Iran Criminalizes Christianity

The Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is arriving in New York this week to speak in front of the U.N. General Assembly.

In 2007 a group Christian leaders met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad while he was in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly. They defended the meeting saying they wished to promote dialogue as an alternative to military confrontation.

In a church hall across from the U.N. they held a warm and friendly exchange. President Ahmadinejad is an intelligent and knowledgeable man. He is respectful, cordial and even witty. He spoke about the unity of the Judaic, Christian and Islamic messages. The meeting went off very well. President Ahmadinejad knows how to use every opportunity to his advantage.

This week President Ahmadinejad is once again in New York to speak in front of the U.N. general Assembly. The same group of Ecumenical Christian leaders are going to meet him again for dinner and dialogue, on Thursday the 25th September. This will take place during an iftar, the traditional meal served during Ramadan to break the fast.

The difference this time, is Iran passed legislation two weeks ago outlawing converting to the Christian Faith, with the death penalty as mandatory punishment. Yet these Christian leaders are naive enough to think they can have a positive influence.

The Iranian Parliament voted on September 9th in favour of the legislation with 196 votes in favour, seven against, and two abstentions. Included in the law are a list of crimes for which the death penalty is applied, are having blogs and websites promoting corruption, prostitution, and apostasy (read Christianity). The law mandates the death penalty for apostates. For anyone converting from Islam to any other religion, there is only one punishment, the death sentence.

For a person born to Muslim parents there is only a death penalty waiting. For a person born to non-Muslim parents, there is a three day period after sentencing when the person will be encouraged to change their mind. If the person still refuses then the death penalty is to be carried out.

Two Christians, Mahmoud Mohammad Matin-Azad, 53, and Arash Ahmad-Ali Basirat, 40, who are both Christian converts from Islam, were charged with apostasy last week at the Public and Revolutionary Court in Shiraz, Iran. They are awaiting the court’s verdict. They have been in detention since May 15.

In August, there were five known arrests of Iranian Christians in three cities by authorities, according to the persecution watchdog agency Compass Direct News. Among those arrested was Ramtin Soodmand, who is the son of the last Christian convert to be executed for leaving Islam, on Aug. 21.

Sharia laws vary from region to region. There is a tendency to cherry pick verses for support according to the ideas of the more senior leaders. Two basic rules of Bible interpretation are; a text out of context is a pretext, and the Bible does not contradict itself. The last one means if one finds a contradiction, then there is a misunderstanding/misinterpretation somewhere. This has as an obvious presupposition the Bible is God's word.

Assuming from a Muslim perspective that the Koran is Allah's word, and using the same basic rules, then these anti Christian laws should be explained in the context of the following two passages in the Koran. There are many other similar passages in the Koran.

Sura 3 Al-Imran verse 50: (Jesus speaking)

‘And I (Jesus) have come confirming that which was before me of the Torah, and to make lawful to you part of what was forbidden to you, and I have come to you with a proof from your Lord. So fear Allah and obey me.’

Sura 5 Al-Ma'idah, Allah says in the 46th and 47th verses: (‘We’ is Allah)

‘We sent 'Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), confirming the Torah that had come before him, and We gave him the Injeel (Gospel), in which was guidance and light and confirmation of the Torah that had come before it, a guidance and an admonition for the pious.

Let the people of the Injeel (Gospel) judge by what Allah has revealed therein.

These verses are conveniently ignored.

There are other people from other faiths such as Bahá'ís in Iranian Islamic jails for their faith.

The “Christian” participants are the American Friends Service Committee, Mennonite Central Committee, Quaker UN Office, Religions for Peace, and the World Council of Churches UN Liaison.

A major protest will be held on Thursday 25th September at 6pm, to counter the meeting with these “Christian” leaders, across the street from the Grand Hyatt Hotel East 42nd Street, near Lexington Avenue and Grand Central Station in New York City.