Image source: facebook.com/heart4iran
A satellite Christian television station in Iran says in the last three months, its call center registered over 3000 salvation decisions of faith from Iranian Muslims who left Islam to follow Jesus.
Mohabat TV provides 24-7 family friendly programs that present the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His saving love for all people in the Islamic Republic.
Speaking to Mission Network News in a report published 19 June, 2020, station officials said, Iranians call in every month in response to the messages broadcast and give their hearts to Jesus.
Dr. Mike Ansari, president of Heart4Iran which includes Mohabat TV, observed that they use Social media and satellite TV as viable methods to reach out to isolated believers and people looking for hope in an increasingly dark environment.
“In the last three months, our call center at Mohabat TV has registered an all-time high of 3,000+ monthly decisions of faith from Iranian Muslims who are converting to Christianity,” Dr Ansari said.
“This ten-fold increase, compared to the same period in 2019, is a major indication that the Islamic Republic of Iran is losing a cross-section of its Muslim population to Christianity,” Dr Ansari added.
This “good news” comes at a cost, sources say.
Muslims in Iran who change their faith to Christianity are often subject to societal and official pressure which may lead to the death penalty.
Furthermore, reports show that Iran is now “exercising a tightening of its grip on any voice that is non-Islamic” through new legal changes targeting virtual churches and online ministries.
Amendments to articles 499 and 500 of the Islamic Penal Code passed through Iran’s parliament last month, are such that those found guilty of “deviant psychological manipulation” or “propaganda contrary to Islam”, whether in the “real or virtual sphere”, can now be labelled as “sects” and punished with imprisonment, flogging, fines, or even the death penalty.
