Women pictured inside the Evin Prison Photo: Mohabat NEWS

A Christian convert was recently sentenced to one year of deprivation of education by a court in Tehran, Iran. Fatemeh Nouri, an art student in one of the universities in Tehran, was arrested in September 2011 at her home and was then transferred to Evin prison. Fatemeh was convicted of attending a house church, insulting sacred figures, and activities against national security. She was released on November 30, 2011, after spending almost three months in prison. However, she is not allowed to receive an education for the duration of her one-year deprivation sentence.

The Iranian constitution allows religious freedom for followers of non-Islamic faiths. The sentencing violates the country's own laws, as well as the universal declaration of human rights, which considers education a right for all regardless of race, colour, belief, religion and gender. While the Islamic Republic has in the past made Christian students attend Islamic courses in an effort to convert them, it now seems that the deprivation of education or expulsion from universities may be the new method for opposing the spread of Christianity.

Please pray that this sentence will be recognized as unlawful and will be overturned. Pray that Fatemeh will not become discouraged, but that she will find new strength in Christ. Please pray for Fatemeh's future as well as for the futures of all young Iranian Christians seeking to further their education and bring glory to God with their gifts.

To learn more about persecution in Iran, go to the Iran Country Report.