Iran 30 Discover, Pray, Transform » INFLUENTIAL INSTITUTIONS

‘Martyrs of Unity’, more military drills: soldiers need prayer.

admin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:14:41 +0000

As the language of diplomacy between Iran and the West gets harsher, and yet another Iranian nuclear scientist is assassinated, so both Iran’s regular forces (325,000) and the Revolutionary Guards (125,000) are engaging in more military exercises. Over the Christmas season Iran’s navy exercised in the Gulf, and almost as soon as they finished, there was an announcement that the Revolutionary Guards Corps would start more naval exercises on January 27th. Meanwhile the Revolutionary Guards Corps has also started ground force exercises in the east of the country, on the border with Afghanistan. The exercise is called, ‘Martyrs of Unity’. And the regular army is planning major exercises in February. The message to Iran and the rest of the world is clear: Iran is ready to fight.

For Christians interceding for Iran to emerge from these shadows of war it is important not to forget the individual soldier. They are ordinary young men. Many of them are conscripts. They are not necessarily that political, or even that religious. They are like soldiers the world over who need Christ.

Pray for:

• War to be averted
• Christian conscripts in the army
• Soldiers and sailors to hear the Gospel

Battle of the Straits, angels needed

admin — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:10:19 +0000

The battle of words over the straits of Hormoz is raging. If new US sanctions banning the sale of Iranian oil comes into force, Iran has threatened to close the straits. One third of the world’s oil exports flow through the narrow waterway. Iran’s navy has just finished exercises designed to demonstrate the country’s control of the straits. The US is committed to keeping the waterway open. Her fifth fleet is stationed in Bahrain. Meanwhile Iran tested two long-range missiles, and declared that her scientists had produced the country’s first nuclear fuel rod. These announcements did not help the US think again about its sanctions.
Angels are needed. The human race again and again slips and slides towards catastrophic war, the cheap words of banal bravado turning into the coffins of the innocent young. May God have mercy on Iran and the US and send angels in answer to fervent prayer to restrain the dogs of war.

Pray for

• Divine wisdom for diplomats to stop war
• Leaders of Iran and the West to renew talks
• Senior Christian leaders to speak out against war

Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, head of Iran’s judiciary

admin — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:34:57 +0000

Responsible for law and order in a vast land of 75 million people is no small task. Hence Iran’s judiciary deserves our prayers. As well as the normal crimes that afflict all countries, the Iranian judiciary finds itself on the frontline of the war against the drug traffickers who operate from Afghanistan. In response to the avalanche of opium tipped over its borders, the judiciary has shown no mercy to drug sellers. Many have been executed this year.
More controversially the judiciary in Iran has constantly played a decisive role in politics. In the 1990’s it was the intervention of the judiciary that defeated the Reformist movement, and after the 2009 it was again the vigour of the judiciary that ended the protests after the presidential elections. There is an internal logic to the judiciary’s role here: the state is Islamic, not democratic, hence the role of the judiciary is to only support that which is truly Islamic. This logic then gives the judiciary the authority to oppose any movement which it deems as unIslamic.
As in all religious governments in history, this then gives great power to the people who decide what is orthodox and what is not. One of those men is Sadegh Larijani, the present head of the judiciary. As the youngest ever incumbent in the post, his appointment in June 2009 raised some eyebrows. Normally the head of the judiciary is an older cleric widely recognised for his scholarship. While Sadegh Larijani might not have age or a heavy academic reputation, he is most certainly a government insider, with close connections with influential people, not least his two brothers. Ali Larijani is the speaker of parliament, and Mohammad Larijani is head of the Human Rights Council in the judiciary. Mohammad used to be the number two at the foreign office.
Sadegh Larijani has been very energetic as leader of the judiciary. He carries much responsibility and as a believer in God as the final judge, he will know that he will have to give account for his decisions on that great day. He will be aware that Christians have suffered the ordeal of being arbitrarily arrested and kept in prison this year, even though they are not guilty of any criminal activity. It is important to pray that Sadegh Larijani and all his officials are given divine strength to deliver justice for the criminals who should be in prison, and freedom for all those who want to live quiet and godly lives trusting in Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord.

Pray for

• Revelation of Christ to Sadegh Larijani
• Energy of officials to combat crime
• Wisdom to stop persecution of Christians

Winter winds of isolation, not good news for Christians

admin — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:23:58 +0000

The winter winds of isolation blowing into Iran are getting even colder. UN sanctions got tougher, and in response mobs attacked the UK embassy in Tehran. So the UK has closed down its diplomatic mission there and Norway followed suit. Meanwhile, the violent suppression of unrest in Syria has brought calls from around the world for Iran’s ally, President Assad, to step down. There is no guarantee a new administration in Damascus would be friendly towards Tehran.
More ominously, acts of violence have entered this diplomatic winter. Last month there were explosions at two military bases, one near Tehran where 17 people were killed, and another near Isfahan. The Iranians blame foreign secret services. For their part, the Iranians claim they downed a US drone used for surveillance in Afghanistan on December 4th, 2011. The drone has been put on display.
Neither the winds of isolation, nor these acts of war are good news for Iranians, especially Iranian Christians. Throughout history Christians have always suffered when their governments have become more nationalistic. For however patriotic the Christians are, they also belong to a world-wide church, and so attract suspicion. Moreover, when a government becomes isolated it feels free to deal with its domestic issues without any concern for international opinion. Thankfully there are many voices for peace both in the West and Iran. Christians should pray these voices prevail.

Pray for

• Peace summit to be called to stop war
• Wisdom and courage for diplomats
• Christians to be protected from unfair accusations

Newspapers, now the conservatives are being arrested.

admin — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:19:36 +0000

Journalism is not the safest of professions in Iran. According to the Committee for the Protection of Journalists, 30 – 50 are behind bars in Iran at any one time. This danger to journalists has even reached the offices of the state sponsored Iran Daily newspaper. For Ali Akbar Javanfekr, the paper’s editor, manager of the state’s ‘Islamic Republic News Agency’ and former press advisor to President Ahmadinejad, was arrested on Monday 21st November. He was released the same day, but the story is not over as a court has sentenced him to one year’s imprisonment.
Javanfekr’s crime was to write an article suggesting that the ‘Chador’, the traditional black cloak worn by many Iranian women, had its origin in France. He is probably wrong about this, but it seems bizarre this deserves imprisonment. And the arrest was not pretty. There are reports that thirty of his staff came into his office to try and stop the arrest, and the judiciary officials had to use tear gas to disperse them. This was a blunt assertion of power by the judiciary over the press.
Such control of the press is also harmful for the church. For the press supports the inaccuracy that there is freedom for Christians in Iran, and by accepting official statements at face value contributes to the campaign against the house churches: the harassment of Christians is never questioned.

Pray for

• More press freedom
• Release of innocent journalists
• Correct reporting on church issues.

Drums of war, getting louder

admin — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 14:07:31 +0000

The drums of a potentially very dangerous war are getting louder. The US accuses Iran of being involved in a plan to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in New York. The fixer in the plot is a second hand car-dealer, the hit men are from a Mexican drug gang. Iran has rejected the claims as absurd. Observers in the West have raised their eye-brows. Whether true of not, it is a drum beat. The Supreme Leader of Iran in return has promised to release numerous documents all proving that the US is behind all sorts of terrorism in the Middle East. There was little detail, but it was a drum beat. A Kuwaiti paper has run an article, widely believed, detailing division inside the Israeli cabinet over whether to attack Iran. The article claims that the prime minister and his foreign secretary seem convinced a pre-emptive strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities is necessary; other ministers see such a move as being a catastrophic mistake. It is another drum beat. The Guardian newspaper in the UK has reported that the British government is drawing up more detailed plans regarding Iran. Another drum beat. In response Iran has said that it will retaliate – against Israel, and the US. Another drum beat.
A war would unleash untold suffering on Iranians and the rest of the Middle East. The growing church in Iran would get caught up in the storm. There would be more false accusations about Iranian Christians. It is a time for serious intercession to the God who has said that He wants people to live quiet secure lives.

Pray for

• Courageous diplomats to quieten the drums of war
• International church to increase pressure for peace
• Threat of war to turn many Iranians to Christ

Nuclear power station, nuclear worries

admin — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 09:04:22 +0000

This week the Bushehr nuclear plant was opened at a ceremony with senior Russian ministers as honoured guests, as Russia helped build the plant. It will soon be supplying the national grid. As the officials were clapping, so too the International Atomic Energy Agency was again worrying about Iran’s ultimate intentions, and Dick Cheney, who was the US vice president, has let it be known that Israel will not hesitate to attack Iran to defend itself. The issue will not go away, and it is vital Christians pray fervently there is a peaceful solution.

Pray for

• All those seeking a diplomatic solution to the nuclear issue
• Politicians to speak with restraint and wisdom.
• Right of Iran to have nuclear power and right of Israel to have security to be respected

Revolutionary Guards, and the individual conscience

admin — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 09:07:27 +0000

The Revolutionary Guards, or Sepah as they are known in Iran, have a lot of power. Originally they were formed by Ayatollah Khomeini to guard the values of the revolution. This is what sadly brings them into contacts with Christians. They keep an eye on them on the false assumption that Christians pose a threat to their state. In fact Christians in Iran have never posed a threat to any government. But while the rhetoric of a revolution demand that the guards act ruthlessly towards defenceless Christians, breaking down their homes, stealing their Bibles and other precious items, and even dragging them off to prison, still as individuals they have a conscience which can soften the cruelty they are being asked to administer. Christians can also come across Sepah in their working lives. For now the Guards control vast swathes of the economy, so a Christian can easily find his employer is in fact Sepah, or if he is an independent service provider, his invoices are going to their offices. This gives the Guards an opportunity to exhibit greed. For once they discover that someone is a Christian they can steal from them. They can refuse to pay what they owe, ‘on religious grounds’. But again, personal conscience can make them hesitate.

Pray for

• Personal conscience of individual guards to convict
• Christian witness to guards to be courageous
• Guards to treat Christians with respect and kindness.

Nuclear stalemate, enter the Russians

admin — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 09:47:43 +0000

This week senior Russian official Nikolai Patrushev is visiting Tehran for talks with Iranian minister Saeid Jalili and President Ahmadinejad. There are reports he wants to discuss further the plan of Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov to unlock the nuclear stalemate between Iran and the West. Few details are known, but it is thought that Russia has a step by step plan whereby Iran provides proof that its intentions are wholly for nuclear energy, not armaments, and so sanctions are eased.
While the nuclear issue is not always in the news, it remains a constant threat to world peace and could plunge the Iran region into the horror of war. So any attempt to solve the issue peacefully deserves the fervent support and prayers of Christians.

Pray for

• Nikolai Patrushev, Saeid Jalili and President Ahmadinejad as they talk
• The concerns of all sides to be addressed
• Peace

The Judiciary: important to focus on drugs and crime, not religious faith

admin — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 09:42:40 +0000

Iran is fighting a vicious war against the drug trade. So far there have been over 3,000 border guards who have lost their lives in shoot out with drug barons. There’s no doubt this is a war that must be won. Iran has between two to four million addicts. It is an epidemic that casts a shadow over the whole country. In response the judiciary, led by Sadegh Larijani, has adopted a Singaporean attitude to drug dealers. This partly explains the dramatic spike in executions this year. Most of those sentenced have been involved in the drug trade. There are also other areas of crime where the judiciary has been active. Recently there has been a campaign to stamp out financial corruption.
Every country needs its judiciary and security forces to focus on protecting its people from drugs and crime. In this campaign they deserve the prayers and support of the church. This is where the focus of the judiciary should be.
But it is very odd that the security forces fighting drug traffickers are also called upon to arrest ordinary Christians whose orthodox faith has been a part of Iran’s culture for nearly two thousand years. It is even odder that the dignity of the judiciary that rightly punishes criminals for murder, rape, and stealing, should allow itself to be questioned by the entire world for sentencing someone like Yousef Naderkhani to death simply because, along with two billion other people, he believes Jesus Christ is divine.

Pray for:

Determination of judiciary in its fight against drug trafficking
Courage to uproot all financial corruption
Wisdom to allow religious freedom