Culture
Iran’s persecuted Christians without hope
After the nuclear agreement the West has its sanctions against the Islamic Republic lifted. May Iran’s persecuted Christians now on freedom of religion, I hope? Hardly, say experts.
When Iran’s President Hassan Rohani on Tuesday Pope Francis in the Vatican attended, probably a topic to be set: The human rights situation and particularly that of the Christian minority in the Islamic Republic. Around 98 per cent of Iranians are Muslims. The number of Christians is less clear: From 90.000 to speak to the authorities. The
Catholic aid organization missio
estimates far higher. The human rights organization “Open Doors” is even talk of up to 500,000 Iranians of the Christian faith – including Protestant, Armenian Apostolic, Assyrian-Chaldean, and, according to Catholic estimates, up to 15,000 Roman Catholic Christians.
Markus Rode from Open Doors
Your location is called Markus Rode, Iran-expert
Open Doors
“very dramatic.” The worst hit, according to his words, the large group of to the Christian Faith who converted Muslims. They would be “extremely hard.” Many sat in prisons, were tortured, or under flimsy accusations, threatened with death. The Armenian and Assyrian communities, however, might indeed, strictly observed by police and intelligence services to stop, however by no means in Persian language. Was forbidden any Christian literature in Farsi. Proselytizing should be avoided. “The traditional churches are literally being strangled”, so Rode to DW, “the victim, just the possibility, in the underground environment.” Many Christians meet, therefore, in small house churches in order to worship.
Scheinhinrichtung on the open road
Iranian Christians at worship
Rode tells the story of the fate of an Iranian Christian. In Tehran, the man was “of the road in a Taxi dragged”. You have said to him: “Now You will put Your Faith to give up. You’ll return to Islam. Or You will die!” You gave him a pistol to the forehead is set and performed. In the weapon were, however, no balls have been. After the “Scheinhinrichtung on the open road,” the man was in a Tehran prison has been, where he his tormentors cigarettes on the body issue. Related have the man with lots of money bought free. He live in Germany today – in fear of the Iranian secret service, whose Arm is long.
Matthias Vogt of missio
Rodes description coincides with that of Matthias Vogt, Arabist and middle East Advisor to the relief organization missio. Particularly critical also looks Vogt the position of the converts. Because prison or even death penalty it was forbidden Muslims to the Christian Faith tresspassing. According to Iranian interpretation remained even converted Christians further Muslims. No Muslim would be allowed a Christian Church to enter. “The pressure on the Church remains high,” says Vogt, in an interview with Deutsche Welle. “Iran is a totalitarian state”, quoted the website katholisch.de Berthold Pelster, spokesman for the relief organization to the Church in Need, “a surveillance State, a police state, the tries, the population of all beyond the Shi’a, Islamic culture shield.”
Skepticism after the Atomabkommen
Iran President Hassan Rohani
Does the Atomabkommen on the domestic situation? At an early improvement in the human rights situation believe neither Rode nor Voigt. “From a Western glasses, it looks like this,” says Rode, “as if there was now a historic opportunity to do so”. “Iran is about economic interests. He needs weapons, so the Atomdeal with the ‘great Satan’ USA. This has nothing to do with the Christian Faith in their own country, cut off want.” So were just two Christian pastors from the prison freigekommen. But already at Christmas have the Regime more Christians arrested. Matthias Vogt of missio is skeptical.
In the West Iran’s President Hassan Rohani, after two years in office to his first trip to Europe starts out as a “beacon of hope”. With the Atomabkommen he has his country out of the political Isolation led, believe many, and an economic Opening.
The Vank Cathedral in Iran Isfahan
By contrast, the Iranian Nobel peace prize winner Shirin Ebadi: “Rohani has no Power and no authority,” said the lawyer at a recent Iran-meeting of missio in Aachen. The Power to lie solely in the hands of the Supreme spiritual leader. In fact, all the Sharia law in the Shi’ite theocracy of Iran than any of the worldly, man-made law. “I’m shocked, as the West suddenly start running, to economic projects,” scolds Rode, instead of the own bargaining position to take advantage of: “I don’t listen to that openly and clearly said: ‘Let all Christians get out!'”