Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Tehran (Agenzia Fides) - The Iranian semi-official Fars news agency, close to the body of the Islamic Revolution Guardians, has recently published a statement of Hojatol-Eslam Mohammad Hassan Akhtari in which the Secretary General of the pro-government organization known as " Ahl Al-Bayt World Assembly" expressed words of warning about the initiatives of proselytizing conducted in particular by evangelical Christian groups. "Christianity is preached in many shops in the Islamic city of Mashhad. Brochures and Christian pamphlets arrive at the doors of houses without restrictions," said Akhtari during a conference held in Qom. On the same occasion, Akhtari assimilated the evangelical Christian proselytism to the followers of the Baha'is (a religious movement born within Islam, characterized by a strong openness to modernity and science). "Christians and followers of Baha'is," said Akhtari "are actively promoting their faiths in the Country. Such activities are particularly evident in the provinces of Tehran and Alborz. (...) We should set up thousands of websites and books to react to this wave of evangelism." According to the specialized site Mohabat News, unfounded and undocumented information on the spread of evangelical proselytism in Iran is spread "to push the security apparatus to take action against the Christians." Meanwhile, yesterday, Friday, March 22, the U.S. Secretary State John Kerry in a statement expressed his "deep concern" about the fate of the evangelical pastor Said Abedini, an Iranian-American who was detained for almost six months in Iran and was sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of threatening national security with his religious activities: "the abuse" Kerry wrote in his statement "violate international rules and even its own laws of Iran." (GV) (Agenzia Fides 23/03/2013).
