Forcible actions of Sepah military against the large community of converted Christians in Iran

Forcible actions of Sepah military against the large community of converted Christians in Iran

The intelligence section of Sepah forces in Iran is trying to compensate the low performance of religious and clergy schools is Iran by resorting to intimidation and force. Considering the fact that criminal charges are applied to converted Christians and the same way that charges are applied to those who are caught with hundreds of Bibles and other books as well as those who have dual citizenship and are charged under political crimes.

Mohabat News _ As reported by the Iranian national media and cited by close sources of the Sepah, several Christians in Tehran, Rey, and Pardis areas were* identified and arrested as a result of a video having been published in which dozens of Bibles, textbooks, theological notes, and CDs that had been stored and discovered by the Sepah.

These sources have not explained about the identity of the arrested people or their numbers, however they have claimed that: “they was a large network in which they were attempting in undermining the Abrahamic religions, disturbing public opinion, and distraction of public and cyberspaces using the excuse of promoting Christianity and holding house churches.”

Besides, it was emphasized in another part of this news that: “among the documents found in this religiously deviant network (claimed by these Sepah forces), they could find many books regarding other religions, networking, connecting with strangers and damaging Islam or other religions.”

During the past few months we have seen different people commenting about the promotion of Christianity in Iran, like the warning of “Ayatollah Alavi Brojerdi” the head of trusteeship in main mosque in Ghom, regarding the promotion of Christianity among the young generation of this city and the warning of “Ghasem Abdollahi” the chief of Judiciary in Markazi province about the excessive promotion of Christianity and more importantly, the warning of “GhiasedinTaha Mohammadi” the chaplain of Friday Namaz in Hamedan city, stating that they have opened their house churches to lure those Shia Muslims who are not strong in their beliefs and the fact that they have power to stand against Christianity.”

All these warnings would expect that the government would be forced to exert force in order to cover the inability of Islamic leaders and prevent the converting of Iranian citizens to Christianity. Hence they use the power of Seyedoshohada Sepah forces (the second Sepah of Tehran after Mohammad Rasoulallah Sepah).

The obvious point in this case is the similarity of Sepah announcement with the charges these converted Christians face at the Enghelab Court once they have been identified and arrested.

It was emphasized in this announcement that these Christians had tried in undermine the Abrahamic religions, disturbing public opinion and distraction of public and cyberspaces using the excuse of promoting Christianity and holding house churches and that books were found in their storage depot related to other religions, methods of networking, and disrupting Islam and other religions over and above the charges of connecting with strangers. These are all among the charges that the interrogator of this case has mentioned to the court to be added to the converted Christians’ cases which is an obvious example of profiling these Christians. According to these charges, the converted believers are sentenced to long prison terms.

Photos published by Sepah, have shown a huge number of Holy Bibles and textbooks. In such a government in which the clergymen like Sheykh Jafar Sobhani, would rely on the interpretation of 28th verse of Tobeh (Repentance) Sura that considers Christians as “political unclean” to explain the harmful relationship between Christians and Muslims, it is easily noticeable that these Holy Bibles and textbooks that were burned by the Islamic Republic Government of Iran, had happened before and the news was broadcasted. A few years ago, the office of Inspection and trafficking with the cooperation of Security forces of Sepah found 2 boxes containing 300 Holy Bibles and they were burned them.

There are two concerns related to such cases. First is the identification and the arrest of such people and the converts. Second is the destiny of these books and Holy Bibles.

When the religious system is not able to stop Iranian citizens from converting to Christianity, and despite their multi-billion dollar budgets, and the fact that Islam is no longer satisfying the new generation, the Islamic Republic Government is left with no other option and hence uses the forcible methods.

Which court could prove that books are used to disrupt the public opinion or Abrahamic Religions? People like Ayatollah Sobhani would quote to Quran where Christians are considered to be unclean and untouchable. Is there any slight mention in the Holy Bible or these textbooks to mean the same idea about Islam or other religions? Which lawyer or expert or Christian leader has been given permission to attend the court and defend these books?

It is not possible for Christians in Iran to publish the Holy Bible for Christians as it’s illegal. After shutting down all the Persian speaking churches in the country, the Christians had to resort to house churches with very few members of families and relatives due to the security limitations and forces. But why would the government be so tensed and scared of promotion of Christianity?

“Relation with strangers” is a charge that Sepah considers for the dual citizenship holders in Iran, even those who work in the government system.

Identification and publicizing the storage depot of Christian books and CDs which is announced by such a heroic literature like those when they had found an armed military of Anti- régimes, would not help the Iranian society which is distancing Islam day by day.

It has been many years and hundreds of Christians are in prison with long-term sentences. Despite all these limitations and prohibitions or heavy judiciary charges or even threats, this path would be followed to the extent that the religious system has been unarmed and the Sepah Military has to use its power and forces.