An Iranian Christian convert from Islam, who has Parkinson’s disease, faces a jail sentence along with his wife because they belong to a house church in Iran. Homayoun Zhaveh, who is 62, and his wife Sara Ahmadi, 42, were sentenced in November 2020 to two and 11 years in prison, respectively for membership and…
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Four Christians in Iran who converted from Islam have been arrested by the Iranian intelligence services, according to reports. One of the men was beaten, and others were physically assaulted while in a detention facility. The four men – Esmaeil Narimanpour, Mohammad Ali Torabi, Alireza Varak-Shah and Hojat Lotfi-Khalaf – were later released. Following…
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More than 100 Christians have been arrested in Iran in just one week and ordered to cut all contact with religious groups and house churches. They were detained by Iranian authorities, questioned on their involvement in Christian activities, and told to expect a call from Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence. Christian charity Open Doors UK,…
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Farsi is the language of Iran, much of Afghanistan and neighbouring communities, totalling about 110 million Farsi-speakers. Except in the former Soviet republic of Tajikistan, Farsi is written in a modified Arabic script. Although many words have been borrowed from Arab neighbours, Farsi’s roots go back to the Indo-European language family, just like English.…
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Saeed Mokhlessi writes: I was born in Iran in a fairly devout Muslim family. From an early age, we were taught the basic principles of Islam and I was encouraged to believe and obey them. I remember, from the age of 4 or 5 I used to get excited when the month of Ramadan…
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Churches in Azerbaijan are facing increasing pressure due to government fears of religious extremism. A fact-finding trip by Release International discovered many churches are being denied official registration under tough new regulations. But, despite the increasing pressures faced by Christians in the former Soviet republic, the church is growing. Release, which serves…
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Azerbaijan A court in Azerbaijan has ruled to close down Greater Grace Protestant Church in Baku, according to a report from Christian advocacy organisation Release International. This is believed to be the first forced liquidation of a religious group in the country since a tough new Religion Law was passed in 2009. Andy Dipper,…
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