The stresses of Evin Prison often fall upon active Christians in Iran

Nasim is an Iranian Christian convert sentenced to
 four years in prison for her faith.
 (Photo by Iranian Christian News Agency)

Iran (ICNA) ― According to the Iranian Christian News Agency, Maryam Naghash-Zargaran (also known as Nasim) is an Iranian Christian convert currently serving her four-year prison sentence in the women's ward of Evin prison.

ICNA reports that Nasim was transferred to Modares hospital on Sunday, September 29, to be treated for her heart disease. Having had heart surgery before, mental pressures in prison resulted in her heart attack, and as a result she was transferred to the hospital. As of now, there are no details about her condition.

Nasim also suffered depression due to inappropriate conditions in prison.

The 35-year-old Christian was first arrested in the winter of 2013 for "acting against national security." On the day of her arrest, she received a phone call from the intelligence police on Vozara Street in Tehran. When summoned there, she was immediately arrested and kept for three days. Then she was transferred to Evin prison and remained there for 19 days. After that, she was released on bail.

Since the time of her arrest, security authorities have searched her house several times, confiscating her personal belongings as well as any Christian-related material.

Later she was called for her trial at branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran. There, Judge Mohammad Moghiseh sentenced her to four years in prison for "propagating against the Islamic regime and colluding to undermine national security." She appealed the ruling but the appeals court upheld her sentence. Nasim was summoned to prison to start serving her sentence on July 15, 2013 in the women's ward of Evin prison.

Her name previously had not been published among Christian prisoners in Evin, which raises speculation that there are more unknown Christian prisoners in Iranian prisons.

At the same time, reports indicate that three other Christian convert activists--Somayeh Bakhtiari, Ronak Samavat, and Nasim Zanjani--are still being held in prison. These Christian women had been arrested and imprisoned in the first half of the Persian year (March - September). They were accused of holding prayer and worship meetings in house-churches.

The court verdict for Nasim, a copy of which was provided to Mohabat News, states that "she converted from Islam to Protestant Christianity through her sister who lives abroad. She is an active member of the Central Assemblies of God Church as well. Through Pastor Saeed, she started a house-church to proselytize Muslim youth. She is an evangelist herself and is in contact with...ministries."

(Some names of individuals and places mentioned in this verdict will not be made public for security reasons.)

Another part of this verdict states, "She has traveled to Turkey several times with Christian-related intentions and stayed at...Hotel where Christians often assemble for evangelical purposes. In July, she took 20 women with her on a trip to Ramsar and held classes for them to attract them to Christianity. Additionally, although she had signed a disclaimer not to collaborate with the Assemblies of God Church, she went to the church on Sundays and Tuesdays and is still in contact with Pastor.... The court considers her actions as supporting the anti-security intentions of England and Israel to spread house churches in Iran and to divert the Islamic society from the way of truth. Based on these allegations, and according to articles 46 and 610 of the Islamic penal code, she will be sentenced to four years in prison which includes the time she has been under detention."

To counter non-Shi'ite religions in Iran, especially Christianity, the Islamic regime of Iran raises unfounded allegations against Christians, including moral and financial accusations, and spying for England and Israel.

Iranian judicial and security authorities have repeatedly tried to make up false allegations against Christian converts to pressure them and distort public opinion about them. Most of these false allegations are political and argue that house-churches are actually political groups which are in contact with/spy for foreign countries like England and Israel. In most of the Christian cases, Iranian authorities try to downplay the religious aspect of these cases and make them appear as political cases in order to unmercifully sentence them and avoid international pressure.

It is interesting to note that just before President Hassan Rouhani's trip to New York to attend the UN General Assembly, two Christian woman prisoners, Maryam Jalili and Mitra Rahmati, were released together with a number of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience. The women had been sentenced to two and a half years in prison. When they were released, only one month remained on their prison sentence.

Pray that Nasim would recover. Pray for awareness of Christians like Nasim, and for their strength. Pray that the spread of the gospel would continue in Iran despite the resistance to it.

Iran: Concern over health condition of Pastor Farhad Sabokroh in prison

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

AHWAZ, IRAN (ANS) -- Concern is growing in Iran over health condition of Pastor Farhad Sabokroh who was arrested together with two other Christian converts. They have now been in custody for over 40 days.

Pastor Farhad Sabokroh (From Mohabat News)

According to the Iranian Christian news agency, Mohabat News (www.mohabatnews.com), family, relatives and a wide range of Iranian Christians within and outside Iran expressed their concern over the health condition of Pastor Farhad Sabokroh, who was arrested on December 23, 2011, with others in attendance at the Christmas service of the Assemblies of God (AOG) church of Ahwaz, where he was pastoring.

According to this report, sources affirmed that Pastor Sabokroh, Naser Zamen-Defzuli and Davoud (David) Alijani were transferred to Karoun prison of Ahwaz. They have now been held in prison for over 40 days. They were arrested by security authorities in Ahwaz, (543 miles south west of Tehran, the Capital), which is in Khuzestan province.

“Prior to his arrest, Pastor Sabokroh was under treatment for cataract disease and underwent surgery but now has no access to a doctor,” a spokesperson for Mohabat News told the ASSIST News Service.

“Knowledgeable sources define his situation concerning this because, after the surgery, he needed to visit his doctor on a regular basis for the required medications. Now, with this situation, he is still not allowed to leave the prison after over 40 days to continue his treatment.”

Christian Prisoners' Rights Advocacy Club sent a report to Mohabat News expressing their deep concern and objection to illegal and inhuman acts by the Iranian Security system towards Iranian Christians, especially Pastor Sabokroh and the two other Christian prisoners who are being held with him.

Illustration from www.freedomessenger.com

They called on the Intelligence and Judicial systems of Iran to free them immediately and grant Christian prisoners their legal and human rights. This organization also considers the continuation of Pastor Sabokroh's medical treatment as his human right and adjudged the authorities as directly responsible for the health and welfare of Christian prisoners.

Pastor Sabokroh’s wife was allowed to visit him briefly on January 27, 2012, and expressed concern over his health condition.

"It's being said that he spends most of his time in prayer and fasting in his cell. His physical situation is extremely bad and he has lost weight. He also asked all Iranian Christians to pray for the release of Christian prisoners," added the Mohabat News spokesperson.

“It should be remembered that Mrs. Shanaz Jeizan, the wife of Pastor Sabokroh was also among those arrested at Christmas in the AOG church of Ahwaz. After 10 days, she was temporarily released from the Intelligence office of Ahwaz after submitting a house title deed as bail."

According to this report, no news is available regarding the condition of the two other prisoners, Davoud Alijani and Naser Zamen-Dezfuli. They're still being held in uncertainty and without being formally charged.”

The reports also indicate that Noorollah Qabitizade, another Christian convert who was arrested on December, 24, 2010, is still being held in Karoun prison of Ahwaz.

“He was subjected to severe interrogations by Intelligence officers from the time of his arrest,” added the spokesperson. “It is being reported that security authorities and interrogators have put him under different mental pressures including forcing him to sign commitments stating that he won't participate in any evangelical activities and to write repentance notes renouncing Christianity, in order to make him discontinue his faith in Christ.”

---

Dan Wooding, 71, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for 48 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS) and was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC. He now hosts the weekly “Front Page Radio” show on KWVE in Southern California which is also carried throughout the United States. The program is also aired in Great Britain on Calvary Chapel Radio UK and also in Belize and South Africa. Besides this, Wooding is a host for His Channel Live, which is carried via the Internet to some 192 countries and also provides a regular commentary for Worship Life Radio on KWVE. You can follow Dan Wooding on Facebook under his name there or at ASSIST News Service. He is the author of some 44 books, one of which is his autobiography, “From Tabloid to Truth”, which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, press this link. Wooding, who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, has also recently released his first novel “Red Dagger” which is available this link.

---

** You may republish this story with proper attribution.

Young Christian Convert Forced to Flee Due to Pressure

By Jeremy Reynalds
Senior Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

TURKEY (ANS) -- Abdol-Rahman Mohammad Pouri is one of a thousand Iranian youth who was born and brought up in a strict Islamic family, but chose not to follow his parent's religion and converted to Christianity.

Abdol-Rahman Mohammad Poun

According to a story by Iranian Christian News Agency, Mohabat News, although he had to leave his home, he has remained strong in his faith and continues to grow in his relationship with God. Abdol-Rahman, 29 is currently seeking asylum in the neighboring country of Turkey.

Mohabat News reported he said that after he heard about Jesus he began to share his faith in the city of Semnan.

He said, “This action caused me problems as our city was fairly small. As a result and since I had some good Christian friends in Mahabad, I moved to that city and rented a house ... That was the starting point for my extensive evangelical activities.”

He continued, “In my opinion, the violence and contradictions in Islam made it impossible for me to feel close to God. Because of this I replaced my traditional religion with Christianity.”

Separation from Family and friends

His conversion caused him family and social problems.

Mohabat News said Abdol-Rahman explained, “When my family and friends learned of my decision, they didn't accept it and rejected me as a result. They made me leave our family home. In addition, my friends treated me like my family had and began calling me an apostate and an infidel. In Iran, anyone who converts to Christianity faces various problems. In spite of the love I had for my family, I had to leave my home. Everyone rejected me. The only thing that helped me through all these challenges was my faith in Christ.”

Restrictions of the Traditional Society

Abdol-Rahman spoke about people who choose to become Christians in Iran's traditional society with all the security restrictions.

Mohabat News reported he said, “We couldn't express our faith among other people or attend church freely. And because of the difficulties we faced about going to a church, I decided to devote my rental house to the Lord to be used as a house church.”

According to Abdol-Rahman, speaking openly about their faith and going to the churches was so dangerous for him and his friends that they had to gather in a house church in order to worship God, receive Christian teaching and study the Bible.

Their house church attendance attracted the attention of the security authorities who raided the house church, and prevented them from worshiping. In addition, some of the house church leaders were also identified by the authorities.

Mohabat News said Abdol-Rahman criticized the current Sharia based laws of Iran saying, “The Iranian regime is based on Islam, and in Islamic doctrine anyone who leaves Islam is considered an apostate and deserves to be killed. The Islamic regime is afraid of any kind of gathering, especially ones that contradict the Islamic faith and regime. In short, they cannot tolerate any other way of thinking than their own.”

Abdol-Rahman described his painful experiences in Iran and said the situation of his fellow believers in Iran is intense. “They face all the above-mentioned problems on a daily basis which unfortunately, sometimes end up in stress, torture, long term imprisonments and even death threats.”

Increase of Threats and Leaving the Country

Abdol-Rahman then described his leaving of Iran. He said, “After our house church was discovered by security authorities, I fled to the city of Urmia and stayed overnight with a friend in that city. The next day I learned that security authorities had broken into my home. So I decided to leave the country to avoid being arrested.”

Mohabat News said he added, “After some days, when I arrived in Turkey I also heard that security officers had raided my father's home in Semnan. They showed my family a warrant and thoroughly searched there as well. During the raid they confiscated some personal belongings of my brother including his computer, CDs and some of his books.”

According to Mohabat News, Abdol-Rahman said after the security authorities made his house a target in the city of Mahabad, they raided it. Then the judicial and security authorities, following an order issued by the provincial court, confiscated all his belongings and his savings.

He said the authorities even sent a letter to his employers ordering them to fire him and ban him from working. They also sent several subpoenas to his father's home, instructing him to appear at the revolutionary court of Semnan. But before all this happened he had left the country for Turkey.

Appeal to International Community

Mohabat News said Abdol-Rahman Mohammad Pouri hopes for a day when all religions, intellectuals and dissidents are able to express their opinions and no one is imprisoned, tortured or executed for his/her beliefs.

He has also appealed to the International Community and Human Rights organizations to put pressure on the government of Iran to release followers of different religions and intellectuals who oppose this regime, which violates human rights and oppresses people indiscriminately.

To learn more about Mohabat News go to www.mohabatnews.com/index.php?Itemid=245

---

Jeremy Reynalds is Senior Correspondent for the ASSIST News Service, a freelance writer and also the founder and CEO of Joy Junction, New Mexico's largest emergency homeless shelter, http://www.joyjunction.org He has a master's degree in communication from the University of New Mexico, and a Ph.D. in intercultural education from Biola University in Los Angeles. His newest book is "Homeless in the City." Additional details on "Homeless in the City" are available athttp://www.homelessinthecity.com. Reynalds lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information contact: Jeremy Reynalds at jeremyreynalds@comcast.net.

---

** You may republish this story with proper attribution.

Islamic Republic daily Denies Tendency to Christianity among Iranian Youth!

Reports of Revolutionary Guards turning to Christianity or are seriously investigating the Christian faith


By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

TEHRAN, IRAN (ANS) -- Following a report by Iranian Christian News Agency, Mohabat News (http://mohabatnews.com) concerning the spread of Christianity among Iranian youth, the government supported daily, Jomhouri-e-Eslami (Islamic Republic) has reacted by saying that the report is a claim made by the “Western political clique!”

The battle between the cross and the press in Iran (Photo: Mohabat News)

The Tehran-based daily Jomhouri-e-Eslami (meaning Republic of Islam) claimed, “While western media keep reporting that people in Europe and America are converting to Islam, the agents of western political cliques claim that Iranian youth show a sincere interest in Christianity. These claims are being made to cover up the fact that western people are coming towards Islam.”

This government supported daily also said in another part of its article that, “A person who introduced himself as the spokesman of the Iranian church of Europe said in an interview with a Farsi website that Iranian youth are learning about Christianity through the Internet and Christian Television Channels. He even claimed that people in the religious cities of Qom and Mashhad are showing more interest in Christianity than people in other cities.”

A portion of an article published on Sunday, November 6, 2011 by Mohabat News states “The broad range of Iranian people [are] watching Christian television programs or accessing Christian websites, in addition to the number of contacts that people, especially from religious cities of Iran, make with Christian media, shows nothing but a growing interest of Iranian people in converting to Christianity.”

A spokesperson for Mohabat News said, “Obviously, the editor in chief and writers for Jomhouri-e-Eslami are willing to close their eyes to this clear fact and are seeking to portray an image of Iranian society from their own preconceptions and impressions. It’s completely understandable that they publish stories prepared by people who are more interested in their salaries than a desire to report facts.

“This prompt and immature reaction of Jomhouri-e-Eslami reflects a nervousness among the writers and leaders of the media who serve the regime. They do not accept Iranian society as it now is.

“However, the word of God clearly says ‘Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 8:32)”.

An Iranian Christian being punished for his faith

The spokesperson went on to say, “Some pro-regime news media quote Jomhouri-e-Eslami daily in reporting that nothing is going on in the religious cities and that all reports to the contrary are only rumors, but the domestic media, judicial and security authorities and Islamic clerics tell a different story.

“Contradictions among government supported media are not hidden from anyone. According to Jomhouri-e-Eslami, two weeks ago, Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, Chairman of the Council of Guardians and considered one of the main pillars of the Regime before the controversial election in 2009, seriously warned the authorities about the turning of Iranian youth away from Islam. He asked all the wise men and clerics to make serious efforts to prevent this trend in society from spreading and to do a better job in this area!

“The Jomhouri-e-Eslami daily is calling the spread of Christianity a rumor while on Saturday, 2 October 2011 the government supported news website, Javan-Online (backed by the Revolutionary Guards) acknowledged the tendency of society towards Christianity and also reported that the number of house churches in the religious city of Mashhad is growing. Javan-Online reported that two hundred churches have been discovered in Mashhad in a period of months.

“More importantly, the movement of Iranian youth to Christianity has even penetrated and spread among children and families of high authorities of the regime. Certainly, the publishers of Jomhouri-e-Eslami remember how news of the conversion to Christianity of a son of one of Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi’s assistants shook both the foreign and domestic media.

“The anxiety over the increasing spread of Christianity among Iranian youth has grown to the extent that even Ayatollah Vahid Khorasani, a well-known religious guidance source in the Islamic regime, complained about this situation during a meeting with seminary students and Islamic clerics of the grand mosque of Qom. He warned about statistical evidence reflecting this tendency of youth toward Christianity even in the city of Qom.”

The spokesperson then added, “Beyond all these reports, anxiety over the growth of house churches has even affected speeches of the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei and has become one of his concerns. This worry caused him to make an unsolicited confession during a speech in the city of Qom some time ago. He said that ‘the purpose of the “enemies of Islam” is to weaken our religion in society by spreading false mysticism, the Baha'i faith and house churches’.

“The Jomhouri-e-Eslami daily must know there are many more acknowledgments of the growth of Christianity by Ayatollahs and security authorities of the regime. They have no option but to accept it. Heydar Moslehi (Head of the Ministry of Intelligence) made a remarkable statement in this regard in a meeting with the heads of education of Iran. He warned them about the spread of Christianity in schools and among students and called it “one of the elements of the ‘soft war’ against Islam”.

“In this connection, we can point to various acknowledgments including statements by Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi about the spread of Christianity in some provinces of Iran. Ayatollah Sobhani spoke of the conversion of 600 people to Christianity in the city of Neishabour.

“A specialist on religious issues also warned about the increasing interest of Iranian citizens in Christianity and their determination to obtain a copy of Bible in spite of all the prohibitions against the publication and distribution of Christian books inside Iran.

“These quotations and statistics are not provided by a Christian news website but are excerpts from speeches of high level religious and non-religious authorities of Iran. These people serve in senior positions in the Iranian theocracy and play a significant role in the regime. These quotes are from people who know very well what is taking place in the country. The result of all these acknowledgments or confessions today is nothing but enthusiasm among the people of Iran for gaining access to the truth that is found in the words of the Gospel.”

Information available to Mohabat News indicates that the pace and scope of the spread of Christianity in Iran is so “fast and broad” that “even among members of the armed forces and the Pasdaran Army (the Revolutionary Guards) many have turned to Christianity or are seriously investigating the Christian faith.”

---

Dan Wooding, 70, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for 48 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS) and was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC. He now hosts the weekly “Front Page Radio” show on KWVE in Southern California which is also carried throughout the United States. The program is also aired in Great Britain on Calvary Chapel Radio UK and also in Belize and South Africa. Besides this, Wooding is a host for His Channel Live, which is carried via the Internet to some 200 countries and also provides a regular commentary for Worship Life Radio on KWVE. You can follow Dan Wooding on Facebook under his name there or at ASSIST News Service. He is the author of some 44 books. Two of the latest include his autobiography, “From Tabloid to Truth”, which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, press this link. Wooding, who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, has also recently released his first novel “Red Dagger” which is available this link.

---

** You may republish this story with proper attribution.