#2680 (5/23) "The Other Standoff in Iran: Religious Freedom"

"THE OTHER STANDOFF IN IRAN: RELIGIOUS FREEDOM" - Tony Perkins, Washington Update, May 22, 2019; https://www.frc.org/updatearticle/20190522/other-standoff [AS I SEE IT: Once again, don't hold your breath that the mainstream media will  choose to speak about this standoff in Iran. Religious freedom is just not on their radar screen; they normally forget the tens of millions for whom it is threatend daily. - Stan]

     Right now, Iran is in the headlines almost every day. But as tensions escalate, there's another crisis in the region -- and it has to do with people of faith. This afternoon, on Capitol Hill, FRC President and USCIRF Commissioner Tony Perkins had the chance to address the wave of suffering in Iran at a special policy day hosted by International Christian Concern (ICC).

   "It's a pleasure and an honor to join my good friends and fierce defenders of religious freedom, ambassador Brownback and Senator Ted Cruz. Both have championed the rights of Christians and others around the world and have fought tirelessly on behalf of those who seek to worship free from persecution by their own government. They have also been strong supporters of the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), on which I've served for the last year."

   "Iran's persecution of Christians and other religious minorities has been a hallmark of the regime since the Islamic revolution in 1979. Christians, in particular, have faced a dramatic uptick in arrests over the past year, and Muslim converts to Christianity continue to face severe persecution. While Iran's constitution recognizes Christians as a protected religious minority, members of the community are regularly targeted, arrested, and charged as enemies of the state. Earlier this month, Iran's Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alevi revealed that his agency has begun "countering the advocates of Christianity," summonsing people who have shown interest in the faith to regional headquarters."

   "Rather than accept responsibility for its own failings, Iran's government is responding to domestic and international pressure by cracking down on members of the Christian and other religious minority communities such as Baha'is and Sufi Muslims. It would rather persecute and punish those whose beliefs differ or diverge from the government's than give Iranians the right to practice their religion or belief in their chosen way. This past February marked 40 years since Iran's people have lived under this religious repression."

    "The regime has also jailed thousands of other Muslims and non-Muslims in Iran for their religious beliefs. It's easy to lose sight of the fact that each of these Iranians has a name, has a family, and has a story. 
     Mohammed Ali Taheri, a world-renowned peaceful spiritualist leader who was imprisoned at the notorious Evin Prison outside Tehran in 2011. He was thrown into solitary confinement without cause and continues to receive grave threats to his life from those who seek to intimidate him into silence. Iranians also make a point of targeting of women. 
   Ms. Golrokh Iraee, an Iranian novelist, was imprisoned for writing a story that criticized the brutal practice of stoning adulterers. She was arrested in 2014 along with her husband, who suffers from bone cancer, and charged with "insulting Islamic sanctities" among other spurious accusations. USCIRF has reported on her case for over a year and called for U.S. government attention to her case. This past April, Ms. Iraee was granted a release on bail for some of the charges against her. However, she still faces charges on a different case that could land her back in prison without U.S. government pressure. Her husband also remains in prison on a fifteen-year prison sentence and has been denied medical care." 

   "For Christians in Iran, the stories are just as bleak. Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani has been arrested several times -- most recently last July -- and remains in prison. A convert to Christianity, Pastor Nadarkhani is a leader of the evangelical church of Iran and ministers to a 400-member house church. In 2016, he was charged with "promoting Zionist Christianity" and "acting against national security" for his pastoral work. He was arrested by plainclothes security officials, who beat him inside his own house and reportedly used a taser gun on his 14-year-old son, Joel."

   "USCIRF continues to work with our partners, including ICC, to inform Congress about their cases and make recommendations to the State Department and the President to ensure their safety and freedom. We are encouraged by what this administration is doing on international religious freedom, but the United States can and must do more to protect persecuted Christians and other religious minorities in Iran. No person deserves to be harassed, imprisoned, or tortured for exercising their fundamental human right to believe or not believe."

[italics and colored emphasis mine]

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PRAYER MATTERS:

"To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against 

the disorder of the world. -  Karl Barth

"Prayer is inviting God into a seemingly impossible situation and trusting/resting in His love and grace to accomplish His perfect will in His perfect time and for His greatest glory. Intercession is  one of the great privileges AND responsibilities for EVERY believer."- Stan

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Praying Through the Open Doors World Watch List for persecuted believers:https://www.opendoorsusa.org/take-action/pray/monthly-prayer-calendar/

On the world’s second-largest continent, Christians 
throughout Africa are enduring severe persecution. In May, Open Doors is focusing on African believers suffering from both oppression and physical violence. Please join us in praying with our brothers and sisters in these places where peace is elusive and conflict is ever-present.
May 23 | SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES - Over a year after the deadly Marawi siege (a five-month battle between Islamic State and military forces), evacuees still need prayer for safety. Please pray they will be relocated soon.
*Names changed to protect identities