IRAN: MEET FATEMAH, A SECRET CHRISTIAN AND CHURCH LEADER

“We still can’t forget the day when the police raided our house church, took some of us away, and forced the rest to sign a paper confessing we would never meet or engage in Christian activities again. They were tearing us apart, one by one.” 

Fatemah from Iran hadn’t been going to the secret house church for very long when it was raided. The Iranian government strictly monitors and cracks down on Christian activities, making any attempt to by Christians to meet or share about Jesus really dangerous.

In Iran, the government sees our faith as a threat,” Fatemeh says. “We live under constant surveillance and face different kinds of pressure. It’s a daily battle to keep our faith in such hostile conditions. But God is good!” 

A NEW BEGINNING 

Fatemeh’s journey of faith has been rocky. She became a Christian in her twenties, but the believers in the first house church she attended found it difficult to teach the Bible, making the group afraid to even read it together.

Fatemeh floated between groups trying to learn more about Jesus for 10 years without much success. It wasn’t until she met Fayiz*, an Open Doors partner, that she was gained a stronger grounding in her faith. He helped her attend a Christian conference outside of Iran. “It felt like a new beginning!” Fatemeh says. “I truly started to build a relationship with Jesus and began to understand who He really is!” 

But her joy was short-lived: the police raided her new house church. When the pastor and church leaders were released from prison, they had to flee the country. “It took time for the situation to calm down and for the stress to diminish to reconnect with our leaders online,” Fatemeh remembers. 

For the next three years, the fear of arrest and imprisonment was a constant terror; Fatemeh even avoided extended family in case she was accused of running a house church. “We couldn’t keep Christian materials or even a Bible in our house,” she says. “We had to throw them away, and if anyone was courageous enough to risk keeping a small Bible, they had to hide it very well and read it in secret. It has only been in the last couple of years that we began meeting regularly again and gathering some resources, secretly.”  

Protests lead to more arrests 

Following the death of Mahsa Amini in 2021, which sparked protests across Iran against the morality police, Fatemeh’s husband was arrested because his sister was suspected of joining the protests. “I was afraid they might discover his Christian faith and use it against him,” Fatemeh says. “In such conditions, Christian converts are the best candidates to be accused of acting against the Islamic country’s security.” 

Fatemah’s husband was released after several weeks, but he was changed by how he had been treated. She says: “Jesus was the only truth and righteous One in the midst of all lies and betrayals that helped him endure.” 

You give Fatemeh the courage to keep going 

But despite all that she’s been through, Fatemeh has held on to Christ – and her desire to strengthen the church in Iran. She leads a small house church, and visits hospitals where she not only shares the gospel with others but offers to help cover people’s medical costs with her church’s help. “I don’t want to only speak about the love of Jesus,” she explains. “I want to love them the way Jesus loves me!” 

Fatemeh is also receiving support from local Open Doors partners – made possible through your ongoing prayers and gifts. She can attend conferences outside the country and join in with online discipleship groups to grow in her faith. “In every meeting or session, I feel the presence of God and the support of my brothers and sisters in Christ,” she says. “It renews my spirit and gives me the courage to face each day.” 

She then goes back to her house church where she encourages God’s people. “I share with them our experiences, how Jesus worked in our life in the midst of persecution and through the challenges, and He showed us how He works,” she notes. “We know that persecution might increase, but we are not alone! God and His people are with us.” 

*Names changed for security reasons