‘Illegal Christian activities’: Iran sentences tourist to 10 years in prison for possessing New Testament

Michie · Jun 27, 2024

An Armenian citizen has been sentenced to a decade in prison in Iran under accusations of proselytizing, which is considered illegal under the country’s strict religious laws.

His conviction was not based on evidence but on the judge’s “personal intuition,” per the Islamic Penal Code of Iran, which permits judicial decisions on mere suppositions of criminal activities.

Hakop Gochumyan was sentenced earlier this month despite no clear evidence, the Catholic outlet Asia News reported.

Continued below.

‘Illegal Christian activities’: Iran sentences tourist to 10 years in prison for possessing New Testament

An Armenian Christian has been sentenced to a decade in prison in Iran under accusations of proselytizing, which is considered illegal under the country s strict religious laws

www.christianpost.com

FireDragon76 · Jun 27, 2024

How much of this is just about harassing ethnic minorities? I don't think "religion" has anything to do with it.

seeking.IAM · Jun 27, 2024

Two things in the article caught my eye. (#1) Who in the world goes to Iran for a vacation? (Let's see, the French Riviera this summer or Tehran? :scratch:

), and (2) The phrase in the article "confiscated several Farsi-language New Testaments and other Christian literature..." When I go on vacation, I take no more than 1 New Testament with me. Don't know why I would pack more unless I was a Gideon. It reminds me of how we have applied drug laws in the U.S. You get pulled over and found to be in possession with one joint and it is assumed to be for personal use. If you get caught with a bunch of weed and baggies it is assumed you are dealing. I think it is in the realm of possibilities this person was on a mission. We can get ourselves all in a dither over how intolerant it is, but when you travel the world you have to be mindful of the laws and culture of the places you visit. I'm mindful enough that I am not vacationing in Iran.

Out of curiosity, does anybody know what happens in Iran if you visit there with only one Christian Bible and mind your own business?

RileyG · Jun 27, 2024

Prayers for the Iranian and Armenian people.

RileyG · Jun 27, 2024

seeking.IAM said:
Two things in the article caught my eye. (#1) Who in the world goes to Iran for a vacation? (Let's see, the French Riviera this summer or Tehran? ), and (2) The phrase in the article "confiscated several Farsi-language New Testaments and other Christian literature..." When I go on vacation, I take no more than 1 New Testament with me. Don't know why I would pack more unless I was a Gideon. It reminds me of how we have applied drug laws in the U.S. You get pulled over and found to be in possession with one joint and it is assumed to be for personal use. If you get caught with a bunch of weed and baggies it is assumed you are dealing. I think it is in the realm of possibilities this person was on a mission. We can get ourselves all in a dither over how intolerant it is, but when you travel the world you have to be mindful of the laws and culture of the places you visit. I'm mindful enough that I am not vacationing in Iran.

Out of curiosity, does anybody know what happens in Iran if you visit there with only one Christian Bible and mind your own business?

I think you’re completely right!

I’m sure there are countries in the Middle East that are probably very beautiful, but they aren’t safe for anyone in the western world to travel to.

JimR-OCDS · Jun 28, 2024

FireDragon76 said:
How much of this is just about harassing ethnic minorities? I don't think "religion" has anything to do with it.

Iran is called The Islamic Republic of Iran. The government is run by radical Islamic fundamentalist
and it is about religion which follows Islamic Law.

FireDragon76 · Jun 28, 2024

JimR-OCDS said:
Iran is called The Islamic Republic of Iran. The government is run by radical Islamic fundamentalist
and it is about religion which follows Islamic Law.

There's pretext, and then there's subtext. Iran is about Persian nationalism as much as it is about religion.

JimR-OCDS · Jun 29, 2024

FireDragon76 said:
There's pretext, and then there's subtext. Iran is about Persian nationalism as much as it is about religion.

It was about Persian Nationalism which no longer is part of the government, This all ended after Ayatollah Komani
took over, the nation and became the Islamic Republic and enforces Islamic laws.

Read, the "My Life As A Traitor," https://www.amazon.com/My-Life-Traitor-Iranian-Memoir/dp/0374217300 .

Iran is also providing weapons and resources for Hamas and Hezbollah radical Islamic terrorist groups,

Iran is currently run by radical Islamic fundamentalist and is the exporter of Islamic terrorism.

JosephZ · Jun 29, 2024

JimR-OCDS said:
Iran is called The Islamic Republic of Iran. The government is run by radical Islamic fundamentalist
and it is about religion which follows Islamic Law.

JimR-OCDS said:
It was about Persian Nationalism which no longer is part of the government, This all ended after Ayatollah Komani
took over, the nation and became the Islamic Republic and enforces Islamic laws.

Iran's official source for Islamic law comes from the Jafari School of Jurisprudence and isn't considered mainstream in Islam, so when you say Iran enforces Islamic law, it's important to know that this is the Irainian regime's interpretation of Islamic law and that it is rejected by most of the world's Muslims, including many who live inside Iran.

JimR-OCDS · Jun 29, 2024

JosephZ said:
Iran's official source for Islamic law comes from the Jafari School of Jurisprudence and isn't considered mainstream in Islam, so when you say Iran enforces Islamic law, it's important to know that this is the Irainian regime's interpretation of Islamic law and that it is rejected by most of the world's Muslims, including many who live inside Iran.

So? Shiites and Sunnis have had wars against each other over their religious differences
since day one.

Today, Hamas and the Palestinians are Sunni, Hezbollah is Shiite, yet both get their support
from Iran which is governed by Shiites. Pakistan is Sunni, and they support the Taliban
and even gave safe housing to Osama Bin Ladden. Their persecution of non-Muslims is still
taking place. Afghanistan is run by Sunnis, which also gives ISIS safe housing.

There are over 1 billion Muslims in the world, just one million is a minority,
but still enough to raise havoc on the rest of the world.

During WWII people could not support the Germans without
supporting the Nazis.

The same is true with regards to Islam. Support for the majority of Muslims
doesn't mean you can't oppose the radical Muslims who are large enough
to cause the 9/11's and October 7ths in the world.

JosephZ · Jun 29, 2024

JimR-OCDS said:
So?

Iran's laws are not based on mainstream teachings of Islam, and your posts made it sound as if Iran were enforcing universally accepted Islamic law.

JimR-OCDS · Jun 29, 2024

JosephZ said:
Iran's laws are not based on mainstream teachings of Islam, and your posts made it sound as if Iran were enforcing universally accepted Islamic law.

Iran's Islamic Laws are enforced in Iran, but those same laws are also in other sects if Islam. The differences
between Shiites and Sunnis in this regard are not different. What they differ on us their theological
differences and that's a fight for them after Israel and the United States are destroyed.

That being said, the same Islamic laws are enforced in other parts of the Islamic world like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan
and of course, by the Hamas-Palestinians in Gaza. Try bringing a Bible into Saudi Arabia. Or watch the news for
what happens when a Muslim converts to Christianity in Pakistan.

JosephZ · Jun 29, 2024

JimR-OCDS said:
the same Islamic laws are enforced in other parts of the Islamic world like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan
and of course, by the Hamas-Palestinians in Gaza.

These are all extremist regimes that the majority of Muslims do not live under and/or reject their interpretations of Islamic law.

JimR-OCDS said:
Try bringing a Bible into Saudi Arabia.

There's no law against foreigners bringing a Bible into Saudi Arabia.

Michie · Jun 29, 2024

JosephZ said:
These are all extremist regimes that the majority of Muslims do not live under and/or reject their interpretations of Islamic law.

There's no law against foreigners bringing a Bible into Saudi Arabia.

Not sure I’d recommend it though.

Chrystal-J · Jun 29, 2024

I have a friend from Egypt who had to come to the US to convert from Islam to Christianity. He said he would be killed otherwise. So, it's not just a 'philosophical' difference, it's Islamic practice to persecute Christian.

Lukaris · Jun 29, 2024

Christianity in Saudi Arabia - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

JimR-OCDS · Jun 29, 2024

JosephZ said:
These are all extremist regimes that the majority of Muslims do not live under and/or reject their interpretations of Islamic law.

There's no law against foreigners bringing a Bible into Saudi Arabia.

Your Bible will be confiscated and destroyed at customs when entering Saudi Arabia.

Is there no law against it?

JimR-OCDS · Jun 29, 2024

Lukaris said:
Christianity in Saudi Arabia - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

US Service Members where not allowed to have services or wear Christian symbols while in Saud Arabia back in 1990.

Did they change things there? I think not!

From the article you linked:

"Christians in Saudi Arabia are reported to face widespread discrimination and harassment, including both foreign-born Christians and native Christians."

JosephZ · Jun 29, 2024

JimR-OCDS said:
Your Bible will be confiscated and destroyed at customs when entering Saudi Arabia.

This isn't true.

JimR-OCDS said:
US Service Members where not allowed to have services or wear Christian symbols while in Saud Arabia back in 1990.

US service members were allowed to hold worship services and wear Christian symbols within U.S. military bases in 1990.

JimR-OCDS · Jun 29, 2024

JosephZ said:
This isn't true.

US service members were allowed to hold worship services and wear Christian symbols within U.S. military bases in 1990.

Mostly true! Christian Tourists at Risk if They Display Their Bible in Public in Saudi Arabia

US Service Members could hold services providing they were out of sight. They held them in garrison tents.

I met a man who served as a major in the US Army in the 1st Gulf War. He told me that Mass could be said, but under
the secrecy of a tent. In the hot desert it wasn't the best situation,

‘Illegal Christian activities’: Iran sentences tourist to 10 years in prison for possessing New Testament

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