In January it was reported that the Iranian parliament which would give equal "blood money" to Muslims and non-Muslims. This is payment paid to the families of those murdered or killed in a vehicle accident. Earlier this month, the Iranian Guardian Council rejected the amendment to Article 297 of Iran's Islamic Penal Code, saying that it goes against Sharia law which outlines that a non-Muslim is to get 1/12 what a Muslim receives. The Guardian Council is a group of Muslim clerics who must approve all legislation. In their letter to the Parliament Speaker, Mehdi Karroubi, the Council said that the final decision will lie with the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and they will abide by his decision.
Original Persecution and Prayer Alert story published January 15, 2003
(News Reports from IRIB News and Jomhouri-ye Eslami)
Bill For Equal Treatment Rejected
- Current Ministry Fund
By funding television broadcasts, VOMC is making it possible for a vast audience of viewers to be reached throughout Iran with the "Good News" of Jesus' love via satellite.
Project Fund: Underground Church
- Country Information
Designation
PersecutedPopulation
87,590,873 (2023 est.)Ethnicity
Persian, Azeri, Kurd, Lur, Baloch, Arab, Turkmen and Turkic tribesReligion (%)
Islam (98.5), Christian (0.7), Baha'i (0.3), agnostic (0.3), other (0.2)Leader
Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-Khamenei (1989)Government type
Theocratic republicLegal system
Religious legal system based on secular and Islamic lawSource: CIA World Factbook
- Pray for Iran
As the Gospel message goes forth over the airwaves, may the growth of the church continue to multiply despite persecution. Pray that the Iranian government will be open to change, allowing full rights and protection for its non-Muslim citizens as well. In the meantime, may those who are forced to flee the country find safe refuge and help so they can live in peace and worship the Lord with freedom.
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Iran News
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Aida Released on Bail Pending Appeal
Aida Najaflou
Photo: Article18Aida Najaflou was arrested in February 2025 for "acting against the Islamic Republic." Despite suffering from multiple health issues, including a spinal fracture she sustained after a fall in late October, the 44-year-old Christian woman received limited medical care. Adding to her adversities, she was sentenced to a total of 17 years in prison this past November. (More information on Aida's case can be accessed at VOMCanada.com/tagged-items/aida-najaflou.htm.)
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Iran - Year in Review
Joseph Shahbazian
Photo: Article18
As an Islamic theocracy, Iran is governed by strict Muslim laws. Even though Christianity is generally recognized and tolerated for those from traditional Armenian and Assyrian churches, any conversion from Islam to Christianity is strictly prohibited. Even believers from historic Christian communities have faced charges, as in the case of Pastor Joseph Shahbazian, an Armenian believer.
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Five Christians Receive Lengthy Prison Sentences
L to R: Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh, Joseph and Lida Shahbazian, and Aida Najaflou.
Photo: Article18Five Iranian Christians were recently sentenced to a combined 55 years in prison. All of them have been imprisoned because of their Christian faith. Although the sentences were issued on October 21st, the believers only learned of them within the past two weeks.
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Christian Prisoner Denied Adequate Medical Care
Aida Najaflou
Photo: Article18Aida Najaflou, a 44-year-old Christian convert, was arrested in February by Iranian authorities for allegedly "acting against the Islamic Republic" because of her faith in Jesus. The believer has suffered from physical ailments for years, including rheumatoid arthritis.
