Christian Converts “Place2worship” campaign: A struggle for the rights of all Iranians

Fred Petrossian–Imagine you are having a get-together with some friends in your home, drinking coffee or tea, talking about religious issues, praying, and reading the Bible. Kids are around and playing together. These very innocent get-togethers have been a target for the Iranian state for decades as its security forces attack these homes, arresting Christian converts and sending them to prison. 

The Iranian state has forcibly closed Persian-speaking churches and forced many Christian leaders to leave the country.

Christian converts are deprived of the right to have a church or place of worship in Iran, and the state does not even tolerate worship in their homes.

The “Church is the right of all Christians” or “a Place2worship” campaign, launched by a group of persecuted Christian converts with letters and videos in November, has a simple message for the Iranian authorities: “Where can a Christian convert worship without ending up in prison?”

“Good” Christian, “Bad” Christian 

The Iranian constitution recognizes Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians as religious minorities. Christian minorities such as Armenians and Assyrians are considered “good Christians” in the eyes of the Islamic Republic. Those people have their own places to worship and can practice their ceremonies as long as they do not violate the state’s red lines. All these so-called “legal” minorities, contrary to Article 19 of the Constitution that mentions “all people of Iran, whatever the ethnic group or tribe to which they belong, enjoy equal rights, face structural and “legal”  discrimination.

For example, by depriving non-Muslim Iranians of employment in many public institutions, the Islamic state imposes poverty and economic hardship upon them, condemning many to unemployment. 

The constitution does not mention the ethnicity and language of Christians and does not recognize Christian converts. 

The converts and Christians such as Armenians and Assyrians who preach in Persian are considered “bad” Christians by the state and have no legal place to worship. They have to pray at home and read the Bible, which they call the “house church.”

The Islamic Republic does not tolerate even this and accuses them of “actions against national security” and “propaganda against the system” and can imprison them for up to 10 years.

Over the last four decades, several Christian leaders and prominent figures have been killed or executed. Hundreds of Christians, especially converts, must leave Iran or be imprisoned. Recently, a group of UN human rights experts wrote a letter to the government of the Islamic Republic expressing concern over the systematic repression of Christian converts.

Symbolic and Functional Value of a Place to Worship

A church and a place of worship are not just for prayer, but also to perform religious rites, to perform ceremonies collectively, and to form a community. The place of worship transforms the “isolated” believers into a group. It transforms the “I” into “we”. In other words, it creates a “togetherness”.

Several international jurists believe that the existence of structures such as places of worship is important and vital for the survival of religious minorities in society. Apart from their practical aspects, places of worship, like some religious sites such as cemeteries, have symbols that show that minorities exist in a society and have an identity.

A church and a place of worship are not just for prayer, but also to perform religious rites, to perform ceremonies collectively, and to form a community. The place of worship transforms the believer into a solitary group. It transforms the “I” into “we”. In other words, it creates a “togetherness”.

The state’s actions to close or demolish churches, Baha’i cemeteries and dervishes’ worship places are intended to destroy the symbolic presence of these religious communities in Iranian society. It is an attempt to eradicate the identity of religious minorities from the country.

The policy of depriving minorities of their own places of worship is in contradiction of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which states that “everyone has the right to freedom of thought, belief and religion. This right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers. Everyone also has the right and the freedom to express his or her religion or belief, or to practice his or her religion secretly.” Iran is one of the signatories of this pact.

Saeed Mahmoudi, Professor Emeritus of International Law at Stockholm University, said, “In my view, since non-discrimination before law is a basic human right, all people, irrespective of their race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status, should enjoy the same rights. Thus, there is no legal basis in international law for discrimination as regards access to [one’s] own buildings for prayers.”

A campaign for the whole Iranian society

A “Place2worship” campaign is a struggle for the human rights of millions of people who belong to non-recognized religious minorities, including Christians, Bahai’s, Mandaeansand followers of the Yarsan religion. The Iranian state has transformed millions of Iran’s citizens into “ghosts”, depriving them of basic human rights. 

Depriving individuals of a place of worship is not only a violation of the right to freedom of religion, but also a violation of freedoms of opinion, expression, and association, which affects Iranian society as a whole.

Christians and house churches have become a political issue for the government, not because of their activities, but because of the government’s ideological view regarding them.

Depriving individuals of a place of worship is not only a violation of the right to freedom of religion, but also a violation of freedoms of opinion, expression, and association, which affects Iranian society as a whole.

A survey conducted by the Netherlands-based Gamman Institute shows the radical change in Iranian society and the diversity of religion and beliefs among Iranians. Only about 33 percent of participants in this survey consider themselves Shiite Muslims, about 9 percent atheists, and 1.7 percent Christians. The target population in this survey was adult and literate Iranians.

Christian converts ask the government, “Where are we going to worship so that we do not end up in prison?” which can extend to millions of other Iranians like Sunnis not having the right to build a mosque in Tehran or atheists not being allowed to come together to discuss the books of Harari or Dawkins.