The Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the most dangerous countries for a Christian to live in. Cases like Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, who has already been sentenced to death in the country after a false accusation, exemplify this sad reality.
Fortunately, on February 26, Yousef Nadarkhani was one of the Christians to benefit from an amnesty on the part of Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei, supreme leader of the Iranian theocracy. It is traditional in the country to grant pardons to some detainees as part of commemorations for the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
In addition to Pastor Yousef, Christian Hadi Rahimi had also been released on February 15. He was in Evin Prison and is part of the same church led by Pastor Yousef. Both, therefore, will now be able to return to their homes.
The Christians were arrested after being accused of “threatening national security” and “propagating Zionist Christianity”. Accusations of this type, as well as that of “blasphemy” against the Islamic religion, are commonly used to persecute followers of Christ in Iran.
The country currently ranks 8th on Open Doors’ worldwide list of religious persecution. According to this entity, the Iranian government “sees the existence of house churches in the country as an attempt by Western countries to undermine Islam and its authority.”
Relationship with Brazil
Despite being a country that persecutes Christians, Iran now wants to get closer to Brazil, with the electoral victory of the current President of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
An indication of this was the authorization by the Brazilian government for two Iranian warships to enter the coast of Brazil, docking in Rio de Janeiro. As Iran is a historical enemy of Israel and the United States, the decision provoked reactions from the American Congress.
The US ambassador to Brazil, Elizabeth Bagley, even appealed to the Brazilian government not to authorize the ships to enter the country, which was ignored.