More Muslims May Be Coming To Christ in Iran Than Anywhere Else

on April 11, 2014

Open Doors USA has ranked Iran number 9 on its list of 50 countries where persecution of Christians for religious reasons is most severe.

The Institute on Religion and Democracy recently spoke with officials of the ministry who say despite intense persecution, many more Muslims are coming to Christ at an increasing rate.

“Rafin and Nader, young coverts from Muslim backgrounds are proof of that,” Jerry Dykstra, media relations director with Open Doors told the IRD.  “They are not alone. “Many Persians are coming to Christ, he added. “Many are young college students, and even some of their teachers are asking for Bibles!

Dykstra tells the IRD the Iranian regime considers anyone converting to Christ apostates- a crime which is punishable by death. Dykstra says almost all Christian activity is illegal.

According to Open Doors the harsh treatment of Christians by the regime is only fueling the flames of church growth.

Open Doors tells the IRD the house church movement has increased rapidly since 2010.  Christians working inside Iran have told Open Doors the regime tries to destroy those who reach out to converts and seekers by monitoring worship services, arresting converts, banning Farsi language services and closing some churches.  Open Doors has gathered information indicating attacks against Christian communities have increased and the prohibition of house church activities is enforced very closely

Vahid Hakkani is a Christian prisoner in Iran. In March of last year he developed a severe digestive problem that developed into severe internal bleeding. He underwent surgery.

Morning Star News now reports Hakkani is now on a hunger strike. He says he’ll continue the strike indefinitely in order to protest the rejection of his appeal for conditional release.

Mohabat News reports if prisoners serve half of their sentence, Iranian law allows for their conditional release. Iranian authorities continue to hold Hakkani and three other Christians.

All of them were arrested in a raid on a house church in February 2012. They received sentences of three months and eight years in jail for their Christian activities.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide reports four Iranian Christians were arrested in October of last year and sentenced to 80 lashes on charges of drinking wine during a communion service. They were also charged with being in possession of a receiver and satellite antenna.

CSW officials say the sentences were carried out in November, and one of the Christians was whipped with “extreme violence.”

Iranian-American pastor Saeed Abedini  is a former Muslim who converted to Christianity in 2000. He has been detained in Iran since the summer of 2012. He was sentenced to eight years in prison for planting house churches in Iran.  The sentence was upheld on appeal in August.

The IRD previously reported that  Abedini had been in Iran at the invitation of the government to help build orphanages.

In November of 2013, he was transferred to a very tough prison, where inmate deaths occur frequently.

President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry have both called for Iranian officials to release Abedini.

Naghmeh Abedini, the wife of Pastor Saeed Abedini recently spoke to International Christian Concern about her husband’s ordeal.

“The Lord has counted our family worthy enough to send Saeed to a dark place that he would be able to share with people who are in complete despair.’

She has told ICC that while in prison, her husband has seen so many give their hearts to Christ.

The New York Times reports Iranian officials are continuing their attempts to harass the Alborz Province house-church movement. On March 5, officials of the Central Prison in Karaj searched the cell of a leader of the house-church movement, seizing his Bible, Christian books and other literature in his cell.

Open Doors estimates Iran has 370,000 “new Christians from a Muslim background.” The organization says many Iranians have become Christians because of Christian television programming from other nations.

Refugees from Iran say that Christians have boldly begun discussing their faith with Muslim neighbors.

Mohabat News reports, as a result of this boldness, the fear of the spread of Christianity among the younger generation has caused the regime to use every possible strategy to crack down on Christians and to prevent its growth among the youth and Iranian families.

 

  1. Comment by sojohowitz on April 11, 2014 at 3:03 pm

    I pray the Holy Spirit lights a fire that cannot be quenched in Iran and throught the world where Christians are persecuted. Praise God!

  2. Comment by len sive on April 11, 2014 at 5:17 pm

    The power of Christianity lies in its message of love, of God’s love for each of us, and of our duty to love one another.Islam has nothing to match this. There is the deepest and most sublime beauty in God being Love and in seeking to have us share in that love by loving Him in return and in loving others. Islam is afraid–of love, so it seeks to keep Christ’s love away from the hearts and minds of its followers. But it can’t win. Love made the universe; love made us and remakes us daily, recreating us in and for love. Islam can only offer hatred and intolerance.

  3. Comment by David Lee on April 12, 2014 at 10:33 am

    This organization of believers is doing great work for Jesus in Iran:
    https://www.elam.com

  4. Comment by Wally Right on April 12, 2014 at 1:20 pm

    Christ is not an appropriate word in this context, they would be coming to Mashiach, Messiah, in Persian/Farsi “Masih”.
    The word Christ brings with it a lot of foreign and corrupt historical burdens and is unhelpful.

  5. Comment by Esther on May 27, 2017 at 2:34 pm

    FYI: God’s Word refers to our Lord & Savior as CHRIST so we, CHRISTians, followers of CHRIST should too … because He IS the CHRIST.

  6. Comment by Anapela on January 9, 2020 at 10:06 pm

    You are missing the point.

  7. Comment by w. aardsma on April 14, 2014 at 1:50 pm

    “Vahid Hakkani is a Christian prisoner in Iran….that developed into sever internal blessing….”

    please correct. it may turn out to be a blessing, but i believe that you meant to say that our brother was suffering from “severe” and “BLEEDING.”

    however i rejoice in the good news that this story presents.

  8. Comment by cody watson on April 18, 2014 at 3:24 pm

    It is more than just in Iran that Ms are following Jesus. Get the book “A wind in the HOuse of Islam”. There were only 2 voluntary movement of Ms coming to Christ in the first 1300 years of Islamic history. In the last 50 years there have been 80 movements which is defined as 1000 baptism or 100 house churches. Iran is one of them.

  9. Comment by Yolanda Kidwell on August 20, 2014 at 5:06 pm

    You can kill the body but can’t kill the soul. We have life in Jesus Christ whether we are alive or die for Him.

  10. Comment by Jay McQueen on September 12, 2014 at 6:33 am

    Islam has failed because it was born through voilence with use of sword and still after 1400years this is still occurring by fellows of Islam. Christanity was born through love and having relationship with god not by submission. Until muslims like these Christians converts from Iran open their minds and realise that once the break the walls this false religion they can start living and know jesus will make them free for forever,

  11. Comment by czar on April 23, 2015 at 8:49 am

    370,000 really? I just read some other publication bandied about 60,000 with 30,000 being converts. Which Muslims in their right minds want to convert to Christianity? Yes those that idolise and worship Western civilisation when in reality the majority of Westerners have abandoned Christianity. I mean Westerners as in Western Europe and North America.

  12. Comment by Esther on May 27, 2017 at 2:43 pm

    You’re on this site, so you must be curious, if not interested even, in turning to Christ and a God who actually loves you and desires a personal relationship with you too.

    Simply ask the true God to show you who He is and to reveal the truth to you. God who created you loves you more than you can even begin to imagine. Christ made it possible for you and I to spend eternity with Him. Glory to God. Hallelujah.

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