This article, written by Article18’s Fred Petrossian, was first published on the website of Get The Trolls Out, which campaigns against anti-religious hate speech in the European media. As protests in Iran continue and supporters hold rallies around the world in solidarity with the Iranian people, Fred is documenting the new and old struggles, including a mass protest scheduled to take place on 22 October in Berlin. 

Iranian Christian converts in Europe: persecution there, exclusion here

The “I am A Christian too” campaign was launched by a group of Iranian Christian converts living in Stockholm, Sweden, in October 2020 in order to pursue policy change in Sweden and Iran. 

“I Am A Christian Too” is a loosely organised but sustained campaign among a group of Iranians who share Christianity as their core belief and set their main goal of being recognised as refugees by the Swedish government. 

Christian converts (Muslims who have converted to Christianity), unlike ethnic Christians (Armenians and Assyrians), are not recognised in Iran’s Constitution. The Islamic Republic has therefore essentially transformed millions of citizens, like Christian converts, Baha’is, and followers of the Yarsan faith, who belong to the unrecognised religious minorities, into “ghosts”, deprived of basic human rights. 

As of July 2022, this campaign has held almost 50 gatherings in Stockholm, making it the most persistent street movement among Iranian religious minorities and even Iranian asylum-seekers in the diaspora. 

You can read more here and here.

Solidarity rallies in Europe support Iranian protesters

The stories of brave Iranian protesters, especially women, defying the Islamic Republic’s security forces and fighting for their freedom have made headlines around the world. There have also been many sad photographs of murdered teenagers, like Nika Shakarami.

In addition, on Saturday 1 October, thousands of Iranians in the diaspora, from different walks of life, beliefs, and ethnic origin, demonstrated shoulder-to-shoulder in more than 150 cities around the world, including many European cities, such as London, Brussels, Paris, Stockholm, and Zurich. 

“Women, life, freedom”, “Mahsa Amini”, “Down with the dictator”, and “We do not want the Islamic Republic” were among the slogans chanted in rallies in Europe and beyond. 

The original protests in Iran were triggered after Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, 22, died while being detained by the country’s morality police for allegedly violating the hijab rules on 16 September, as parts of her hair were visible underneath her headscarf. 

Demonstrations go on in Iran and around the world, including many European cities. 

There is a rare or even unique feeling of national unity and togetherness in the air, both in Iran and in demonstrations outside the country. 

You can read more here. “Iranvisibilia”, a podcast with testimonies from Iran, will also soon be available at https://mvoicesiran.com/.