Linguistic apartheid. Islamic law forbids the propagation of non-Muslim religions, and this measure has been taken to that end, as well as to disrupt the worship of Farsi-speaking Christians. “More Churches are forced to cease Persian language services in Tehran,” from the Farsi Christian News Network, March 12 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):
FCNN (Farsi Christian News Network) reports from Tehran; as of 24th Feb.2012, “Armenian Anglican Church” in Tehran has been ordered to cease its Persian Language Service on Fridays.
The church in Nader Shah Avenue ( Ghaem Magham) is one of the few established churches in Iran which was still allowed to have Persian Language services for Persian speaking Christians.
Serving the notice, officers of the Islamic Court informed the Church officials that they are being ordered to cease Persian language services, and threatened that if this order is ignored and they continue to have Christian services on Fridays which is a sacred day for Muslims, church building will be bombed “as happens in Iraq every day”.
Last month two other churches in Tehran had also been served the same order, and threat.”St. Immanuel” and “St. Peter” churches, both with Persian language services, were thus forced to cease their Friday prayer meetings.
Friday is a day of rest in the Islamic Republic and the most suitable for any service for all religions, and Christian services have for decades been held on Fridays instead of Sundays which is a working day; without any tension or coercion from the Islamic authorities.
It now seems likely that the Islamic authorities have imagined that with this new restriction they will somehow hold back the rapid, and evidently extremely worrying, spread of Christianity amongst the people under their yoke.
FCNN sources in Tehran also report of the closer of all Christian training and educational classes for the new Christians, which have for decades been held by the Tehran Central church of “Assembly of God”, has been permanently shut down by worried Islamic authorities.
These training classes were held on Saturdays and were a normal part of church activities in Tehran.
Ministry of State Security have refused to provide any reason for this sudden change of policy. (Islamic regime has never troubled itself with any obligation toward people of Iran).