Biblical revelation preaches freedom in love. Islam (like all man-made
religions) demands submission to law. While the God of the Bible demands
perfection in love he freely provides a remedy for sin -- Jesus Christ -- and
the Holy Spirit as helper. This is indeed Good News! On the other hand, while
Islam demands submission to law it provides no remedy for sin, and so can only
culminate in failure.
Meanwhile, the dictators of Islam employ religious
forces -- Revolutionary Guards, Basij, muttawa, hisba, taliban etc -- to police
'vice and virtue'. To protect their own privilege and hegemony they
deny
Islam's failure and deflect scrutiny from Islam by blaming the victims.
Driven by
apostaphobia, they wage war
against
fitna
(anything that could tempt a Muslim to doubt Islam).
Sunni reformation
(as in Saudi Arabia) and Shi'ite revolution (as in Iran) have only produced
repressive, totalitarian police states wracked with poverty, cruelty, despair
and disillusionment.
In Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp
(IRGC) was established for the defence of Islam, while the Ministry of
Intelligence and Security (MOIS) was established to eliminate all opposition and
dissent -- which they virtually did, through purges, terrors and serial
killings.
When President Khatami (1997-2004) pressed for reforms after
the manner of 'glasnost' (openness) and 'perestroika' (restructuring), Ayatollah
Khamenei engineered his removal. Through the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
(2005 - ), the hegemony of the blood-stained IRGC and MOIS hardliners of the
1980s-90s has been restored.
See:
Iran:
The Islamic Revolution is complete.
WEA RL News & Analysis by
Elizabeth Kendal 29 Aug 2005
Iran: Old Guards
Return.
WEA RL News & Analysis by Elizabeth Kendal 14 Dec
2005
The regime has just announced a massive boost in funding for the
Basij (state sponsored Islamic
vigilantes) to enable more recruitment and to establish 7000 new Resistance
Bases across the state.
See:
Exclusive:
Millions allocated to recruiting Bassij militia
Iran Focus, Tehran, 29
may 2010
Commander: IRGC,
Basij Forces Ready to Defend Islamic Revolution
Fars News Agency, Tehran,
22 July 2010
Basij
Forces Plan 7,000 New Bases
By Arash Aramesh, for InsideIran.org, 29 July
2010
Iran
militia murder baker for calling Supreme Leader a dog
Iran Focus,
Isfahan, Monday 2 Aug 2010
PERSECUTION
Persecution of the church
escalated through 2009, aided by the fact that on account of Iraq, the US now
needs Iran more than Iran needs the US -- leaving the US without
leverage.
As noted in
RLPB
041 (3 Feb 2010), the regime is escalating repression in order to curtail
unrest emanating from widespread social dissatisfaction and economic distress. A
wave of persecution hit the church in late Dec 2009 and early Jan 2010, during
which time numerous Christians were harassed, interrogated, threatened and
arrested. While most have been released on bond, some remain incarcerated and
others have been added to their number.
Pastor Behrouz (Marco) Khanjani,
who was arrested in Chiraz on 11 January after responding to a request from the
authorities that he present himself for questioning, was bailed on 17 March only
to be rearrested on 16 June. His wife, Fatemeh (Marie) Torkkajouri, was arrested
the following day and placed in solitary confinement in Evin Prison. After
informing Pastor Behrouz of his wife's fate, the authorities reportedly
incarcerated him in 'Plate 100', a dungeon of the intelligent services in
Chiraz. Their daughter Esperance is in the care of Muslim family members.
Fatemeh was released on bail of $20,000 on 22 July.
See:
Behrouz Sadegh-Khanjani and His Wife
Held Incommunicado.
Human Rights House of Iran (RAHANA) 13 July
2010
Christian Citizen Fatemeh Tork-kajouir
released on bail
RAHANA 23 July 2010
Meanwhile, Pastor Yousef
Nadarkhani, who was arrested in Rasht on 13 October 2009 for protesting the
regime's plans to force Islamic education on all children in violation of the
constitution, has reportedly been sentenced to death. Furthermore, on 8 June
2010, Pastor Yousef's wife, Fatemeh (Tina) Passandideh, was arrested and placed
in solitary confinement in Evin Prison. The authorities have threatened to
remove the couple's two children, Yoel and Daniel, to an Islamic
institution.
On 18 July 2010, a group of 15 new believers travelling
together by bus to the provincial town of Bojnoord were ambushed by informed
security forces and arrested in the city of Mashhad. After one week of harsh
interrogations, believers who signed 'confessions' were freed on conditions
including that bail payment would be forthcoming. Mr Reza (48, also known as
Stephen) and Mr Ehsan Behrooz (23) refused to cooperate. They have been
incarcerated in the 901st branch of the Revolutionary court in
Mashhad.
See:
IRAN-
The Mass Arrest of New Christian Converts in Mashhad
Farsi Christian News
Network, 2 Aug 2010
For prayer bulletin and preayer suggestion see:
Religious
Liberty Prayer Bulletin 067 (5 Aug 2010).
--
Posted By E.N.
Kendal. Religious Liberty Monitoring to
Religious
Liberty Monitoring at 8/04/2010 05:16:00 PM