Iran

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Official name:
Area:
Government:
Official languages:
Monetary unit:
Cities:

DEMOGRAPHY
Population: 66 million
Population density:

ECONOMY
GDP (PPP):
per person:
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LIFE & LIBERTY
HDI

Contents

[edit] Geography

[edit] Location

  • Formerly known internationally as Persia, Iran is a Southwest Asian country located in the geographical territories of the Middle East and Southern Asia. It is the 18th largest country in the world in terms of area at 1,648,000 square kilometers. Iran consists of rugged, mountainous rims surrounding high interior basins. The main mountain chain is the Zagros Mountains, a series of parallel ridges interspersed with plains that bisect the country from northwest to southeast. Iran is about the size of United Kingdom, France, Spain and Germany combined. Iran borders Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to the north; Afghanistan and Pakistan to the east; and Turkey and Iraq to the west. It is considered a key country because it borders the Persian Gulf, an important oil-producing area, Gulf of Oman and the Caspian Sea. Because of its geographically central location, Iran also has close proximity to Europe. Iran was one of the first countries to be occupied by the early Islamic armies in the seventh century. Persia, as it was internationally called until 1935, was one of the greatest empires of the ancient world and has since maintained a distinct cultural identity within the Islamic world because of its continued adherence to the Shi’a interpretation of Islam, and Iran retaining its own language.

[edit] Climate

[edit] Natural Resources

[edit] Demographics

[edit] Peoples

Azeri - It may be good to note that the UN considers the Azeri real numbers to be nearer 30 million and that the two protoganists in this drama in Iran are both Azeri, Khameini and Mousavi. (The North American Azerbaijani Network)
Mazandarani

[edit] Provinces

[edit] Life

  • A new film on Jesus, told from an Islamic perspective, has drawn mixed reactions from the Christian community over its claim that Jesus did not die on the cross but was replaced by Judas Iscariot. "The Messiah" – written, produced and directed by Iranian filmmaker Nader Talebzadeh - was filmed in the Islamic Republic of Iran with Iranian actors to portray how Muslims understand the life of Jesus based on the teachings of the Qur'an and the Gospel of Barnabas – a book not included in the Christian Bible and in which the Prophet Mohammed appears. The movie features two endings – the Muslim and Christian version of Jesus and the cross – and has won an award at Rome's Religion Today Film Festival for generating interfaith dialogue. Director Talebzadeh meanwhile sees the film as an Islamic response to "The Passion of the Christ," the 2004 blockbuster of self-professed Catholic Mel Gibson. Although the Iranian filmmaker praised Gibson's movie, he said it was "wrong." The film has already been released in Iran and will soon be available on the Internet, according to CNN.

[edit] Economy

[edit] Government

  • Type of Government: Theocratic republic.
  • Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said he would welcome talks with the US as long as they were based on mutual respect . Pray for a thaw in relations between the two countries and a softening of Iran’s hardline attitude to Muslim back ground believers and those being converted to Christianity.
  • The influential former Iranian Prime Minister, Mir Hossein Mousavi, will contest the Iranian presidential election on 12 June. His candidacy may split voters opposed to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the current president who is likely to stand again. Pray for change in Iranian politics, change that brings greater tolerance for Christians, Muslim background believers and those desiring to become Christians.
  • The presidential elections to be held on June l2, 2009 will determine who leads this Islamic nation. Current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has stated his intention to “wipe Israel from the map.” He is a “Twelver” – a Shia follower who is looking for the twelfth imam or Mahdi to appear, and he believes, will save the world after a time of great destruction and chaos. Many Twelvers, like Ahmadinejad, believe that the Mahdi’s coming can be speeded up by creating a violent atmosphere.
  • Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has sought to calm tensions and called for an end to rioting. Protests have grown since the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was confirmed, with huge demonstrations in Tehran and clashes between protesters and security forces. Eight people have been killed. Pray for more freedom for the Iranian people and greater tolerance towards Christians.
  • Pray for this radical proponent of Islam to be transformed, as Paul was, into a radical disciple of Christ. Pray for God to guide this nation and impact the surrounding region through this election. Pray for freedom of the Iranian people. Pray for this time of choice and leadership change to be used by God to turn their hearts from Islam to Christ.
  • Pray for political change in Iran – so that people can live in a fairer and more humane society Pray that the population will see through government propaganda and demand a return to social and religious freedom. Pray for all those Christians from a Muslim background. The struggles they face are huge – they are often rejected and isolated from their families and forbidden from meeting with other Christians. Pray that the Holy Spirit would be at work in their hearts and lives and that they would not be discouraged in the face of opposition.
  • Pray for political change in Iran – so that people can live in a fairer and more humane society Pray that the population will see through government propaganda and demand a return to social and religious freedom.

[edit] Religion

[edit] Islam

  • The Islamic revolution has lost its glitter. The legacy of bloodshed, cruelty, injustice, extremism and economic deprivation has discredited the conservative religious leaders and the Islam they promote. These leaders react with repression, restrictions and abuse of human rights because they control the police and army and manipulate the justice system. Pray for political change and a government that is truly accountable to their people and which respects human rights.

[edit] Buddhism

[edit] Christianity

  • The number of Iranian Muslim-background Christians has multiplied dramatically in 20 years. The ranks of Christians have swelled from about 100,000 a decade ago to 300,000 in 2009. For those living in Iran persecution is still severe. Many of these new believers live overseas.

[edit] History

[edit] Church and State Relations

[edit] Mission

  • Pray for all those Christians from a Muslim background. The struggles they face are huge – they are often rejected and isolated from their families and forbidden from meeting with other Christians. Pray that the Holy Spirit would be at work in their hearts and lives and that they would not be discouraged in the face of opposition.

[edit] Broadcasting and TV

  • In Iran, Satellite TV has emerged as perhaps the most effective way of reaching millions with the gospel. Despite the government ban, dishes are very popular and there are an estimated 28 million who watch Satellite TV. In recent years several ministries have worked to produce Persian Christian programs that are broadcast into the country from abroad. Several house churches have been established as a result of TV ministry and as well as their evangelistic impact, the programs provide a great source of teaching and encouragement for many Christians. It is reported that some fellowships meet around the TV as part of their weekly gatherings.

[edit] Persecution

  • Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Christians in Iran have faced several hardships. Since the beginning of 2004 when conservative parties won the elections, religious freedom has deteriorated considerably. The situation grew worse after hard-line conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected president in 2005. Ahmadinejad hailed his election triumph as a new Islamic revolution that could spread throughout the world and pledged to restore an ‘’Islamic government’’ in Iran, implying that the previous administrations were not sufficiently Islamic. Since 2005's election, many Christians have not only been rounded up for harassment, but many have been arrested and beaten. One house church pastor was killed in November 2005.
  • Although Christians belong to one of the officially recognized religious minorities who are guaranteed religious freedom, they reported imprisonment, harassment and discrimination because of their faith this year. Various Christian groups known to use literature and other means to spread their faith among the majority Shi’ite Muslim population were targeted over the past year. In at least eight known incidents, Muslims who had converted to Christianity were arrested and held in custody for several weeks before being released. In most cases, they were forced to pay large bail amounts and were told their cases remain open for possible criminal prosecution. Under Iran's strict apostasy laws, any Muslim who leaves Islam faces the death penalty. On the positive side, a former army colonel, who had converted to Christianity and was falsely accused of hiding his faith, was released after two years in jail.
  • May 2008: A new law is prepared, any one, who leaves Islam is punishable by death.
  • November 21-23, 2008 In response to a year of persecution and the imminent passing of a law making the death sentence mandatory for all Muslim men who turn to Christ and life imprsonment for Muslim women who turn to Christ, Iranian church leaders are calling for prayer and fasting from November 21 – 23, 2008. They know they have no influence in the courts of men – but they want to take their case to the courts of heaven..

[edit] Councils and Networks

[edit] Future Trends

[edit] For More Reading

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