islam being the largest Christian community in Iran, but they are not recognized by the state and are frequently targeted by the authorities. Converts are not able to gather in churches, like the ancient Armenian and Assyrian churches, and therefore have to worship in secret, meeting in private houses. I asked Mr. Borji about the danger for Iranians to convert to Christ, specifically since Iran is a theocracy:
MB: “Religious conversion is not tolerated because it is understood as a public renouncement of the Iranian, theocratic regime. Especially since 2009, the government is actively seeking to eliminate Persian-speaking churches. This situation will not change with new leaders or a new government, because this idea has been adopted by everyone higher up in rank, so it will not change when another ayatollah or president is elected into office.
“In Iran, Christianity is linked with politically going against the regime. Before 2005, arrests and legal cases filed against Christians were overall more religiously inspired one could say, like for example being accused of apostasy (leaving Islam). Now, these types of complaints are strongly politically motivated, and being a Christian, or rather Christianity in itself, is linked with declaring that you are -in a political sense- opposing the Iranian regime. They strongly associate Islam and politics, so converting to any religion other than Islam, or none at all is viewed as a political choice.”
Persecution in Iran
Christians in Iran, especially as Mr. Borji highlighted Persian-speaking Christians, are being followed by the regime. A witness told the audience during the presentation of the report that there even have been penalties for Christians drinking community wine since alcohol is considered haram in Islam, and for gathering together for prayer. During their interrogations witnesses speak of beatings, intimidation, and degradation by prison guards. Often, Christians in Iran are not informed about the reason for their arrest. One of them, Shahnaz Sabokrooh, told us during the presentation of the Article 18 report, that only after three days of interrogations, and because she insisted that her interrogators would tell her the reason behind her arrest, she was then told she was there for the ‘crime of Christianity.’
Another witness, Mojtaba Keshavarz Ahmadi stated, “My interrogators specifically wanted to fool me into thinking that I didn’t have any rights in Iran, and that I didn’t even have the right to choose my own religion or belief. They told me frankly and boldly: ‘You have no rights, and no choice, because your religion has already been chosen for you. They told me: “You were born a Muslim, and Shiite. So Shiite blood runs in your veins, and you don’t have any other choice.’”
I asked Mrs. Sabokrooh the evening of the publication of the report, whether the guards were all male or if she was questioned by female interrogators, specifically because human rights organization Amnesty International published a report in 2023 concerning sexual violence by Iranian guards, committed against men, women, and children in prison, who were arrested after during the protests in 2022 after the death of Masih Amini. Mrs. Sabokrooh told me that she had been blindfolded, and was taken by three men downstairs to the cellars, while there was hardly any space between her and her warders.
Another witness, Nasrin Kiamarzi, recalls how one of the guards crept inside her sleeping place at night and started to whisper in her ear, trying to get a confession out of her. She was afraid he would rape her, she remembers and felt very distressed with his presence. Other Christian prisoners share stories of body inspections, although by female guards, where they had to be completely naked while the ward touched them everywhere. Emma, another Christian convert Article 18 spoke with, says:
“We were not afraid of prison, but we were afraid of being raped.”
Another panel member during the presentation of the report adds that we should also not forget that for example the hijab is imposed on every Iranian woman, including Christian women who have other beliefs, or women who have no religion.
State propaganda
The Iranian Constitution should grant Armenian, Assyrian, and Chaldean Christians some protection from the state and this is often wrongly assumed by many in the West, including our politicians and even Western Christians. But there have been reports, especially after the protests that erupted after the death of Masih Amini in 2022, of these ancient Christian communities being used by the Iranian regime for state propaganda. And, as Mr. Borji explained, only when they hold church services in their own language rather than in Persian, they are considered innocuous for the regime:
MB: “When these communities go along with the government, they are okay, but once they turn away from the policy of the government, they are also threatened. You see, the regime of Iran does not view itself, their own repressive regime against any dissident, as a problem but they rather fight the symptoms or the response of people. The regime loves to have an image of being a successful state, to portray the Revolution as something good that brought stability and prosperity in the country. These Christian communities are often used to uphold this image.”
Long arms of Tehran
The influence of the Iranian regime reaches much further than the country’s own borders. In 2022 the Philos Project published a highly recommendable report called “Invisible Jihad” in which they show how Iran is behind the demographic change in the region by supporting proxy militias in Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, and Iraq. According to the Philos Project, Iran has had a significant, yet unrecognized role, in the decline of Christians living in the region by using conflict as a tool to drive these ancient communities from their ancestral homeland. For example, the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah (Party of Allah) causes fear among Lebanese Christians, especially since the Israel-Hamas War, that violence will also erupt in Lebanon which may cause an exodus of the Christians there.
MB: “Yes, that was a good report, I remember that. The Iranian regime uses conflict in these regions for its own benefit. They have proxy militias operating there which have indeed caused for Christian communities to decline. In their view, this is part of reaching some sort of ‘Muslim purity’. Groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, have formed associations with Tehran. They have also attacked US forces that were stationed in the region. It is a form of religious imperialism, for example in Lebanon, which used to be a majority Christian country, the Christians are now a tiny minority.”
Iran on the international stage
We in the West have seen multiple demonstrations in Iran where people shout “Death to America” or “Death to Israel” while they trample upon the flags of these countries. I asked Mr. Borji if he could explain how on the one hand the regime in Iran encourages people to go out on the streets shouting such things, but on the other hand still care about their image abroad, because it may seem paradoxical.
MB: “Well, the people in power in Iran are also very pragmatic, they still want to buy and sell gas, oil, weapons, and so on. They do realize that in order to be able to do so, to trade internationally, it will at least have to look as if the country is safe for everyone, as if human rights, including freedom of religion, are being respected.”
During the presentation of the report, Mr. Borji argued that although it may seem as if condemnation does not work, in his experience the Iranian regime does care about its reputation in the international arena. Sanctions are therefore important. Mervyn Thomas of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, one of the co-publishers of the report, added that agencies need to work together on this to be more influential. Sanctions, he said, are needed and the international community could put pressure on some Iranian judges.
Speaking of the international community, it is well known that both Turkey and Iran make use of proxy militias in the region, sometimes even in the same countries, such as is the case with Syria and Iraq. They appear to have a friendly relationship, but it is no secret that there are tensions between these two powers too. For example, Iran and its Turkish ally and so-called brother nation, Azerbaijan are sworn enemies. I asked Mr. Borji to elaborate to us on the relationship between these two powers in the Middle East.
MB: “Their relationship with Turkey, but also Saudi-Arabia, both Sunni Islamic countries, is on and off. They are rivals in the region, having different interests, all trying to increase their influence or power.”
And then, there is also the risk for Iranian Christian refugees who fled to Turkey, that they will be sent back to Iran, with all imaginable consequences that it will have for them. This specific group’s situation has become highly insecure, especially after the authorities in Ankara took over the task of assessing asylum claims and refugee status from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in 2018, Anglican Ink reports. Iranian Christians, inside the country as well as refugees, are at the whim of autocratic regimes in the region, and their cruel fate is rarely ever spoken about.
Leftists commit a great many crimes and sins. One of the worst is how the leftist media conspire to hide the story of the worldwide mass persecution and genocide of Christians:
By Muslims in Iran, Pakistan, Indonesia, and other Muslim nations.
By Communists in China, Vietnam, North Korea and other Communist nations.