World Tour: Christians in Iran

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LINDSAY MAST, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: Christians in Iran.

Yesterday we reported on Iranian Christians seeking asylum in the US, but what about those still inside the repressive nation?

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Recent reports suggest last month’s US strike against Iran’s nuclear sites only destroyed one of the three targets. Even so, Iranian leaders have escalated their crackdown, not just on dissent, but on religious minorities and their own people.

WORLD’s Global Desk Chief Jenny Lind Schmitt has today’s World Tour special report.

JENNY LIND SCHMITT: In the days immediately following U.S. strikes, nearly one thousand people were arrested and charged with spying for Israel with little to no evidence. The regime is trying to squelch any opposition momentum created by the attacks. At the same time, it’s trying to show it has uncovered an Israeli spy network.

SAYEH: So it seems like they're trying to develop very horrible cases for these protesters.

Some of those who’ve gone missing or who have been arrested since June are human rights activists, but most are average citizens. Janatan Sayeh is an Iran expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

SAYEH: They may have been following a social media account related to an Israeli or they may have posted something on social media saying “This is not our war.” “This is the Islamic Republic versus Israel's war.” We don't want to be implicated in this.”

Many of the people arrested are members of religious minorities—particularly Christians and members of the Baha’i faith. But new in this wave of repressions is a crackdown on Iran’s Jewish community, which numbers about 15,000.

SAYEH: So the Islamic Republic for the longest time has argued that they're not anti-Semitic, they're anti-Israel, they don't have a problem with Jews quote-unquote but they have a problem with Israeli Zionism. But now this new wave of crackdown shows that of course they cannot distinguish between the two.

People have been arrested for as little as making a phone call to a relative in Israel.

Most of the Christians arrested are new converts to the faith. Iran distinguishes between historic Armenian and Assyrian Christian communities and people who convert to Christianity from Islam.

SAYEH: So the latter is perhaps the most persecuted because according to the Islamic Republic's penal code, that is very clearly punishable by death and they do not hesitate to execute Christian converts and people who actually are converting Christians as well.

I corresponded with one Iranian pastor who I’ll call Arash Aria. He now lives in a neighboring country and continues to shepherd his flock inside Iran. Here is more from a translated message to WORLD. This is not his voice:

ARASH ARIA: [VOICEOVER] Since the war, persecution against Christian believers has increased terribly. They arrest them under the pretense of espionage. During this time, many of our friends have been arrested in different cities, and sadly, no one knows anything about their condition.

Many political prisoners–including Christians–who were held in Evin Prison were transferred elsewhere after Israeli airstrikes damaged it last month.

Aida Najaflou is a 43-year-old mother of two imprisoned in Qarchak prison for Christian activities. In this recorded phone call, Najaflou says 62 women prisoners from Evin were transferred to Qarchak, where they lack clean water, food, and sanitation. Many prisoners are still unaccounted for.

Meanwhile the regime is ramping up its already high execution rate. On July 17th, the head of the Iranian judiciary announced officials will expedite trials for those arrested for “espionage” since the war.

The government crackdowns highlight the evil of the regime.

LEYLA: [VOICEOVER] They continue to execute and imprison countless innocent Persians, and as usual, no one inside the country can do anything to stop it.

Leyla is a Christian in Iran who runs an online ministry. She gets messages everyday with questions about the gospel, and even more since the war. She says people are hungry for the truth, and many are coming to Christ.

Leyla isn’t her real name. To further guard her identity, we asked someone else to read her message for us.

LEYLA: [VOICEOVER] Help must come from outside Iran, because we are unarmed. The regime has every tool and weapon they need to crush the people. People are still hoping that Israel will resume its attacks against the regime. The authorities are arresting innocent people and accusing them of being agents of Musad, while they are unable to arrest the real agents.

Opposition simmers just below the surface. Four weeks ago, government forces shot two young men at a checkpoint, Mehdi Ebaei and Alireza Karbasi.

At their funeral on July 3rd, mourners marched and chanted slogans. They’re saying, “Down with the oppressor” and “The enemy is right here, they lie when they say it’s America.”

Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi condemned the murders and called for Iranians to rise in protest against the regime. Pahlavi is the son of the Shah deposed in 19-79. He leads an Iranian opposition movement from exile, and many think he is the only viable option to lead a transitional government, if and when the Islamic regime collapses.

Janatan Sayeh once again.

SAYEH: If you say anything remotely in support of whether a potential constitutional monarchy or true regime change, you immediately get executed, no trial, nothing. So for us to expect such a regime to allow some sort of a quote-unquote organic homegrown opposition to take place, that's just, it's just not practical, it's not feasible.

Pahlavi has spent most of his life in Western democracies and says he doesn’t want to be a monarch.

SAYED: But you need a safe transition phase to get there to prevent chaos. And Pahlavi is well equipped to lead that transition at least.

Iran’s population of 90 million is young. 60% of Iranians are under 30. They have access to the internet and know about the outside world. They also have a positive view of the Pahlavi dynasty and the freedoms of the past. How much pressure the international community is willing to put on Iran’s regime will determine what they do next.

SAYEH: The main leverage against the regime continues to be the Iranian people. And of course, with sanctions and maximum pressure, you can push this regime closer and closer to its collapse. And the idea there is to create an environment where the Iranian people can define their own destiny.

Meanwhile, Christians pray and long for freedom.

LEYLA: I truly hope that President Trump and his team won’t have to learn this lesson the hard way, but will instead come to their senses and stop trying to be nice to these terrorists. This regime is evil, and as long as it remains in power, it will continue to commit evil not only against Persians, but also against the entire non-Muslim world.

Reporting for World Tour Special Report, I’m Jenny Lind Schmitt.

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