The authorities at the Rajaei-Shahr prison in Karaj held a Christmas party for all prisoners except Christians. No Christian prisoners were invited whatsoever!
According to Iranian Christian News Agency, Mohabat News, Christian prisoners in Rajaei-Shahr prison were not allowed to attend a celebration held for the occasion of Christ's birth.
Reports from Iran state that the Cultural Unit at Rajaei-Shahr prison held a Christmas and New Year party on December 30, 2014, inviting all prisoners to attend. They announced that the celebration would be held at the Central Hall and everyone was welcome to attend.
However, moments before the celebration, as prisoners were getting ready to go to the Central Hall, several Christian prisoners were called through loudspeakers to report to superintendent's office. There they were told that they could not attend the party.
The prisoners called to the office were Pastor Farshid Fathi, Ebrahim Firouzi, Rasoul Abdollahi, and Serzhik, an Iranian-Armenian citizen.
In the meantime, as prison guards escorted these men to the office, they humiliated and dishonoured them.
A knowledgeable source told Mohabat News, "In addition to those called to the prison superintendent's office, Pastor Saeed Abedini, Alireza Seyyedian, and other Christian prisoners in Rajaei-Shahr prison were also held back and not allowed to go to the Central Hall."
The source, whose identify cannot be disclosed, said, the decision for not allowing Christian prisoners to attend the Christmas party was made by the prison's chief administrator, Mr. Mardani.
Although all prison documents for the above mentioned prisoners indicate that their charges are all related to their Christian activities, they were intentionally prevented from attending this insincere Christmas party.
The Islamic regime of Iran claims to respect freedom of religion and the rights of religious minorities, and tries to demonstrate it by holding such bogus celebrations of Christ's birth. However, the malicious intent behind such activities becomes evident when they do not allow Christians to attend a celebration of the birth of the one they worship and call their Lord. Such phony acts are nothing but propaganda to cover the oppression of Christians in the country.
Although the Iranian constitution recognizes some rights for religious minorities, even these rights are not respected by authorities. The Iranian government has violated the country's constitution many times by persecuting Iranian Christians.
Prison authorities at Rajaei-Shahr prison could not tolerate the presence of Christian prisoners in the Christmas party and this is an indication of the lack of tolerance for religious minorities in the whole system. Not long ago the adviser of President Rouhani, Ali Younesi claimed to have freedom of religion in Iran. However, in practice they do not tolerate anyone speaking of any other religion or anyone interpreting Islam other than in their own way.
Christmas is one of the primary Christian celebrations. Millions of Christians across the world celebrate it by remembering the birth of Jesus, giving thanks and spending time with friends and family. For Farsi-speaking Iranian Christians, however, the celebration is overshadowed by government threats and harassment.