Churches Forced to Stop Farsi Worship in Tehran, Iran

Ministry of Intelligence issues halt to services, which attracted converts.

By Michael Ireland
Senior International Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

ISTANBUL, TURKEY (ANS) -- Iran's Ministry of Intelligence has ordered the last two officially registered churches holding Friday Farsi-language services in Tehran to discontinue them.

Compass Direct News reports that Emmanuel Protestant Church and St. Peter's Evangelical Church were the last two official churches offering Farsi-language services on Fridays in Tehran, according to Middle East Concern (MEC).

Compass said officials issued the order on Feb. 10. Authorities had ordered the Central Church of Tehran to close its Friday Farsi services in December 2009; the Assemblies of God congregation had conducted multiple services on Fridays. Friday services in Tehran attracted the city's converts to Christianity as well as Muslims interested in Christianity, as Friday is most Iranians' day off during the week.

Compass explained that Iranian authorities told the churches they can hold the services on Sunday, a working day when most Iranians are not able to attend.

"This decision means that there are now no Farsi-language services on Fridays in any officially registered church in Tehran," an MEC report issued this week stated.

Compass said Emmanuel and St. Peter's are Presbyterian churches, and, along with the Central Church, are among Tehran's few registered churches.

They exist mainly to serve the Armenian and Assyrian communities. The three churches' Armenian- and Assyrian- language services are typically held on Sundays.

A source said that the newest restrictions have cut the two churches' memberships by half.

For more information, log-on to www.compassdirect.org

Iranian Authorities Order Death Warrant for Pastor Nadarkhani

By Michael Ireland
Senior International Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

RASHT, IRAN (ANS) -- A US-based ministry has received a report out of Iran that the Iranian courts have signed an execution order for Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani.

"At this point this is the only detail we know," said Jason DeMars of www.presenttruthmn.com .

Pastor Nadarkhani and his wife.
(Courtesy Present Truth Ministries).
"Based upon how the Iranian courts have acted in the past we do not know what to anticipate. Often they will execute people without any prior notice to attorney's or family," Demars said in an e-mail to ANS.

"The order has not been delivered to Youcef's family and we do not know if they will allow another appeal. We also do not know if it has been approved by the Ayatollah who is the head of the Judiciary, Sadegh Larijani," said Demars.

"At this point I ask that you be praying for his deliverance and that God would use this as an opportunity to declare to everyone that all power is given to the Lord Jesus Christ and resides in His Name. It is never too late for the Lord to bring deliverance."

Iran: Ten converts arrested during raid on house church

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

SHIRAZ, IRAN (ANS) -- Plain clothes security authorities have raided an Iranian house church gathering and arrested 10 members of this group who were gathered for prayer service in Shiraz, Fars province, which is 580 miles south of the capital. All 10 detainees were transferred to an unknown location.

Mojtaba Hosseini, a Christian convert who was among those arrested
According to Mohabat News (www.mohabatnews.com), an Iranian Christian news agency, following the continued arrests of Iranian Christians, security authorities invaded a residential building used as house church on Wednesday, February 8, 2012, and arrested 10 Christian converts who were gathered there to worship.

"These believers who had gathered in a home to hold a worship service were arrested and transferred to an unknown location using a police vehicle," said a spokesperson for Mohabat News.

"The location of the detainees is still unknown despite their family's efforts. The authorities refuse to give any information in this regard."

Although precise details are still not available in this respect, the report from Mohabat News indicates that a man called Mojtaba Hosseini is among those arrested. He was also arrested on May 11, 2008, together with eight other Christian converts on charges of "having a Christian faith." Security officials had asked the then 21-year-old, Mojtaba Hosseini to renounce his faith and collaborate with the Intelligence office.

"It is also noteworthy that last month reports were published regarding the arrest of a number of Christians in the AOG church of Ahwaz including the pastor of the church and two other church members," said the spokesperson.

"Today, the pressures and security measures implemented by the Islamic Republic against churches in Iran have resulted in the closure of churches in which services were being held in Farsi. The other churches, which are allowed to remain open, are obliged by order of the Intelligence Ministry to prevent Farsi speakers from entering their churches."

The spokesperson added, "In spite of all these circumstances, when people from other religious backgrounds embrace Christianity, they feel the need to gather in small groups in their homes and dedicate their own personal houses for worship services. The Islamic Republic of Iran considers such groups security and spying tools for the West."

Pray for Miao, Enshi of China

Miao, Enshi of China
The Enshi Miao have absorbed Chinese culture and customs. Few still wear a traditional style of dress, and few of their ways are different from the Chinese around them. They no longer celebrate Miao festivals, although in recent years a movement has commenced to rediscover their roots as Miao people. Elderly Enshi Miao continue to worship their ancestors, especially during the annual ancestral rites when graves are cleaned and prayers are offered to the spirits of the dead. Most Enshi Miao under the age of 40 have no interest in religion. Most Enshi Miao have never heard the Gospel.

Ministry Obstacles
Spiritual matters are spiritually discerned. If people are not interested in spiritual matters then availability of the good news of Christ is of little avail. Pray the Spirit of Christ will give the Enshi Miao the gift of conviction of sin.

Outreach Ideas
Christians must pray for the Enshi Miao. Pray the Lord will give them seeking hearts, and then, workers to carry the Gospel of Christ to them.

Pray for the followers of Christ
There are a few Christian believers today among the Enshi Miao, most being Roman Catholics. Pray these people will learn to fully trust Christ's finished work on the cross for their salvation, and trust His Spirit to give them a victorious life today.

Pray for the entire people group
Pray for the younger people among the Enshi Miao to be given an interest in Christ, that their attitude of indifference will be shaken. Pray for searching hearts.

Scripture Focus
"Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me." Matthew 25:40


People Name: Miao, Enshi
Country: China
10/40 Window: Yes
Population: 623,000
World Population: 623,000
Language: Chinese, Mandarin
Primary Religion: Ethnic Religions
Bible: Complete
Online Audio NT: No
Jesus Film: Yes
Audio Recordings: Yes
Christ Followers: Few, less than 2%
Status: Unreached

Freedom of Expression Suppressed by Islamists in Egypt as Christian Billionaire's Trial Draws Nears

By Aidan Clay
Special to ASSIST News Service

EGYPT (ANS) -- The court hearing of Egyptian Coptic billionaire Naguib Sawiris, who was accused of "insulting Islam" last month, is scheduled to reopen on Saturday. Sawiris' hearing follows the prison sentence of Egyptian actor Adel Imam who was tried on similar charges last week. The two cases underline concerns about freedom of expression in Egypt.

Naguib Sawiris
(Photo via Bloomberg Businessweek)
Christian telecom mogul Naguib Sawiris, who founded the Free Egyptians political party, was charged for "blasphemy and insulting Islam" on January 9 when he reposted a cartoon of a bearded Mickey Mouse and a veiled Minnie Mouse on Twitter. The initial court hearing held on January 14 was postponed because the billionaire failed to show up, Agence France-Presse reported. The independent Egyptian daily Al-Masry Al-Youm accredited the trial's adjournment to a "fistfight" between the defense and prosecuting lawyers after Sawiris was branded as a "criminal" in court.

Among the group of Islamist lawyers who filed the lawsuit against Sawiris was Mamdouh Ismail, a former member of Islamic Jihad who has been known to represent accused terrorists and was himself arrested for complicity with al-Qaeda in 2007.

The Muslim Brotherhood, who won 47 percent of the votes in Egypt's parliamentary elections, quickly backed Ismail's lawsuit while the ultraconservative Salafists led a nationwide campaign to boycott products and services offered by Sawiris' companies. Many Egyptian Christians and liberals believe Islamists rallied the nationwide outcry to discredit Sawiris and his secular Free Egyptians Party.

"Sawiris is one of the biggest supporters of the Egyptian liberal parties," Wagih Yacoub, a Coptic human rights activist, told International Christian Concern (ICC). "The Islamists are delivering a message to Coptic Christians that they can take down our leaders. They're saying, 'This is our country now. You'll live as we want you to live.'"

Adel Imam, Egypt's leading comic actor, faced similar charges last week when he was sentenced to three months in jail for "defaming Islam" in an Egyptian court for a role he played in a 2007 film, the state-run Ahram Online English website reported. The cases have added to concerns that Islamists are using their newfound political powers to stifle freedom of expression.

"Christians and many Muslims are supporting Adel Imam. Whether we like him or not, we are defending the freedom of speech and the freedom of art," said Yacoub. "What is Adel Imam's sentence based on? His old movies made years ago? It's crazy. We're going through a dark time in Egypt."

"In both cases, the men didn't do anything against 'Islam' but merely made fun of Islamists," said Barry Rubin, director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center in Herzliya, Israel. "The battle, of course, is being waged by Islamists who want their interpretation of the religion to be declared as the only acceptable version. Westerners don't understand that when that happens anything more moderate or flexibly traditional hence becomes illegal and punishable. The Islamist counter-Bill of Rights proclaims that the country's people have no freedom of speech or freedom of religion, no right to free assembly or of the press."

Sawiris is a champion of secularism and has publicly opposed the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and the prospect that Islamists will draft a new constitution influenced by Sharia law. Sawiris has also dismissed the Muslim Brotherhood's official moderate stance, accusing the group of wanting to turn Egypt into an Iran-style theocracy, Reuters reported. Sawiris' Free Egyptian Party, in alliance with secular political parties known as the Egyptian bloc, won nine percent of the seats in Egypt's new parliament. If convicted, Sawiris could spend up to six months in prison.

Aidan Clay is the Middle East Regional Manager for International Christian Concern (ICC), which exists to serve the persecuted church through advocacy, assistance, and awareness. Aidan is a graduate of Biola University in southern California and worked with Samaritan's Purse in South Sudan prior to joining ICC. He has traveled extensively throughout the Middle East, Africa, and Europe and currently lives with his wife in Nairobi, Kenya. To learn more, please contact Aidan at clay@persecution.org Please visit ICC's website at www.persecution.org