ICC Note: The Iranian President Hassan Rouhani reached out symbolically to Christians over the Christmas holiday. The statements that came in multiple venues and were addressed both to Christians globally and specifically to Iranian Christians. However, the rights of Christians in Iran continue to be under assault and under Rouhani seemed to have worsened, despite the rhetoric.
By Tyler O’Neil
12/27/13 Iran (Christian Post) – On Christmas Day, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani tweeted a ‘Merry #Christmas,’ reaching out to Christians despite his country’s history of persecution.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani reached out to Christians over the Christmas holiday in three visible ways. But Christian leaders have denounced his “hollow words.”
In a Christmas statement, Rouhani “wished a new year full of cooperation, peace, security and tranquility for the Christians,” Fars News reported. He also reached out to Christians through his Twitter account, proclaiming, “May Jesus Christ, Prophet of love & peace, bless us all on this day. Wishing Merry #Christmas to those celebrating, esp Iranian Christians.”
But some were wary of his seemingly friendly words especially as Christians, including Iranian American Christian pastor Saeed Abedini, continue to be persecuted.
“The words of President Hassan Rouhani ring very hollow in the light of the continuing arrest, sentencing and imprisonment of Christians in Iran,” Jerry Dykstra, director of media relations for Open Doors USA, told The Christian Post on Thursday.
Dykstra insisted on Rouhani’s falseness. “If he truly wants to walk the talk, he would release the reportedly dozens of Christians languishing in terrible conditions in Iranian prisons, especially releasing them during the Christmas season,” the Christian representative declared. “Iran is ranked No. 8 on the 2013 World Watch List of the worst persecutors of Christians and I don’t expect that ranking to change much when the new list comes out on Jan. 8, 2014.”
Rouhani, who has been described as a moderate, was elected this year to succeed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a hardline religious conservative.
Jordan Sekulow, executive director of the American Center for Law and Justice, also denounced Rouhani’s outreach as false. “Once again President Rouhani’s words do not match his actions,” Sekulow wrote in a statement to The Christian Post on Thursday. “His statement wishing Christians health, success and happiness in the new year is nothing more than his continued push to redefine his radical regime in an effort to make it appear more moderate on the world stage.”
“By continuing to hold American Pastor Saeed Abedini in prison for more than a year simply because of his Christian faith, Iran continues to show its blatant disregard for religious freedom and human rights,” Sekulow declared.
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