The seven Christians from the north of the greater Tehran area arrested on July 31st while at worship and detained in Evin prison have been released on bail after signing over two of their properties, according to the FCNN website. All seven still face court proceedings where they have been threatened with being accused of apostasy. Other Christians, including Maryam Rostampour and Marzieh Esmeilabad whose health is deteriorating, are still being held. Despite the level of intimidation focused on active Christians, reports continued to emerge regarding the intense interest ordinary Iranians have about Christianity and how many are ready to acknowledge Jesus Christ when they hear the Gospel.

Pray for

• The prosecutor to drop the case against the seven and return their property
• The release of all Christians held for being active believers
• The further growth of all those who have turned to Christ because of the witness of Christians willing to suffer

As well as Maryam Rustampoor and Marzieh Amirizadeh Esmaeilabad (see last week’s entry here) the FCNN website reports that six other Christians from the north of Tehran have also been taken to Evin Prison. Like Maryam and Marzieh, they have faced rigorous interrogation and periods in solitary confinement. The names of the six are: Maryam Razandi, Ashraf Omidi, Mehdi Mohammadi, Nariman Sharifi, Shahin, and Shahnam Yar-Mohammad Tosaki. There are reports that another Christian, Mobina Lak, has been released, temporarily. These are the known Christians in Evin, there might well be others. As with Maryam and Marzieh it would seem the sole reason for their imprisonment, and the torture of solitary confinement, is their Christian faith. Conditions in the cells are crowded which makes health a key prayer request, especially as medical facilities are limited.

Pray for

• Health – spiritual and physical of all detained
• Speedy release for all detainees and apology for wrongful arrest
• Many other prisoners to be reached with the Gospel

On September 5^th Maryam Rustampoor (27) and Marzieh Amirizadeh (30) will have had their freedom taken from them for six months: 184 days. When arrested the authorities did not specify the charges, however it soon became clear they were in prison because they were Christians. One prison official refused to let them join her classes because they were ‘najes’, unclean and angrily told them they should be executed for being ‘apostates’. Then on August 9^th in a court hearing they were asked, ‘Are you Christian?’ and when the women said ‘We love Jesus’ followed by ‘Yes’, they were bluntly told to re-cant (see recent news August 12^th). Maryam and Marzieh and at least eight other Christians remain in prison. Apart from the stress of prison, both have suffered from ill health without proper medical attention. Despite this, whenever news of their condition is reported, it is said their spirits are strong and they believe they are in God’s will.

Pray for:

• For the case of Maryam and Marzieh to challenge the whole Muslim world on its attitude to apostates
• Government officials to be disturbed that they oppose Christ’s followers
• For the release of Maryam and Marzieh and all those unjustly imprisoned – with compensation.

A Christian woman, who feels called to reach prostitutes, gets into a shared taxi in Tehran and tries to share with a lady who seems very depressed. The Christian prays and listens and understands the woman is pregnant out of wedlock. She tells the lady that she knows what the problem is. The talking and crying begins, God’s forgiveness and grace are received. The depressed lady who became a Christian was a prostitute and she took the evangelist to meet her friends, and some of them responded.

There are many true stories like this in Iran showing that evangelism is first about listening. And in these days of intimidation the listening has to be careful as evangelism is dangerous work.

Pray for:

• Evangelists to listen carefully
• To have courage despite the risks
• To have the resources they need

The intimidation of Christians by arrest and interrogation has intensified in the last two weeks. On July 31^st all twenty four Christians at a meeting in the village of Amameh, north of Tehran, were arrested and taken for questioning. A source told Compass Direct, “Many people stormed the villa, and in the same day they took everything.” Seventeen of them were released the same day, but seven of them remain in custody. Compass says their names are Shahnam Behjatollah, and six others identified only as Shaheen, Maryam, Mobinaa, Mehdi, Ashraf and Nariman’. On August 7^th, the seventeen who were released were all again re-arrested and questioned. In Rasht on July 29^th and 30^th eight Christians were arrested and questioned, one remains in detention. Including Maryam Rustampoor and Marzieh Amirizadeh, jailed since March 5^th,(see here) there are at least ten known Christians in prison suffering for their faith. It is likely there are many more. Those who are arrested and released also suffer. As well as the intimidation involved in the interrogation, there is also the sense of violation they experience when their homes are searched and personal items taken.

Pray for:

• The release of all Christians being held
• Their witness in prison
• Their families

Imprisoned for over five months, Maryam Rusampoor (27) and Marzieh Amirizadeh (30) were brought to an Islamic Court early on Sunday morning (August 9^th) and accused of apostasy. They were asked by the deputy prosecutor, Mr Haddad, if they were Christians. They replied, ‘We love Jesus’. Asked again, they said, ‘Yes, we are Christians.’ Mr Haddad then told then they should renounce their faith verbally and in writing. Their response was emphatic: we will not deny Christ. The women were told to consider their ‘options’, but they said they had already done their thinking.

Maryam and Marzieh are now back in Evin prison, awaiting the verdict of another judge. In prison they have both suffered from ill health without medial treatment; solitary confinement in suffocatingly small cells; and interrogations for many hours while blindfolded. This trial has underlined that the only reason for such cruel treatment is that they were born into Muslim families, and have now chosen as adults to be Christians.

Their courageous attitude to this unjust trial also underlines the dynamism of Iranian Christians who refuse to be silent about Jesus. They are a people who make the good confession…and so despite this suffering, the church is growing.

Pray for Maryam and Marzieh:

• That they keep on shining for Christ in prison
• That they are released
• For wise men in Iran to be ashamed for allowing people to be treated in this way just for exercising their freedom to choose their own religion.

Apparently Ali Shahrokhi, a member of Iran’s Legal and Judicial Committee of Paliament, has said the mandatory death sentence for apostates from Islam was going to be withdrawn from the new Islamic Penal code due to be ratified soon. This is of course good news for the church, but three notes of caution should be sounded. Firstly the Guardian Council, made up of strict conservatives, will have the last word and they might reinstate the death penalty; secondly the code could still stipulate severe punishments, such as life imprisonment; and finally, the authorities can use other charges to persecute ‘apostates’ with. This is exactly what has happened in the came of Maryam Rostampour (27) and Marzieh Amirizadeh Esmaeilabad (30). They have been in Evin prison for nearly five months and it has been made clear that their crime is religious: yet it is possible the eventual charges against them will be political. The worldwide church needs to campaign vigorously for full religious freedom in Iran.

• Pray for religious freedom in Iran.

In the midst of the political turmoil and the ongoing intimidation of Christians such as Maryam and Marzieh, still held in Evin prison, the church cointinues to bless non believers. Here is a typical example.

Two days ago four year old girl Nafiseh was admitted into hospital in Kermanshahr with severe diabetes. She soon went into a coma. Her aunt was a Christian, and she contacted her son, an active member of a church, asking the whole congregation to pray on Sunday. On Monday the little girl came out of the coma and was later discharged from hosptial. The immediate family have not yet come to faith – but they have seen the power of prayer.

As well as intercession for healing, evangelism continues, along with the teaching of new believers being prepared for baptism. It is important that in politically turbulant times the church keeps focused on its primary calling to proclaim Christ and teach believers.

Pray for

• The family of Nafiseh to come to faith
• For all those engaged in evangelism, Scripture teaching, and teaching
• For leaders to remain focused on Christ whatever the political situation.

As Iran remains deeply divided over the election results, two Christian women Marzieh Amirizadeh (30) and Maryam Rustampoor (27) continue to suffer in prison for their stand for Christ. They are in danger of being lost in the system, now overwhelmed by over two thousand detained protesters.

In the last few days six hundred other women have entered the section of Evin prison where they are being held. Arrested on March 5^th 2009 both women have suffered ill health; both have spent time in two by two meter cells in solitary confinement which one of them described as being ‘like in a grave.’; and both have been told by prison officials that they deserve to die because they are ‘apostates’ from Islam.

They are not the only Christians suffering. According to FCNN, on May 21^st five Christians gathering for Bible Study were arrested by plain clothes policeman. Their whereabouts are unknown. All Christians are concerned about the new Islamic penal code going through parliament which stipulates execution for male apostates, and life imprisonment for females.

• Maryam, Marzieh, other Christians and all those unjustly
• Rejection by parliament of the clauses in the new penal code making death for apostasy mandatory
• Christians to be brave witnesses