Iranians turn their backs on clerical rule
- 72 % oppose the requirement for women to wear hijab in public, while only 15 % believe the hijab should be worn in public.
- Despite Iran's constitution stating that the country is a Shiite theocracy, 68 % of the population believe that religious views should be excluded from legislation even if one religion has a parliamentary majority.
- 41% of people believe that all religious people should have the right to proselytize.
- An estimated 800,000 Muslims have converted to the Christian faith. Before the fall of the Shah in 1979, the number was estimated at 500. Church growth has thus taken place under persecution.
The above was found by Iranian social science researchers from the Gamaan polling institute in the Netherlands, who in 2020 surveyed Iranians' attitudes towards religion via digital platforms.
Intense persecution of convert Christians and restrictions against Christian minorities
- Under the Shah, Christians had extensive freedom, also for missionary work, but with the Islamic revolution in 1979, convert Christians in particular faced severe persecution.
- Iranians who have converted from Islam to Christianity are not allowed to meet in church buildings and hold services in Persian. Therefore, they meet in underground churches.
- Christian ethnic minorities such as Armenians and Assyrians can meet in buildings, but are not allowed to hold services in Persian or share their faith with people from the majority Persian population. If they evangelize minority Christians, they will be persecuted, just like convert Christians.
- Despite rumors to the contrary, no Christians have been martyred in Iran since 2005. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, nine church leaders have been martyred, but the clerical regime stopped carrying out death sentences in 2005 when the country was internationally isolated.
30 Christians were in prison in Iran in 2021
- At the beginning of 2021, 30 Christians were imprisoned for their faith in Iran. During the year, 11 of the 30 were released.
- Four of the 30 prisoners were sentenced to 10 years in prison, while 10 prisoners have been sentenced to 5 years in prison.
- There were 35 reports of intense psychological torture.
- 59 Christians were arrested in 2021, while 34 were in pre-trial detention. In Iran, you can be locked up for a long time before being brought before a judge.
- Christians were mainly imprisoned in Evin prison near Tehran.There are two kinds of laws in Iran, civil law and Sharia. The leaders of underground churches are typically charged under civil law for activities that threaten national security. But the truth is that underground church leaders are detained for apostasy from Islam under Sharia.
Source: Danish European Mission's project partners Elam and Middle East Concern.
God is using Danish European Mission donors to meet the spiritual hunger in Iran
- From 2011 to 2021, donors ensured that 179,394 copies of the New Testament could be printed and smuggled into Iran and into neighboring countries where Iranians live.
- Number of copies of the New Testament in 2011: 3397, 2012: 1280, 2013: 6126, 2014: 8200, 2015: 8600, 2016: 8407, 2017: 15,188, 2018: 13,500, 2019: 61,788, 2020: 23,000 and 2021: 29,908.
- It is estimated that 15 % of New Testament recipients come to faith in Jesus, meaning that 26,909 Iranians have come to faith in Jesus.
God uses Danish European Mission donors to help families of Iranian Christian prisoners of conscience
- Some Christians are sentenced to five and ten years in prison in Iran. The prisoner of conscience is unable to contribute financially to his family, who are therefore in a difficult financial situation. Through the Danish European Mission, you can provide food, medical care and support to cover the cost of rent, water, electricity and heating to families in Iran where one spouse is imprisoned for their Christian faith.
Pray for the church in Iran
- Pray that the spiritual quest will lead to a true faith in the God of the Bible - and not just a protest against the Ayatollahs.
- Pray that the many new Christians will be rooted in the Bible and have a healthy and strong faith.
