Iran: Islamic Republic Refusing Business License For Convert To Christianity, Orders Businesses Not To Employ Christians

Revelation 13:17, “… no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”

BosNewsLife – “TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)– Iranian authorities refuse to allow a young man to start his own company because he converted to Christianity and was previously detained on charges of ‘apostasy’, or ‘abandoning Islam’, Iranian Christians said Saturday, July 14.

The Iranian Christian, who was not identified, had reportedly been trying to obtain a business license for ‘a technical company’ in northern Iran.

However he did not receive the required clean criminal background report from Iranian police because he was jailed two and half years ago on charges of converting to Christianity and attending house church services, said Mohabat News, a news agency of Iranian Christians and activists.

It came as a setback for the man, who was reportedly released on bail, and had hoped to restart his life with his company.

‘After he submitted his application, completed all the paper work and was fingerprinted’, police sent a letter to the Revolutionary and Public Court of his northern city claiming he had ‘a criminal record’ and was an ‘apostate’, Mohabat News reported…

‘The subject person is accused of apostasy and has a criminal record accordingly!’, the May 26, 2012, letter reportedly said.

Iranian Christians said the move is part if a wider government crackdown on non-Islamic minority groups, especially Christian converts, in society.

At least dozens of Christians are known to have been detained in the country.

Outside prison, government offices are reportedly ordered not to employ Christians and Christians have been deprived from high school or university education, or running their own schools, according to Iranians with close knowledge about the situation.” Read more.

Flashback: Christian Bishop in Egypt: Christians Are Currently Experiencing Their Worst Time in Recent Centuries, Many Now Unable to Buy or Sell – “Christians in Egypt are currently experiencing their worst time in recent centuries. This statement was made by the Coptic Orthodox Bishop Stephanos of Beba and Elfashn to the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). Christians are being violently killed under the eyes of the international media… Problems are also experienced in day-to-day life because calls are often made in the media not to buy from Christian merchants or to sell anything to Christians. Businessmen are therefore faced with a struggle for economic survival. Christians are indirectly excluded from employment, for example by job advertisements specifying ‘a female employee with headscarf’.” Read more.

Flashback: Islamists Destroy Christian Businesses: ‘If Anyone Decides to Reopen His Store, We Will Kill Him’ – “… [T]he managers [of Christian businesses] have received threatening letters, which state that the exercise ‘will be blown up.’ The attacks are the result of a ‘campaign’ that targets ‘all that is contrary to Shariah,’ promoted by Islamists who want to radicalize the country. Unfortunately, the source adds, there is no ‘moderate movement’ capable of containing the fundamentalist drift.” Read more.