Persecution in Iran
At Iranian Christians International (ICI), we regularly hear firsthand what persecution truly looks like – not from history books, but from the voices of believers who live it daily.
In Iran, the Christian community is divided into two groups by the Islamic Theocratic Regime:
• Recognized: Those from historical Christian backgrounds (like Armenians and Assyrians), and
• Unrecognized: Those who are converts from Islam to Christianity-Muslim-born Iranians who leave Islam to follow Jesus.
These converts (the unrecognized group) are considered enemies of the state. The Iranian government views them not only as religious dissidents but as political threats – “Western agents,” “Israeli spies,” and “Christian Evangelical Zionists” seeking to destabilize Islam and the Islamic regime. Their “crime”? Apostasy – planting the seeds of discord among Muslims..
Every year, house church leaders and new believers are arrested, interrogated, and sentenced to long prison terms under accusations of “crimes against national security.” Some are exiled; others disappear quietly. Even family members often reject them. Meanwhile, Armenian and Assyrian Christians are permitted to exist, but only as second-class citizens. They are barred from sharing their faith in Persian (Farsi) and are forbidden from welcoming converts into their churches. Those who do risk heavy government punishment.
Kamyar’s Story
Kamyar, an Iranian Muslim convert to Christianity, is a husband and father of two. Quietly and faithfully, he pastored seven underground house churches across Iran.
Late one night at 11 p.m., his home was raided by Iranian intelligence agents. His charge? “Zionist Evangelical Christianity.” He was accused of undermining national security – a common label used to
criminalize those who share the Gospel. Kamyar was immediately taken and placed in solitary confinement for 37 days. When he was finally released from isolation, he said, “I didn’t know how to relate to people anymore.” After his confinement, he was subjected to 30 terrifying interrogations, each lasting a minimum of four hours. The final outcome of the 600-page accusation was devastating: return to prison to await execution.
Through the efforts of lawyers, his sentence was reduced to 15 years in prison. When his family was finally able to secure temporary bail for a short visit, Kamyar fled escaping through the mountains into Turkey, where he now lives in hiding with his family, seeking asylum.
Exiled Without a Trial
One of the dirtiest strategies used by the Islamists is to relentlessly pressure Christians in order to force them into self-exile. Through harassment, interrogation, financial extortion, and the constant threat of arrest, the regime makes everyday life intolerable for converts. They want Christians to flee the country quietly, forfeiting their bail and abandoning their homes, so the regime avoids international scrutiny while still crushing the underground church. It’s persecution without the noise of violence, but with the same brutal outcome: displacement, fear, and broken families.
The Persecution Doesn’t End at the Border
For Iranian Christians who flee to Turkey, like Kamyar, their suffering doesn’t end. It simply takes a different shape. Turkey, though not as openly hostile as Iran, is still a Muslim-majority nation where converts from Islam face ongoing pressure, surveillance, and threats. Most live in legal limbo, often waiting many years for asylum in poor conditions, with limited to no access to jobs, healthcare, or education. Many are targeted by extremist groups, harassed by locals, or even monitored by Iranian agents operating across the border. They are not free to share their faith openly. And, while they may have escaped prison, they have not escaped fear. This is the reality for thousands of Iranian believers who have left everything for Christ only to find themselves vulnerable once again even outside of their birth country.
From One Oppressor to Another
In 2015, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) transferred the refugee screening and interview process in Turkey to the Turkish Immigration Office. This change had devastating consequences for people like Kamyar. Now, every Iranian convert seeking asylum in Turkey is interviewed not by a neutral UN official, but by a Turkish government employee – often a practicing Muslim. For an ex-Muslim, this means the person deciding your future sees you as a traitor, an unclean apostate, and an infidel.
These interviews are never fair. Many times, the Muslim interviewer tells the asylum seeker, “Christians have no problem living in Iran.” The process is heavily biased, often discriminatory, and for most, ends in rejection. Even worse, the interpreters present during these interviews are frequently Iranian or Afghan Muslims – some with direct ties to the Iranian regime. These individuals are often strategically placed to gather sensitive information on Christian converts and report back to Tehran.
To help protect and defend these believers, ICI has hired multiple Turkish immigration lawyers to appeal denied cases. But, despite every effort, not one appeal has succeeded. These lawyers are part of the same compromised system. As a result, many of these believers have been stranded, stuck, or forced to live illegally under the shadow of an Islamic government, without a way forward, and unable to return home.
Our Comfort Only Comes from His Word
In the face of all this suffering, only the words of Jesus bring lasting comfort. When you see the world through an eternal lens, everything changes:
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
– Matthew 5:10-12
Let us stand with our persecuted brothers and sisters-because the only people they have is us.
It’s God’s family.
It’s you and I.
Written by Mohamad Faridi