IRAN - Hostile rhetoric heats up

Increased public statements against Christianity in Iran have intensified pressures on Christians, but at their core they reflect Islamic leaders’ dismay with the growth of house churches and may signal dissension within Iran’s leadership. Sources told Compass the comments may indicate a power struggle between Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In May, Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi said authorities have not done enough to quench the growth of Christian house churches, considering the “massive funding” the government has spent toward that end. Mohabat News reported that Hojatoleslam Tarashioon of the Mehdi Seminary in Qom claimed that “the enemies of Islam” are providing $50,000 a year to some house churches. Experts believe public attacks on Christians resulted in the arrest of more than 120 Iranian Christians between December and January. — Compass