As the world prepares to celebrate New Year’s, five Iranian Christians will mark the season behind prison bars. These individuals were sentenced to 50 years in prison for Christian activities such as prayer, baptism, and distributing Bibles. This news comes as persecution of Christians in Iran has risen sixfold in 2025, and hundreds of Iranian Christians have been arrested in 2025 and sentenced to long prison terms.
For those of us in the Western world who enjoy freedom of religion, it is hard to comprehend the harsh judgment of such long jail sentences. Our first reaction might be, “This is extremely unfair.” Iranian Christians, including those in jail, are just peace-making, peace-loving believers who are called to be salt and light to society. They are against violence and are called to pray for the country’s leaders.
The persecution of the Iranian Christians is very harsh, mainly because the Islamic government of Iran is afraid of Muslim-background believers. They know that Christianity is growing fast, and they cannot stop it. They know once a Muslim becomes a Christian, he/she will never go back to Islam. They know that Christian faith is contagious and viral because faith in Jesus causes a dramatic life change, which is visible to the friends and family members of those who become Christians. And as a result, many of them come to faith in Christ also.
The main “crime” of those arrested and jailed is “sharing their faith” and “attending a house church.” That shows that the Islamic government is also afraid of Christians meeting together. They closed all church buildings in 2013. Only a few churches whose worship services are not in Farsi, but in Armenian and Assyrian languages, are allowed to meet. Even then, they are not allowed to let any Muslim or Muslim-background Christian in. If they do, they will be forced to close. Sometimes I think the Islamic government believes in the power of the Church more than we, Christians in the West, do. For many of us in the West, going to church and gathering with other Christians is optional. We do not know how much power we have to change society and the world when we gather and unite.
Since the Islamic government knows that it cannot stop Christians, its strategy is to limit the growth of Christianity by stopping them from gathering together and witnessing to others. How? By intimidation. They want all Christians to be isolated, stay in their homes, and not share their faith with anybody. That is why they intentionally give long-term jail sentences to those who witness or attend a house church. They are saying: “If you are a Christian, and you stay at home, and you do not share your faith, then you may be safe. But if you share your faith and especially if you gather with other Christians, you will get 10 to 15 years in prison.
I understand this personally, having been told by an Islamic government official who came to Christ through my ministry, Iran Alive, that the Islamic regime of Iran is afraid of me and what our ministry is doing. Our satellite signal goes over the heads of mullahs and into the homes of anybody who has a satellite dish. Over the years, we have had over 120,000 people who have contacted us to indicate that they have come to Christ through us. Among them are not just desperate, poor and powerless people, but also some clerics and government officials.
We know there are 1 to 2 million followers of Christ in Iran, and it is growing every month. These individuals faithfully worship, read Scripture and share their faith at risk to their own safety and well-being.
Christians in Iran need our support. Specifically, we must pray for those who have been sentenced to prison just for believing. Pray for their courage and wisdom. Pray that they will have a close fellowship with the Lord and the Holy Spirit while in jail. I have heard so many testimonies of Christians in jail who have said that they felt the presence of the Lord in jail like never before. Also, there are numerous testimonies of how imprisoned Christians look at jail as their mission field and start sharing Christ with other prisoners and even holding prayer and worship services. The Islamic government knows this fact and, as a result, often keeps these Christians in solitary confinement, knowing that if they are with other prisoners, they will convert others to Christianity.
Further, we can be their advocates, sending letters through partners such as Voice of the Martyrs on their behalf to the Iranian government. Those who have been in jail tell us that when letters started coming in, they were treated better, their execution was cancelled, and they were released earlier.
Finally, we can support the work of sharing the Gospel with Iranian Muslims, planting underground churches, and helping the persecuted Christians through organizations such as Iran Alive. We know that the Iranian people are hungry for hope only available through Jesus.
As we celebrate the new year, may we not forget the Iranian Christians who are shining their faith boldly even in the face of persecution and imprisonment.
Dr. Hormoz Shariat is the founder of Iran Alive Ministries, which uses Satellite TV to reach the millions of lost and broken people in Iran and the rest of the Middle East. He is the author of Iran’s Great Awakening.
