“Mourning to dancing”

Thousands of people took to the streets in New York and Los Angeles last weekend, dancing and clapping to Persian music and waving lion-and-sun flags—the traditional flag of Iran and the symbol of the Pahlavi monarchy. Social media videos of Iranian Americans enacting the iconic Trump dance went viral.

After U.S. and Israeli authorities announced the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei amid strikes last weekend, many Iranian Americans began celebrating. In recent weeks, the Iranian diaspora has anxiously awaited sporadic updates from family members in Iran amid regime-imposed communication blackouts and authorities’ massacre of thousands of protesters. Now, many Iranian Americans are cautiously hopeful for greater freedom in their home country.

“Our conversations have gone from mourning to dancing,” said Mohamad Faridi, president of Iranian Christians International. “This has been a sigh of relief for us. This has been the shout of joy.”

Hundreds of Iranian Americans live in Colorado Springs, Colo., where Faridi operates his online discipleship ministry and pastors a church. According to Faridi, Iranian American Christians grieved for their people during the recent protests and worried over Western governments’ attempts to negotiate with the regime.

“Negotiation with terrorists won’t work,” he said. “Negotiation with the Islamists won’t work.”

Faridi said he fled Iran in 2012 because he feared for his life, adding that if he were to return to Iran right now, “It’s gonna be a one-way ticket.” Converting from Islam to Christianity is a capital offense in Iran, and Faridi not only did so but also uploaded YouTube videos of him talking about his conversion. Blocked from returning as long as the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps exist, Faridi instead distributes Bibles to Iranians and Afghans in their home countries and creates online discipleship material, which the regime deems criminal.

When economic protests that began in December spiraled into calls for the regime to end, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and foreign militia members from Iraq gunned down thousands of protesting Iranians. “They don’t carry weapons,” Faridi said of the protesters. “There are no Second Amendments. They were just empty-handed going on the street, shouting for their rights.”

Videos of snipers shooting from rooftops and truck beds into unarmed crowds with families started circulating on the internet in early January. In Iran, anyone who uploaded those images risked their lives.

Nathan Rostampour is the president of Ekklesia Mission and the Persian Ministry Director at the Summit Church near Raleigh, N.C. Rostampour avoids mentioning church or saying Christian phrases on the scant calls to his family that make it through internet blackouts in Iran. Working with secret churches in Iran for the last 25 years, Rostampour’s ministry uses the internet as a training hub for pastors. “I served in the country for more than 10 years in a secret church,” he said. “I know the suffering. I know the persecution—how hard it is to be a Christian in Iran.”

Without end-to-end encrypted programs—due to the regime’s control of the internet—he has lost all contact with the Christians he mentors inside Iran. The lack of internet connection also means Iranians won’t receive notification when the Israelis announce their next target. “There are bombs everywhere now in Tehran. The reality is that we are all worried about our family members, but at the same time, we are hopeful and we’re happy for them because they’re getting closer to that freedom,” he said. “It’s a mixed feeling.”

Many believe Reza Pahlavi, Iran’s exiled prince and the son of the ousted Shah, will build a pro-American, pro-Israel, free society if he leads Iran. Pahlavi promises he would provide a temporary government until democratic elections can be held, claiming on Sunday’s episode of 60 Minutes, “I’m not seeking power. I’m not even interested in power.”

Roy Oksnevad teaches at Pars Theological Centre, an online school focused on equipping the Iranian church, training about 500 students worldwide. Oksnevad said that, after decades of regime crackdowns, Iranians are traumatized. “There has to be real trust built,” said Oksnevad. “I think Reza has been trying to do that.”

But Pahlavi does not have support from all Iranians, especially those wary of any form of monarchical government. Iranians in exile have proposed an Iranian-led plan for transitioning the country to a secular republic, but U.S. President Donald Trump has been noncommittal about the future of Iran’s government. He says he intends to be involved in choosing a new leader for the country but has not named someone for the role.

Some Iranians in the United States hesitate to discuss the country’s political options publicly, fearing reprisals to family members if Iranian leaders continue the authoritarian line. One Iranian American church in the San Francisco area declined to provide an interview to WORLD, stating, “This is a time of crisis, and we can’t trust anyone.”

Rostampour said that Iranians are tired of Islam. “They are asking questions about Islam, so this is a great opportunity for the church,” he said. “The most important thing that we need to do is pray, because this is a spiritual warfare.” The moment there is stability, Rostampour said, many Iranian American Christians who fled Iran will be able to return to their homeland.

Faridi is ready: “By the grace of God, in about three months, we will be able to go back to our homeland and visit and work and share the gospel.”