Free Republic

Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani has been imprisoned in Iran for his faith since 2009, and a New York City deacon has suggested that the persecuted pastor serves as the epitome of a faithful Christian. Nadarkhani is an Iranian Christian pastor who has been sentenced to die in Tehran. Initial reports, including a 2010 brief from the Iranian Supreme court, stated that the sentence was based on the crime of apostasy, renouncing his Islamic faith. Government officials later claimed that the sentence was instead based on alleged violent crimes, specifically rape and extortion; however, no formal charges or evidence of violent...

The organisation of firebrand pastor Dr Terry Jones has said it will burn Korans and images of the Prophet Muhammad if an Iranian pastor is executed for his faith. Stand Up America Now made the threat after it emerged last week that the Iranian courts may have upheld the execution order for Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani. The pastor has been in prison since October 2009. He was originally detained for protesting but the charge was later changed to apostasy. Dr Jones sparked an international panic in 2010 when he threatened to burn Korans on the anniversary of 9/11. After sparking riots...

The church in Iran is growing and Christians are excited about it, despite persecution. Most Christians in Iran are remaining steadfast to their faith in spite of pressure from the government. Michael Wood of Open Doors USA recently returned from the Middle East and explains the spiritual climate there. “The government has gotten wind of what's going on and as you can understand they don't like it, so we see some repercussions that [have] happened,” Wood says. “The house church is coming under a lot of pressure -- freedoms are even more taken away from individuals that had been found...

CSW is urgently calling for action on behalf of Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani who faces execution anytime from Thursday onwards after refusing to renounce his faith. Pastor Nadarkhani is currently on trial in Rasht. He has appeared in court three times this week and each time has refused to renounce his faith when asked to do so by the court.

Iran: Church Leaders Arrested On Feb. 28, Hamid and Reyhaneh, a former-Muslim couple who led a house church, were arrested by secret police in Isfahan, Iran, according to Farsi Christian News Network (FCNN). Twenty secret police officers arrested and assaulted Reyhaneh when she resisted. “Hamid was arrested when he returned home an hour later,” FCNN reported. “Other believers present at the time were threatened but not detained, though one was also assaulted when he protested [the arrests].”

Iran (MNN) ― It is with great joy that Open Doors confirms the release of Maryam Rostampour, 27, and Marzieh Amirizadeh, 30, today. For around nine months, the two Iranian Christian women have been held in the notorious Evin prison in Tehran. Maryam Rostampour and Marzieh Amirizadeh Esmaeilabad, two Christian converts from Islam, were released from Evin Prison in Tehran on Wednesday. Iran (MNN) ― It is with great joy that Open Doors confirms the release of Maryam Rostampour, 27, and Marzieh Amirizadeh, 30, today. For around nine months, the two Iranian Christian women have been held in the notorious...

"Maryam and Marzieh – In danger of being forgotten in Iran," from Voice of the Martyrs The two Iranian Christian women, Maryam Rustampoor (27) and Marzieh Amirizadeh (30) continue to be held in Evin prison in Iran because of their Christian faith, unfairly labeled as ‘anti-government activists’, because of the hostility of the government towards practising Christians. In the aftermath of the political turmoil in Iran, they are now in danger of being forgotten. One church leader from Iran said, “With so many hundreds of protestors now in the prison system, Maryam and Marzieh are likely to be forgotten.” Arrested...

German blogs, Jihad Watch & Atlas Shrugged are discussing the apparent Christian cross seen worn by Neda in an AP photo.

Note: The following text is a quote: Wednesday, April 22, 2009 Iran: Imprisoned Christian women in peril - a call to pray for Iran By Elizabeth Kendal Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin (RLPB) 001 Special to ASSIST News Service AUSTRALIA (ANS) -- Maryam Rostampour (27) and Marzieh Amirizadeh Esmaeilabad (30) share an apartment and are active members of Iran's Christian community. On 5 March one of the women attended a summons at the Ministry of Intelligence. Officers then took her back to her apartment, arrested both women and confiscated their computers, books, Bibles and other personal items. According to International Christian...

TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)-- The son of an Iranian pastor who was executed for "apostasy" was said to be in solitary confinement Thursday, October 16, and there were concerns he may also faith the death penalty. Ramtin Soodmand, was recently charged with promoting anti-government propaganda, apparently because of his Christian activities. ...

An Iranian man who with his wife chose a Christian name for their newborn son has been arrested and imprisoned by Muslims on allegations of apostasy. Issa Motamadi, whose son became known to authorities seven months ago, faces a trial before a national Revolutionary Tribunal, according to a World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission report published by Assist News Service. Motamadi, a resident of Recht, the capital of Gilan Province, was taken into custody July 24 and sources told the Religious Liberty Commission it was because of the couple's choice of a name. Both Motamadi and his wife, Parvah, are...

Crisis prompts 120 leaders to launch 40-day campaign Amid Tehran's defiant pursuit of nuclear weapons, 120 Iranian church leaders are calling on Christians around the world to fast and pray for 40 days. The campaign begins Thursday, which is Ascension Day, which recalls Jesus' command to his disciples, before he rose to Heaven, to wait for the power of the Holy Spirit. A website http://www.prayforiran.com/ will post daily prayer requests beginning Thursday covering the church, people, and political situations in the country. The site will include a five-minute slideshow with images from Iran along with Persian worship music to accompany...

Iran is denying reports that it has passed legislation requiring its Jews to wear yellow cloth strips to single them out, its Christians to wear a red version and Zoroastrians a blue one. Some are unpersuaded. The Simon Wiesenthal Center's Rabbi Marvin Hier, for instance, is adamant "that the national uniform law was passed and that certain colors were selected for Jews and other minorities." But Teheran is adamant and scandalized. The reports of such Nazi-echoed branding "are slanderous accusations… a smear campaign," according to an outraged Iranian government spokesman. So that's all right then? We can all relax? Hardly....

The Iranian Embassy in Ottawa is denying a story published yesterday by Canada's National Post that Tehran has legislated color-coded badges for Jews, Christians and other religious minorities, and several experts on the workings of the Islamic regime have concurred, saying evidence of such a scheme cannot be found. According to the reports, Jews were to be required to wear yellow cloth strips, called zonar, while Christians were to wear red and Zoroastrians blue. The initial information for the reports came from Iranian expatriates living in Canada. The Simon Wiesenthal Center reported that it had confirmed the story that the...

Jewish MP denies Iran badge plan From correspondents in Tehran 20may06 IRAN'S only Jewish MP strongly denied reports in a Canadian newspaper overnight that Iran may force non-Muslims to wear coloured badges in public so they can be identified. "This report is a complete fabrication and is totally false," Maurice Motammed said in Tehran. "It is a lie, and the people who invented it wanted to make political gain" by doing so. The National Post newspaper quoted human rights groups as saying that Iran's parliament passed a law this week setting a public dress code and requiring non-Muslims to wear...

Experts say report of badges for Jews in Iran is untrue Several experts are casting doubt on reports that Iran had passed a law requiring the country’s Jews and other religious minorities to wear coloured badges identifying them as non-Muslims. The Iranian embassy in Otttawa also denied the Iranian government had passed such a law. A news story and column by Iranian-born analyst Amir Taheri in yesterday’s National Post reported that the Iranian parliament had passed a sweeping new law this week outlining proper dress for Iran’s majority Muslims, including an order for Jews, Christians and Zoroastrians to wear special...

Iran may force badges on Jews, Christians TEHRAN, May 19 (UPI) -- Iran's parliament passed a new law this week that would force the country's Jews, Christians and other religious minorities to wear color-coded ID badges. Iranian expatriates confirmed reports the Iranian parliament, or majlis, has approved a law that would require non-Muslims to adhere to a dress code which mandates they wear "standard Islamic garments," according to Canada's National Post. The roughly 25,000 Jews living in the Islamic Republic would have to attach a yellow strip of cloth to their clothing, Christians would wear red badges and Zoroastrians would...

Prime Minister Stephen Harper says news reports that Iran could require Jews and Christians to wear coloured labels in public might be true. He says Iran's hardline Islamist government has proven itself capable of such extreme actions. He called a law allegedly being considered in Iran a mind-boggling reminder of Nazi German practices. He says reports that Iran is considering a law to force Jews to wear yellow labels, and Christians red ones, are a reminder to the world that Iran must never gain nuclear weapons. He made the remarks at a news conference with Australian Prime Minister John Howard....

Human rights groups are raising alarms over a new law passed by the Iranian parliament that would require the country's Jews and Christians to wear coloured badges to identify them and other religious minorities as non-Muslims. "This is reminiscent of the Holocaust," said Rabbi Marvin Hier, the dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles. "Iran is moving closer and closer to the ideology of the Nazis." Iranian expatriates living in Canada yesterday confirmed reports that the Iranian parliament, called the Islamic Majlis, passed a law this week setting a dress code for all Iranians, requiring them to wear...

Human rights groups are raising alarms over a new law passed by the Iranian parliament that would require the country's Jews and Christians to wear coloured badges to identify them and other religious minorities as non-Muslims. "This is reminiscent of the Holocaust," said Rabbi Marvin Hier, the dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles. "Iran is moving closer and closer to the ideology of the Nazis." Iranian expatriates living in Canada yesterday confirmed reports that the Iranian parliament, called the Islamic Majlis, passed a law this week setting a dress code for all Iranians, requiring them to wear...