Iran: Convert to Christianity stabbed to death -- after Ahmadinejad says, "I will stop Christianity in this country"

Islamic tolerance alert from Iran. "Iran: Convert stabbed to death," from Compass Direct, with thanks to all who sent this in:

November 28 (Compass) – An Iranian convert to Christianity was kidnapped last week from his home in northeastern Iran and stabbed to death, his bleeding body thrown in front of his home a few hours later.
Ghorban Tori, 50, was pastoring an independent house church of convert Christians in Gonbad-e-Kavus, a town just east of the Caspian Sea along the Turkmenistan border.

Within hours of the November 22 murder, local secret police arrived at the martyred pastor’s home, searching for Bibles and other banned Christian books in the Farsi language. By the end of the following day, the secret police had also raided the houses of all other known Christian believers in the city.

According to one informed Iranian source, during the past eight days representatives of the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) have arrested and severely tortured 10 other Christians in several cities, including Tehran. All the detainees have since been released....

A former Muslim of Turkmen descent, Tori had converted to Christianity more than 10 years ago, while in Turkmenistan....

But not all welcomed his message; at least one relative attacked Tori, scarring his face. In the past year he received several threats from Islamic extremists vowing to kill him if he did not stop sharing his Christian faith....

He is the fifth Protestant pastor assassinated in Iran by unidentified killers in the past 11 years. Three of the five were former Muslims, under Iranian law subject to the death penalty for having committed apostasy....

Tori’s murder came just days after Iran’s new hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called an open meeting with the nation’s 30 provincial governors. During the session, an Iranian source told Compass, Ahmadinejad declared that the government needed to put a stop to the burgeoning movement of house churches across Iran.

“I will stop Christianity in this country,” Ahmadinejad reportedly vowed.

“This was apparently a green light from the president of Iran to go out and start killing Christians,” the source said.

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20 Comments

voletti | December 1, 2005 7:38 AM

No one is ever as blind as one who doesn't want to see....

Anyone wanna wager the hell and high water the media would raise if any non-muslim society were talking and acting like this??

I still sincerely believe, mass-dropping of leaflets and cassetes into Iran spreading the message of chriatianity in persian and exposing the satanic nature of islam can only have benefiacial effects - either the rabids will frotyh to death in rage or the rationals will see the light and leave islam faster (or maybe both!).

DCWatson | December 1, 2005 9:01 AM

What a bigot. A Christophobe. An intolerant. A totalitatian......Oh, that's right, he's a Muslim.

epg | December 1, 2005 9:34 AM

Nothing new. The ideology and methods are the same -- only the faces are different. It's time to face the facts, Jack. We are all in grave danger and naively our government believes that "democracy can fix" the world's ills, specifically that of predatory Islam.

Instead of wasting time in endless debate, we should be getting the population ready for the Long War now that the camel, whose nose is again under the tent, is poking us in the back.

Hugh | December 1, 2005 10:07 AM

Modern martyrs for the faith -- why are they not being discussed, made much of, all over the Christian world? Why, instead, are the "Christians" in assorted peace groups, determined to find nothing wrong with Islam, but very often much more determined to find everything wrong with little Israel and big America, avoiding real martyrs when they are right in front of them?

Mentat | December 1, 2005 10:12 AM

Why does the leader of Iran get a free pass from the Western media when he talks about eradicating Israel and now Christianity in Iran? How long can we in the West, out of deference to offending the Muslims who have settled in our midst, ignore this evil? This Iranian leader is as bad as Hitler ever was. When are people going to wake up?

Chatillon | December 1, 2005 10:24 AM

Note to Muslims:

Rev. Tori is what Christians refer to as a martyr. Note the absence of bomb belt, multiple casualties, body parts, dead children, written messages decrying injustices done to Christians, etc. This man was peacefully following his conscience and was executed for his beliefs. He did not die trying to harm other people because their beliefs differed from his. He witnessed his faith bravely and meekly to death.

In contrast, if one of Rev. Tori's attackers was Muslim and inadvertently cut himself in the process of killing Rev. Tori, then contracted blood poisoning and then died, he would be considered a "martyr" for Islam, if I understand things correctly. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

spect8or | December 1, 2005 12:29 PM

Hey, Prez, Mr Armed-Jihad (or whatever your name is)! The minutes of the conference I'm holding - "A World Without Islam" - might be of interest to you. Item 1: Iran must be wiped off the map!

Kemaste | December 1, 2005 12:32 PM

"The minutes of the conference I'm holding - "A World Without Islam" - might be of interest to you. Item 1: Iran must be wiped off the map!"

Israel? Israel are you listening?

rafia | December 1, 2005 1:21 PM

Western christians will never ever lift their little finger for the sufferings of their brothers in the persecuted countirs like Egypt,Pakistan,India,Indinesia,Labanon,and Saudi Arabia. The Bible thumpers of the west,what you have done for the christians of (1) Egypt-Gopts are murdered daily for their faith,their churches raised down to the ground (2) Pakistan-When the christian countries give billions of dollors for Quake relief,minoity chritians of Sangli hills were chased out of their lands,churches burnt (3) Labasese christians are butchered by Sunnies of north (4) Indonesian christians are BEHEADED (5)Rev,Stains of Australia was burnt alive with his two chrildren in India when he was serving the poorlepers .(6)Chinese christians are persecuted daily.? You are a majority in these western countries,but do little to your own brothern.It is a shame!

Spirit Of 1683 | December 1, 2005 1:24 PM

I notice we haven't heard anything from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch are on this one.

Cooooeeee Irene Khan, you can come out now.

Granny Weatherwax | December 1, 2005 1:25 PM

A Christian organisation based in the UK and New Zealand which does care. http://www.barnabasfund.org/
In particular, as you will see from the homepage, they have an appeal for the Christians of Pakistan who are pushed to the back of the queue when the aid comes round.

Bohemond_1069 | December 1, 2005 3:53 PM

The Religion of Peace and Tolerance strikes yet again.

GFB | December 1, 2005 4:56 PM

Ahmedjihad: It's not going to work. It didn't work for the Romans and its not going to work for you.

American | December 1, 2005 6:07 PM

rafia,
I agree, we in the West are not helping Christians trapped in mohammadan lands. In fact, we should be helping not just Christians, but Hindus, Buddhists, animists, atheists, ALL NONMUSLIMS.

Next time there's an earthquake in what of
these islam infested areas, we should scrupulously
avoid helping mahammadans.

WatchfulEye | December 1, 2005 9:13 PM

“I will stop Christianity in this country,” Ahmadinejad reportedly vowed.

Such is the goal of Islam--to stop Christianity in the world.

Mentat: Why does the leader of Iran get a free pass from the Western media when he talks about eradicating Israel and now Christianity in Iran? How long can we in the West, out of deference to offending the Muslims who have settled in our midst, ignore this evil?

The West has a history of waking up only after the most repeated egregious atrocities have been committed.

Mike_W | December 1, 2005 9:32 PM

Imam : What makes you think he's a Christian?
Muslim 1: Well he turned me into a newt!
Imam : A newt?!
Muslim 1: ...I got better.
Crowd : Burn him anyway!

Imam : There are ways of telling whether he is a Christian.
Muslim 1: Are there? Oh well, tell us.
Imam : Tell me. What do you do with Christians?
Muslim 1: Burn them.
Imam : And what do you burn, apart from Christians?
Muslim 1: More Christians.
Muslim 2: Wood.
Imam : Good. Now, why do Christians burn?
Muslim 3: ...because they're made of... wood?
Imam : Good. So how do you tell whether he is made of wood?
Muslim 1: Build a bridge out of him.
Imam : But can you not also build bridges out of stone?
Muslim 1: Oh yeah.
Imam : Does wood sink in water?
Muslim 1: No, no, it floats! It floats! Throw him into the pond!
Imam : No, no. What else floats in water?
Muslim 1: Bread!
Muslim 2: Apples!
Muslim 3: Very small rocks!
Muslim 1: Cider!
Muslim 2: Gravy!
Muslim 3: Cherries!
Muslim 1: Mud!
Muslim 2: Churches! Churches!
Muslim 3: Lead! Lead!
Ahmadinejad: A Duck.
Imam : Exactly! So, logically...
Muslim 1: If he... weighs the same as a duck... he's made of wood.
Imam : And therefore?
Muslim 2: A Christian!
Crowd : A Christian!
Imam : We shall use my larger scales! Right, remove the supports!
Crowd : A Christian! A Christian!
Accused Christian: It's a fair cop.

With apologies to Monty Python.

I am certain Ghorban Tori is now in Paradise with his Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Dead Infidel Walking | December 1, 2005 10:10 PM

R.I.P Tori, MTBOTLBUY.

The Tenth Century Leader strikes again. Nice to know whats in store for all of us if the muslims ever gain real control, kind of sets things in perspective.

jingoist | December 2, 2005 12:10 AM

This is a culture war...
It is also spiritual...
Satan has blinded the muslim countries for over 1300 years...

This is why in muslim countries we are seeing the reactions that we are...

And they are deadly re-actions to any christian or jew....

God does not hate any arab or muslim but calls all to repentance..

But at the same time we will have to take a stand and say

ENOUGH!!!

rocky | December 2, 2005 4:46 AM

From personal experience, I know that Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch are much more likely to protect and give support to a murderous islamic militant persecuted, say, by the Egyptian police, than a convert to Christianity in any Muslim country.

Johnathan | December 2, 2005 8:46 AM

“I will stop Christianity in this country,” Ahmadinejad reportedly vowed.

He also said that Israel should be wiped off the map.

Here is a Muslim leader whose true colors are coming to light. He despises Christians and Jews and is doing nothing to protect non-Muslims in Iran. How pitiful!

More western leaders should pressure Iran to become more democratic. Iran is now attempting to strengthen itself as a mighty Muslim nation on the world stage.

Iran is seeking a nuclear infranstructure that could produce nuclear bombs. Iran is also trying to acquire satellite technology to develop a space program. Where does all of this technological skill come from to develop these It is not coming from Iranian Muslims. They are not known for having much skill or mastery in the sciences.

It is all coming from the Russians.

The U.S. and her allies should do more to put the heat on President Ahmadinejad. He is a fanatical leader who is sending some very bad signals about the direction that he would like to take Iran.

Ptresident Bush: " Bring back that Axis of Evil speech. We need to hear it again."

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