Two Iranian women risk death for apostasy from Islam

[persia]

Two Iranian women risk death for apostasy from Islam

Arrested in March, their conversion goes back at least a decade. So far, no one has been executed on such grounds in Iran, but the authorities are afraid of the expansion of Christianity. And, in a recent raid, they seized 6,500 Bibles.

Tehran (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Two Iranian women jailed in Iran's notorious Evin prison for converting from Islam to Christianity may be executed for apostasy, Radio Farda reported. Amir Javadzadeh, a broadcaster for a London-based Christian radio station, said that the two women could be put to death even though "they were not politically active at all." They “just wanted to serve people according to the Bible,” he said.

Marzieh Amirizadeh, 30, and Maryam Rustampoor, 27, were arrested in March, although they had "converted to Christianity about 10 years ago," Javadzadeh said. They became Christians after "spending a lot of time studying the religion and helping others,” he added.

A number of judicial revisions in Iran have excluded the death sentence for apostasy, but some local courts have recently imposed it (but not carried it out) based on religious scriptures.

Iranian authorities fear rising conversion to Christianity, especially to Evangelical groups.

As part of a crackdown, some 6,500 copies of the Bible were seized, said Majid Abhari, advisor to the Social Issues Committee of the Iranian parliament.

“With regard to the activities of these Christian missionaries to deceive people, especially youngsters, they have begun a huge campaign by spending huge sums” and engaged in “false propaganda” in order to lead the public astray, Abhari complained. The evidence of this: “These books were made with the best paper in the world” and “in pocket size”.

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Two-Iranian-women-risk-death-for-apostasy-from-Islam-22376.html

[Templario]

From this racism islamics country is normal, the big question is if this situation it was the other way round.

[cecilia]

From this racism islamics country is normal, the big question is if this situation it was the other way round.

oh, trust me, there are rabid evangelical 'christians' in the US who would love to kill anyone who doesn't believe their fairy stories.

they try very hard to remove the wall separating religion from politics and if the rational people don't keep propping up that wall we will be like the middle east - living in slavery

[Templario]

Yes, in your country also there are people as Iran, only the of another side, but both cases the problem is the the same one, we will pay just persons for sinners.

[persia]

It makes me wonder if my Iranian relatives are right and religion has outgrown it's usefulness.  We have this discussion every time they visit, they can't understand how after all of this I can still believe that religion is anything more than a way to control people.

[J-Golden]

It makes me wonder if my Iranian relatives are right and religion has outgrown it's usefulness. We have this discussion every time they visit, they can't understand how after all of this I can still believe that religion is anything more than a way to control people.

It's easy to understand their view if you examine it through the lenses of their lives.

I cannot say I'm an expert on the Middle East as I've only been here for a year and get most of my information VIA Military minded sources.  But it seems to me that it isn't so much the religion as it is CONTROL over how it and everything else in their country are used.

Face it; Religion, Media sevices, Government, Education systems; they all are tools that can be used for good or evil.  So it is not the religion itself that is so evil and controlling, but the people behind it who use it for those means...

[gertsy]

It's not the religion it's people and how they use it.  Put a fully loaded Bible next to a fully loaded Koran on a coffe table and watch what happens.  

Nothing.

[nicholas]

[youtube]HDJEyyrmR4U[/youtube]

Pope Benedict XVI expressed surprise a few weeks ago when he greeted the leader of the largest Christian community in Iran, the archbishop of Tehran.

Of the 110,000 Christians who live in Iran, 100.000 belong to the Armenian Church.

They've been in the country for centuries. Some of their churches were built during the 7th century. Their archbishop assures that Christians and Muslims have good relations and that they do not feel threatened. For example, the Constitution explicitly protects their rights.

Archbishop Sebouh Sarkissian, Armenian Diocese of Tehran in Iran
Unfortunately the media is playing a tremendous role and sometimes they are using black glasses towards Iran. Which is not true, we are living there, we are experiencing our life there, what is heard about Iran is not true.

Whenever we need some help, for instance the government is helping us, they have decided and they have given us somehow a budget every year for Christian communities all over Iran, not only Armenians but others.

This doesn't mean there aren't any problems. The country's Christians are aware that they are living in a country with a Muslim majority.

If you by freedom you understand that we have to go and missionary Muslims we don't have that. Because it is an Islamic country. I myself wouldn't be happy if a Catholic or a Protestant comes and takes away from my church my believers. So what do you expect from Muslims to be happy when we go and tell them that your religion is false and ours is right. The time has been changed now, we're living in a mutual understanding, respect and acceptance time and dialogue together.

For this reason, the main challenge of Christians in Iran is to keep their churches, schools and culture alive and active. To achieve that they engage in dialogue with other religions in order to protect common values, such as the value of life and family. And Iran's 100,000 Christians know that it's worth living as a respected minority.