Increased pressures against Christian and Churches in

IDDLE EAST | PERSECUTION

Increased pressures against Christian and Churches in Esfahan Local agents of Ministry of Islamic Guidance have become increasingly more forceful in their demands on Pastor “Nusrat Sharifian” to refuse entry to all of many new Christian converts. Repeated death threats and public humiliation against Pastor of the Assembly of God Churches in Esfahan , eventually forcing him and his family.... FCNN (Farsi Christian News Network) reports from Esfahan shows that despite the recent temporary release in early May 2012, of a number of Christians from captivity after two months of incarceration in Islamic Jails; a number of Christians of Esfahan are yet to be released, and pressure is mounting. Christian sources in Esfahan have informed FCNN that, local agents of Ministry of Islamic Guidance have become increasingly more forceful in their demands on Pastor “Nusrat Sharifian” to refuse entry to all of many new Christian converts. Agents of the “Ministry of Islamic Guidance”, who identify themselves as “Minority Affairs Experts”, have threatened Pastor Sharifian and his family with arrest, imprisonment, and trial; should any new convert is seen entering the church premises. He has, furthermore, been put under increased pressure by Islamic Regime’s security forces, to evacuate the large number of destitute Christians living in the grounds of the church for the last few years, and force them out onto the streets. Pastor of St. Luke’s Church has requested help from Bishop “Azad Marshall” of the Bishopric of Esfahan, the matter has formally been brought to the Islamic Regime’s attention, and reported to the Middle East Archdiocese. Leaders of Church of St. Luke and Esfahan Bishopric Churches have so far been able to resist the unlawful pressures of the Islamic Regime and the agent’s demands of refusal of religious services to the new converts; but faced with mounting intimidation, coercion, and threats; it is not at all certain how much longer will they be able to resist these unlawful demands. Senior Ministry of Islamic Guidance officials in Esfahan have proclaimed that in accordance with the stated wishes of the Highest Islamic Regime's authority, they will make sure that pressure against Christians and Churches are maintained and the noose tightened, until total annihilation of Christianity in the city is achieved (allahwilling). Highly emotional tone of last winter’s announcement of the “discovery” of a consignment of The Holy Bibles, which was then followed by arrest and intimidation of large numbers of Christians; was clearly aimed at whipping up the uninformed public sentiments against Christians, and a cheap excuse to execute tougher population control measures by an increasingly desperate Islamic Regime. Leaders of the Islamic Regime are fond of repeating their self-deluding mantra of “Esfahan is a staunchly muslimcity”. Wide-spread arrests in the last three months, as well as increased interference in the affairs of the Christian Churches such as St. Luke, St. Paul, and the Church of Assembly of God; have created a claustrophobic atmosphere of fear and intimidation for Christians in this sprawling industrial city some 500 Km. South of Tehran. Forced Exile The arrest of the pastor “Leon Keshishian” of “The Assembly of God” Churches during Christmas of 2010, with his repeated recalls to the State Security prison for “further investigations”;heralded the arrival of a brand new instrument of fear which soon erased any illusion of freedom of conscience and worship anyone may have still harboured. Islamic Regime is, “allahwilling”, equipped with yet another instrument of fear and coercion. Command of tens of thousands of Basij militias used to physically enforce the whims of the “authorities” on the populace, gives those in power the same degree of enforcement as their exalted role models of the third Reich. These instruments of fear were given a free reign against Christians. Repeated death threats and public humiliation became yet another instrument of terror against Pastor Keshishian, eventually forcing him and his family to escape from the Islamic Republic in April 2012. After brother Keshishian’s forced exile, Pastor Edison Gharibian has taken the responsibilities of the leadership of the Assembly of God Churches in Esfahan; he was previously the Pastor of this church in Shahin –Shahr where the church was forcefully closed three years ago. As yet no one in authority has seen fit to clarify their acts of violence against the Church in that city.