By BosNewsLife Middle East Service with reporting by BosNewsLife’s Stefan J. Bos
- Attacks are seen by rights activists as wider program against Christians, several of whom have been detained in Iran.
TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)– Iranian security forces have destroyed a 200-year-old Christian cemetery in southeastern Iran after they earlier used bulldozers to remove an historical church in the area, Iranian Christians said in comments monitored by BosNewsLife Thursday, April 26.
The cemetery attack, discovered this month in Kerman province, is no isolated incident. Iranian Christians said that “all the crosses have been taken out of the ground” at another historical British cemetery in the southwestern port city of Bushehr, near the site where Iran develops a controversial nuclear facility.
The burial ground had also been used by the Christian Armenian minority of Bushehr but now seems to approach “complete destruction”, said Iranian Christians with close knowledge about the situation.
There was no immediate comment from Iranian officials on the situation in Busher.
CULTURAL HERITAGE
Christian news agency Mohabat News said however it had obtained comments from Mohammad Mehdi Afzali, public relations chief of Iran’s Cultural Heritage organization, in which he admitted that the “destruction” of the Kerman cemetery.
Afzali reportedly said the removal of graves was part of attempts by his group and local authorities to “release lands” in the areas of Ghal’e-Dokhtar and Ghal’e Ardeshir around a historical castle in eastern hills.
The official reportedly denied the remarks in an interview with the pro-government news service IRNA.
Mohabat News, which includes rights activists and Iranian Christians, said that “Prior to this report, a historical church building in Kerman, which was registered as a national monument” in 2009, “was brought down by bulldozers.”
CHURCH RAIDS
Rights activists have suggested that the reported destruction of Christian sites and raids on churches is part of a wider attempt by authorities of this Islamic nation to discourage devoted Christans and pressure new converts to return to Islam.
Several Christians have been jailed in Iran, though authorities claim they are “criminals” who violate the laws of the land.
This just show how disrespectful Islam is of other religions. In Afghanistan the government forced the US government to burn 800 bibles . They wouldn’t let the US government ship the bibles out But when NATO troops burned Korans . The Muslims get upset and kill eight NATO troops. This political correctness to then th degree. I worry about is going to happened to the Coptic Christian in Egypt when the Nazi Muslim Brotherhood take total control of that country.