Persecution of Christians in Iran as the world celeberates the birth of Jesus
Written by ACI in 24 December 22ACI offers its best wishes for Christmas, particularly to the Iranian Christian community. ACI looks forward to a free democratic Iran where all are equal and where Iranians can gather in celebration of life and freedom in peace, in harmony and without any kind of distinction.
As the Christian world prepares to celebrate the birth of Jesus and Christmas, this year in Iran, the many Christians from a Muslim background remain persecuted and unable to manifest or worship freely and openly.
On December 21, this year Iranians and those of Iranian heritage all over the world marked the ancient Iranian tradition of YALDA night, the winter solstice. While traditionally Iranians celebrate the end of the longest night of the year and welcome the power of the sun’s shining rays over darkness, symbolically this year, in Iran family gatherings were held at gravesides of the young lives taken by the callous brutality of the regime since September 16, 2022, and the tragic death of Mahsa Jina Amini while in police custody. Outside Iran, candlelight vigils were held in world city centres in memory of the many thousands who have been killed at the hands of the regime since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979.
As the two occasions have historically been linked together, it is a good time to remind the international community that in almost forty four years Iranians throughout Iran have been victims of persecution and discrimination on many different fronts.
Women and religious minorities are legally and systematically discriminated in law and in practice. What the world has witnessed in the last three months led to the expulsion of the Islamic Republic from the UN Commission on the Status of Women. Prior to this vote on December 14th, the UN Human Rights Council had already voted in favour of the establishment of an independent international fact-finding mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran.
ACI offers its best wishes for Christmas, particularly to the Iranian Christian community. ACI looks forward to a free democratic Iran where all are equal and where Iranians can gather in celebration of life and freedom in peace, in harmony and without any kind of distinction.
‘We will take back Iran’ is proudly chanted loudly on the streets wherever Iranians gather, not too long before it becomes a reality. In an echo of the words of President Zelensky to the US Congress ‘Iranians are alive and kicking!’
Merry Christmas!