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When the song "Bari" by Shervin Hajipour was played, it made me think more and more deeply about these bars.
As a Christian, I felt it necessary to write about some of the persecutions that have befallen the church over the past 43 years.
To assassinate Pastor Hossein Soodmand. With the coming to power of the Islamic Republic, Pastor Hossein Soodmand was dismissed from his post in 1979. He was pressured to renounce his beliefs, but he refused. After enduring a long prison term, he was finally executed in Mashhad on December 3, 1990, and buried in a ruin on the outskirts of Mashhad.
For the murder of Pastor Hayek Hospian. A faithful brother who served the Lord for many years and played a major role in the formation of the church. He courageously stood for Christ until his death, setting an example of courage and zeal for all of us. His body was found on January 20, 1994, stabbed to death. He had received numerous death threats from Iranian government agents before his murder.
To issue a sentence of apostasy to Pastor Mehdi Dibaj, a loyal brother who spent 9 years and 27 days in prison for his faith and was finally kidnapped by intelligence agents on June 24, 1994, and his lifeless body was found.
To murder Father Tataos Mikaelian. On July 29, 1994, Father Tataos left his home and never returned. On July 11 of that year, his body was found with several bullets in his head.
For imprisoning fellow Christians, for labeling them as impure and apostate, for not enrolling Christian children in schools, for not having a free church in Iran, for fear due to their beliefs.
This is a corner of the crimes and persecutions that the Islamic Republic has inflicted on the Christian community in these forty-three years. For these issues, we demand regime change in Iran. We moved the heavens not by force and cursing, but by raising our hands to the sky and praying together.
We pray that the eyes of your heart will be opened to realize your evil deeds and continue to repent. Just as the eyes of the apostle Paul were opened on the road to Damascus while he was seeking to persecute the church. Otherwise, the Word of God says: All who draw the sword will perish by the sword.
Tomorrow (December 3rd) is the anniversary of the assassination of Pastor Hossein Soudmand. We honor his memory and pray for God’s comfort for his family and the Persian-speaking Christian community. The good news is that Hossein Soudmand is alive and in the presence of Jesus Christ.
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