Iran: The desire for Christianity

According to a U.S. organization, conversion is particularly common among young people, mainly to the Protestant denominations
Marco Tosatti
03/30/2012

In a country ruled by the Ayatollahs - one of the few in the world governed by an Islamic theocracy - religious conversions from the faith of Mohammed to Christianity seem to be occurring at an “explosive” rate, according to the American organization Open Doors USA.

The phenomenon appears to be particularly widespread among the younger generations. One of its manifestations has been confirmed by priests and clergy traveling in the Middle East and the Arabian peninsula – they are contacted in the “extraterritorial” zone of an airport, by young people who want to ask them questions and get in contact with Christian clergy. Conversely - and to a lesser extent - there also appears to be a revival of interest in Zoroastrianism. Unlike Islam, it is viewed and experienced by young people as an Arab element, neither national nor Persian.

This development in Iran particularly involves non-traditional Protestant denominations - a movement of “house churches” that have given rise to “many secret meetings.” The trend has spread nationwide, especially in the big cities. Needless to say, the situation is meeting with maximum opposition from the regime - Iran is ranked at number five on the Open Doors list of the fifty countries considered the worst persecutors of Christians. the rest