Posted on 11/30/2005 10:21:54 PM PST by DoctorZIn
Top News Story
Iran's President: "I will stop Christianity in this country"
Secret police crackdown results in the torture of 10 other Christians.
November 28 (Compass) – An Iranian convert to Christianity was kidnapped last week from his home in northeastern Iran and stabbed to death, his bleeding body thrown in front of his home a few hours later.
Ghorban Tori, 50, was pastoring an independent house church of convert Christians in Gonbad-e-Kavus, a town just east of the Caspian Sea along the Turkmenistan border.
Within hours of the November 22 murder, local secret police arrived at the martyred pastor’s home, searching for Bibles and other banned Christian books in the Farsi language. By the end of the following day, the secret police had also raided the houses of all other known Christian believers in the city.
According to one informed Iranian source, during the past eight days representatives of the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) have arrested and severely tortured 10 other Christians in several cities, including Tehran. All the detainees have since been released.
One of the arrested Christians was reportedly interrogated about his involvement in relief work after Iran’s deadly Bam earthquake in December 2003. Another working with a legal organization defending human rights was accused of using it as a “cover” for church activities.
In addition, MOIS officials have visited known Christian leaders since Tori’s murder and have instructed them to warn acquaintances in the unofficial, Protestant house fellowships that “the government knows what you are doing, and we will come for you soon.”
A former Muslim of Turkmen descent, Tori had converted to Christianity more than 10 years ago, while in Turkmenistan.
After he returned to his native Iran in 1998, Tori began to share his new Christian faith with friends and relatives. Within two years, a small fellowship of 12 believers was meeting in his home.
But not all welcomed his message; at least one relative attacked Tori, scarring his face. In the past year he received several threats from Islamic extremists vowing to kill him if he did not stop sharing his Christian faith.
Tori is survived by his wife and four children, ages 3 to 23.
He is the fifth Protestant pastor assassinated in Iran by unidentified killers in the past 11 years. Three of the five were former Muslims, under Iranian law subject to the death penalty for having committed apostasy.
Tori’s murder came just days after Iran’s new hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called an open meeting with the nation’s 30 provincial governors. During the session, an Iranian source told Compass, Ahmadinejad declared that the government needed to put a stop to the burgeoning movement of house churches across Iran.
“I will stop Christianity in this country,” Ahmadinejad reportedly vowed.
“This was apparently a green light from the president of Iran to go out and start killing Christians,” the source said.
Slurring Non-Muslims
Last week a Zoroastrian representative in the Iranian Parliament protested a slur against non-Muslims on November 20 by a top aide to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
According to the government-run Entekhaab website, in a public speech Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati told youthful Basijis (members of a volunteer militia formed to enforce strict Islamic codes) preparing to join suicide missions that “non-Muslims are sinful animals who roam the earth and engage in corruption.” Jannati, who is secretary general of the powerful Guardian Council, is known to be a mentor and close advisor to Ahmadinejad.
Iranian Member of Parliament Kurosh Niknam declared the comment, “an unprecedented insult to religious minorities.”
Over the past month, Ahmadinejad has conducted a broad shake-up within the government establishment, replacing hundreds of governors, ambassadors and senior ministry officials with young and mostly inexperienced Islamists. Yesterday students at Tehran University protested noisily when a religious cleric without even a high school diploma was appointed rector of the nation’s oldest university.
In November, the new director of prisons also transferred a number of political prisoners of conscience into criminal wards with convicted murderers and drug dealers. At least one of these political prisoners has been killed by fellow inmates, sparking the fears of Iranian Christians for the security of Hamid Pourmand, serving a three-year sentence at Tehran’s Evin Prison for refusing to renounce his conversion to Christianity.
- U.S. Department of State published excerpts of Condoleezza Rice statements on the new direct US/Iran talks scheduled on Iran and her thoughts on sanctions in Iran.
- Agence France-Presse reported that the US State Department has sought to play down plans for the highest-level contact with Iran in decades.
- Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting argued that the new Iran-US talks on Iraq in Iran's national interest.
- CNN.com reported that Iran's space agency is trying to snap up technology from abroad as fast as possible.
- Golnaz Esfandiari, Radio Free Europe reported that the Iranian media have been reporting that in an official meeting Ahmadinejad said that the Hidden Imam will appear in two years.
- Hemscott reported that French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said an agreement with Iran on its nuclear plans is possible if the country accepts European proposals.
- Agence France Presse reported that an Iranian convicted of armed robbery has had his left foot amputated in a prison.
- DEBKAfile reported that Iranian Military instructors have slipped into Lebanon with a new anti tank missile.
- The New York Times reviewed Richard A. Clarke's new novel, "The Scorpion's Gate" which portrays a fictional attempt to wage war on Iran by the US.
- Shahram Kholdi, ScanIranic argued that Roya Hakakian, the Iranian-American writer and documentary film-maker, who just published in the Washington Post a novel approach to the culture of hate-mongering by the Islamic regime of Iran's propaganda machine.
- Tulin Daloglu, The Washington Times provided some suggestions to ensure success while dealing with Iran.
- Amy Kellogg, FOX News released her final report from inside Iran: Saddam's Iranian Victims. Video also available.
- Kenneth R. Timmerman, FrontPageMagazine.com provides an excellent review of what Iranian leaders have been saying publicly about their nuclear program. A must read.
- The Wshington Times in an editorial reported that Iranian officials have been gloating over what appears to be the latest retreat by the European Union 3 to seek further talks with the Iranians.
- And finally, ET, View from Iran provides a peek into a conversation in a Tehran Taxi.
Christian martyrdom is infinitely more powerful than the demonic, rape-obsessed "martyrdom" of islam.
But in this case it looks as if it will backfire as more and more Iranians are prepared to take part in more anti government activity
This goes a long ways in helping us understand why American liberals are fond of Islamofascists.
Dang! You beat me to it. Good job.
..........................................
Raving fubarhead threatens to "stop Christianity in this country". Ping!
The pogrom continues and TROP marches on!
Iran's President: "I will stop Christianity in this country"
I wish you a lot of luck...you're going to need it.
I wonder if this idiot understands that Christianity THRIVES under persecution?
many people in Iran are turning away from Islam and more and more young people turn to become Buddhists, Zoroastrians, Christians or Atheists!
To read today’s thread click here.
Join Us At Today's Iranian Alert Thread – The Most Underreported Story Of The Year!
"If you want on or off this Iran ping list, Freepmail DoctorZin”
Everywhere, and in all times, Christianity grows inversely proportional to the square of the oppression, repression, suppression used against it.
As a result of these Chrisian missionaries post-tsunami disaster relief work, the whole town converted to Christianity. I have no links.
Bookmarked
Just think, Saul of Tarsus is probably the most well known persecutor of the early Christians. I sure hope more persecutors of Christians end up like him.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.