Suffering, anger and hate
Whenever there are political demonstrations in Iran, the religious police - known as Basiji - crack down on protesters. The result is more suffering, anger and hatred. But even here, God is at work.
When Ehsan's father was arrested for his political activities, it looked like hope had been crushed for another family. Ehsan's father was gone. His mother's life became much harder. Ehsan was alone. When Ehsan went with his mother to the prison, he saw several times that his father had been tortured. Ehsan was filled with a violent hatred for those who had done these things. He hated the people who had destroyed his childhood.
Ehsan's mother finds Christ
But in the midst of their trials, Ehsan's mother had an encounter with Jesus. He remembers the change that took place in his mother's life: "When she met Christ, mom still faced the same problems. But she dealt with them in a completely different way." When Ehsan's father was released, the family fled to a neighboring country in Iran. There, Ehsan became a Christian and part of a Persian-speaking congregation led by Danish European Mission's partner, Elam.
Life gets better
In Ehsan's own words: "Before Christ, I was very overweight and depressed. I had no friends. After I became a Christian, I started laughing, being friendly and getting to know people. I still had problems, but I no longer felt alone." Ehsan continued to grow in his faith and two years later he was invited to a youth camp. Hundreds of young Iranians were gathered there.
An unexpected confrontation
Ashkhan, a former photographer for Basiji, was also there. A movie was shown at the camp about Ashkhan's life. In the movie, Ashkhan talked about how he took pictures of the protesters and gave them to the government. Ehsan remembers the beginning of the movie clearly: "When it started, there was a picture of Iran's Supreme Leader Khomeini and the religious police, Basiji. I thought, 'What's going on?
I had flashbacks and remembered all the torture my father had been subjected to. My heart was pounding - Ehsan
I saw that it was the same Ashkhan who was at the camp. In the movie, Ashkhan said, 'I took thousands of pictures. Many people were arrested because of my pictures.' I had flashbacks and remembered all the torture my father had been subjected to. My heart was pounding. I couldn't speak. I was confused. I didn't want to look at Ashkhan." Ehsan ran away from the crowd to the safety of a prayer room that had been set up for the occasion. He began to pray for peace.
A new perspective
"I was so angry I couldn't believe it," says Ehsan. "Several youth leaders started praying with me. I thought about Ashkhan, my past and my father. I thought, why should I be angry? Why should I hate him? Jesus said, 'If you believe, all your sins will be forgiven'. I had sinned and so had Ashkhan. God says, 'I forgive'. So why shouldn't I be able to forgive Ashkhan?" Ehsan asked to meet Ashkhan. "He came and we embraced," he recalls. "We prayed a lot together. We became close friends."
Ehsan is still growing in his faith in Christ and has now found room in his heart for those who hurt his family: "I could forgive the torturers and now I pray for them to believe in Jesus."
Facts: Smuggling new wills into Iran
In 2020 alone, in collaboration with our project partner Elam, donors ensured that 23,000 copies of the New Testament could be printed and smuggled into Iran. An estimated 15 % of all recipients become Christians.
