Source: The Church of England Newspaper
On February 17, 2006 The Church of England Newspaper reported, "Iranian Christians and converts from a Muslim background are facing increasing persecution and are becoming fearful for their lives, according to observers in the region. In a House of Lords debate on the Middle-East country, the Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, also raised his concerns over their plight.
'Their freedom is in many cases significantly restricted,' he said. 'Their properties have been confiscated and they live in constant fear of being reported to the Basiji, or revolutionary guard. Their survival and welfare should be in our minds.' A house church leader, Ghorban Dordi Tourani, was assassinated in November 2005 and Stefan van Velde, a staff worker for Open Doors, fears that more Christians will be murdered for their faith.
'The general population has not become radical, but the leaders are now extremists and they have the power to decide between life and death,' he said. Iran’s hardline President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, told his provincial governors that the Government needed to put a stop to Christianity and the burgeoning movement of house churches in the country, according to Open Doors. Since he took office in June 2005, a growing number of Christians have been temporarily arrested and beaten by police and secret services. In addition to living with the threat of arrests, beatings, imprisonments and death, Iranian Christians face discrimination every day. They are considered second-class citizens and non-native people because, in the minds of many of their compatriots, the Christian faith is linked to the West."