The headline reads
Iran Secretly Executes Jewish-Armenian Couple; Christians Concerned
Iran has secretly executed a Jewish-Armenian couple and three other persons, raising concerns about other religious minority prisoners in the strict Islamic nation, Iranian Christians and rights activists confirmed Sunday, March 27.
The independent Iranian Christian news agency Mohabat News said Adiva Mirza Soleiman Kalimi, a Jewish Iranian, and her husband Varoujan Petrosian, an Armenian Iranian Christian, were executed in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison. One other woman and two men, whose identities were not revealed, were also killed, the agency said.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency, founded by Iranian activists, said the execution was confirmed by a branch of Iran's Revolutionary Court based inside the Evin prison.
Ever since my friend, Rabbi Joel Schwab in Middletown, NY, asked me why I didn't appear concerned over the persecution of Christians for their faith, I have tried to keep myself informed on this issue. (I had to confess that I tended not to speak about it because I saw myself as having a theological disconnect with the Christians in the US who advocate these concerns--not much of a reason.)
It's clear that being a Christian in Iran is enough to risk government legal action against you, and converting from Islam to Christianity is considered a capital crime.
If you want to learn more, visit http://www.persecution.org/ the website for International Christian Concern, a human rights organization promoting religious freedom and assisting international Christians who are victims of persecution and discrimination. Sign up for their e-mail newsletter and you'll have your heart challenged and your prayers better-informed.
--Jack Lohr, Interim Pastor
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