Image: Iran is the only country in the world with a clerical regime and Iranians who convert to Christianity and share their faith with others are seen as a threat to the country's Islamic foundation.
On December 28, our brother received a call from the secret police and was told to appear on January 4, 2017.
"So you want to pressure me to leave my home country?"
He went there and the police officer was very friendly and welcoming. He told him that there were two options regarding his case. Either he would be sentenced to six months in prison or the case would be dismissed. The officer then gave him some personal advice: "If I were in your shoes, I would leave the country". The brother replied: "So you want to pressure me to leave my homeland?" The officer replied: "It's a shame that people like you get into trouble. There's nothing wrong with you. You just have the wrong beliefs."
"There's nothing wrong with you. You just have the wrong beliefs" - Police officer
"We will give you 20 days to renounce your faith"
After a few hours of interrogation, the meeting ended and the brother went back home. The next day, he received another call from the same police officer. This time he was not friendly at all, but threatened him instead. He said: "We will give you 20 days to renounce your faith or else your wife will start having problems at her workplace". (His wife works in a state-owned company). The police officer said they had prepared a report that they would send to her workplace if they did not obey within 20 days.
I was told that the brother and his wife are firm in their faith and are not willing to compromise. They also said that if they were to leave their country, they would lose their home and everything they owned and would not be able to return to their homeland. The brother and his wife prefer to stay in their country and continue serving the Lord.
The 20 days had passed on January 24 and the police still have not arrested the family. This may be a deliberate strategy by the regime to keep the family in the dark. Please remember this family in your prayers during these critical days.
You can ensure that persecuted Iranian Christians have the opportunity to read the whole Bible. One copy costs around 80 kr.
