The difference between them and us ….
where they live.
Two vivacious 20-somethings … well, Mariah just turned 30, and Mary is three years her junior. But both full of dreams for their futures, hopes for their own families down the road, and living out their days as friends, together and happy. Both girls are beautiful. One works as a hairdresser, like many women her age, to help pay for school. But undeniably, their beauty radiates from a deeper place. You see, both girls had accepted Jesus as their Saviour eight years prior. Their friendship grew not only because of the shared daily struggles of life together in a two bedroom apartment, but more so because of what they shared at the heart level, knowing Jesus as Lord, encouraging each other to live a life that would be pleasing to God.
Pleasing to God, but not to their families and friends who could not understand the change that had taken place in them. Perhaps it was this lack of support that drew them closer together so that now they were more like sisters than friends. Undaunted, Mariah and Mary grew daily in their faith as they studied and talked about scripture and prayed for friends and family to one day know the same joy and peace they found.
On March 5, 2009, Mariah received a phone call to go to her local police precinct. The message said it had something to do with a ‘vehicle check’, which didn’t surprise her. She had long felt it was just a matter of time before she would have to answer for its condition – held together as it was by wire and duct tape. The caller left an appointment time, and so with resignation Mariah headed for the police station.
From the moment she introduced herself to the desk clerk, she knew something was not right. Resignation turned to fear as the officers shuffled her to a nearby interrogation room. They seemed to grow increasingly agitated with her (lack of) answers to their farfetched questions. But her fear peaked when they used terms like “anti-government” and “a threat to national security.” Her heart pounded so hard, she could barely hear their badgering questions. Her mind reeled as she tried to piece together how they could possibly accuse her of such serious crimes. She was certain, however, when they placed the cold handcuffs on her wrists, that they were quite serious, and truly saw her as some kind of threat.
The police confiscated the few belongings she had in her purse, searching through it as though they were looking for a missing piece of a puzzle. Within minutes she was lead to a squad car, like a criminal, still without explanation of what the accusations were or where they had come from. The one male officer and one female officer seemed to have already made up their minds about who they were dealing with. Angry by the lack of proof her belongings provided and not having obtained the information they had hoped to during her interrogation, they seemed to be seeking to corroborate something … but she did not know what.
As the squad car drove through the city streets, she realized they were in a familiar neighbourhood … her neighbourhood! The officer parked the car in the front of her and Mary’s apartment.
They rough handled her as they took her up the elevator to their small two bedroom rental. Mary came to the door when she heard the commotion outside, and when she saw the two police officers and Mariah in handcuffs could only say in shock, “Mariah!!!” Once inside. the officers pushed past Mary, throwing her off balance and onto the couch and began to rifle through everything in the small space, leaving nothing unturned and the little they owned strewn across the apartment. Mary and Mariah tried repeatedly to find out what they were looking for, hoping this had all been some mistake. At first, they refused to answer. As the officers continued to overturn furniture and empty cupboards, the girls, exasperated and in tears, begged for some explanation, and kept asking what they were looking for. Finally, the female officer turned and sternly said, “Your Bibles!”
This story is based on the true story of Marzieh and Maryam, two young Christian girls in Tehran, Iran. The details were placed in story format to make the simple truth easier to digest. And that is that in many ways, prior to the events of March 5, 2009, this could have been you, or one of your friends.
On April 13th the girls will stand before a court in Iran after being charged with “propagation of Christianity” and “apostasy” (departure from Islam). If found guilty, they face the possibility of execution. The important difference between a 20-something young Christian here in the West and Marzieh and Maryam is that they live in Iran. Details from an alert distributed by Advocates International tell us:
- The women waited five months in prison without being told a clear charge against them. After much questioning from the stand, the deputy prosecutor ordered them to recant their Christian faith. Maryam and Marzieh refused.
- The judge told them they would be executed as apostates.
- Although the freedom of religion is explicitly enshrined within the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Iranian government refuses to grant liberty to these women.
But really, what Can I do?
In Gary A. Haughen’s book “Good News About Injustice” he reflects on the horrific injustices in Rwanda and asks the honest question we, here in the West, all do at some point “What do these horrible injustices have to do with me?” I have a quiet, fulfilling and mostly happy life that includes regular attendance at a church and fellowship with a home group. I do “good” to those I know, and even sometimes those I do not know. Frankly, isn’t that the platform most of us start from when we hear of these kinds of situations?
Haughen’s answer came this way – What does it have to do with me? “It has EVERYTHING to do with me … because of what my GOD LOVES and what my GOD HATES! Moreover, it has everything to do with me because God hates INJUSTICE.”
With clarity he says “The great miracle of God is that he calls me and you to be part of what he is doing in history. God has chosen us – missionaries, agricultural engineers, doctors, lawyers, lawmakers, diplomats and all those who support, encourage, and pray for them – to be his hand in doing those things in the world that are important to him.”
And so what can we do for Maryam and Marzieh today as they stand before General Court in Tehran and a Judge who may determine how long their lives in this world will last …
… Most effectively, we can PRAY!
Pray that the peace of God will protect their hearts and minds and keep them safe; that they will completely recover from their illnesses (that have developed while in custody) and be strong physically, mentally and spiritually; and that they will know the presence of God in the midst of their trial. Ultimately, pray for their freedom!
… Then, you can share their story, and represent them to lawmakers and government representatives who have the power to influence other governments, like Iran, to stop this kind of injustice and persecution. And, take the steps to make sure our freedoms never become similarly compromised here, in Canada.
*APRIL 14th Update: Report from our friends at Elam Ministries ( say court process will take a few more days. KEEP PRAYING! We’ll continue to watch developments and post them here. Join the EFC’s Facebook page, and comment on the page posting to receive updates to your email.
*APRIL 19th Update: NO NEWS – GOOD NEWS? Read this update on Maryam Rustampoor and Marzieh Amirizadeh by Mission Network News http://bit.ly/c9qSP2
*May 21st from Elam Ministries site:
Dear friends,
Thank you for praying for Maryam and Marzieh, who are still going through their court process in Iran. Please intercede for them in this decisive stage of their trial. We will update you with any news from them as soon as we have it.
*May 22nd – Praise God!! Maryam and Marzieh are aquitted and freed!
Fourteen months after they were arrested for their Christian faith and activities, Maryam Rostampour and Marzieh Amirizadeh have been acquitted of all charges by the Iranian judicial authorities. However, they were warned that any future Christian activity in Iran will be seriously dealt with.
Read the rest of the Elam report here.