Iranian man finds Christ

In Iran it is illegal to convert from Islam to Christianity. In this article we will explore the story of one Iranian who decided to follow Christ.

By Clodagh Gallagher

Iranian landscape. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)

Indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. (2 Timothy 3:12)

For Seyed Mohammed Mahdi, this has been a daily reality since converting to Catholicism in his home country of Iran - a country where religious freedom does not exist and where his possession of a Bible could have meant a death sentence, had he been caught. It was this looming oppression that motivated Mahdi to leave his happy family life in Iran and flee his homeland across mountains and rivers. Having been baptised in Spain by Bishop Fidel of Burgos, Mahdi now freely carries his Bible everywhere he goes, because “it’s all [he] has now” and “it has always helped [him]”. It is always with him - as is his rosary, which was a gift from the parish priest at Saint Cosmas, Burgos, who has become a close friend.

Holy Bible in Farsi. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)

In Iran, Christianity is considered an ethnic phenomenon, with Armenian Catholics and Assyrian Catholics allowed to own Bibles in their own languages, only. Their churches are monitored so that no Iranian can enter, or be evangelised. In Iran, Mahdi’s Bible written in Farsi was illegal, as Farsi is the official language of modern-day Iran. Islam is constitutionally enshrined as the state religion for the 99 percent of citizens who identify as Muslim. Religious minorities like Jews and Christians are tolerated (if relegated to second class status), but conversions out of Islam remain illegal under penalty of imprisonment and execution. Despite these persecutions, thousands of Iranians have converted to Christianity during the 2020 pandemic.

Crucifix on the wall of an Armenian Church in Iran. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)

However, not all of these thousands of new Christian converts are as free to speak of Jesus as Seyed Mohammed Mahdi. He says: “I am happy, because I am free to speak of Jesus, free to believe and to think. Some people say that faith is an illusion, but it is not true; I always feel the closeness of God. When I arrived in Spain, it was the first time in my life that I had seen a church. I went in and I sensed something very special. I went there to give thanks to God for having preserved my life, because it was an extremely difficult journey. When I left my country I didn’t know what I was going to have to face, and there were many times when I told myself I could go no further. But Jesus Christ helped me to never lose faith, and now I am not afraid of anything.”

Seyed Mohammed Mahdi in Spain. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)

It may seem foreign to those of us who grew up receiving the Sacraments and worshipping at Calvary during Holy Mass each weekend, but millions of Christians around the world currently suffer heavy persecution for their faith in Jesus Christ. Aid to the Church in Need works with the Persecuted Church in dozens of countries to help provide spiritual, emotional and financial support to Catholics who continue to live under this intense oppression. Our work is made possible through the generous prayer and financial donations of our benefactors and supporters.