Iran: Armenian Christian denominations and those which engage in proselytization of Muslims

Within Iran, Armenian Christians include members of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church (Tchilingirian 1996; The Armenian Reporter 27 Dec. 1997), the Armenian Evangelical Church (The Armenian Reporter 22 June 1996); the Roman Catholic Church, and the Assembly of God (CNN 24 Nov. 1996; AP 3 Feb. 1998; Tchilingirian 1996). For further information on Armenian Christians please see the attached document by Hratch Tchilingirian accessed at the Website of the Armenian Church Electronic Information Center.

According to a 3 February 1994 report by AP, Orthodox Armenians in Iran do not proselytize. This was confirmed in telephone interviews with the Executive Director of Iranian Christians International (ICI) (15 Dec. 1998) and the Office Manager of the Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA) (16 Dec. 1998), both of which have relations with the Armenian Evangelical Church.  Both representatives also indicated that the Armenian Evangelical Church does not engage in proselytization. However, they both said that it is possible for individuals within this church to take it upon themselves to proselytize. The Executive Director stated "if anything takes place it's not sytematic" and that if individuals do engage in these activities, they "do so with trembling" because of the dangers involved. While the Executive Director stated that the Orthodox Church had prevented Muslims from attending its services for fear of being accused of proselytizing, the Office Manager of AMAA said that the Armenian Evangelical Church does not exclude Muslims from its services.

The 1994 murder of Bishop Haik Hovsepian Mehr, head of the evangelical Assemblies of God Church in Iran, was attributed to his missionary work (AP 3 Feb. 1994) with the government accusing him and two other evangelical Christian ministers, who were also murdered in 1994, of proselytizing (Country Reports 1994 1995). In 1995, three women members of the opposition  group, the People's Mojahedine Organization of Iran (PMOI), were brought before a public trial, in what HRW described as an "unusual development," and confessed to the murder of Tateos Michaelian, one of the three ministers (1996, 279).

For information on Iran's treatment of religious minorities please see Iran: Religious and Ethnic Minorities (HRW Sept. 1997), United States Policies in Support of Religious Freedom: Focus on Christians (DOS 1997), and World Report 1997 (HRW 1998) available in Regional Documentation Centres.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

References

Armenian Missionaries of America (AMAA), Paramus, New Jersey. 16 December 1998. Telephone interview with Office Manager.

The Armenian Reporter. 27 December 1997. Giragos H. Chopourian. "Weaknesses in Father Artoon Sempadian's 'There Is An Essential Difference'." (The Ethnic NewsWatch 8 Apr. 1998/NEXIS)

_____. 22 June 1996. "Armenian Evangelical Ordination in Iran." (The Ethnic NewsWatch 16 Sept. 1996/NEXIS)

Associated Press (AP). 3 February 1994. Alex Efty. "Iranian Armenians Bury Bishop Murdered for His Faith." (NEXIS)

CNN World Report. 24 November 1996. Faeshad Behzad. "The Clash of Religions." (NEXIS)

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1994. 1995. United States Department of State. Washington, DC.

Human Rights Watch (HRW). 1995. Human Rights Watch World Report 1996. New York: Human Rights Watch.

Iranian Christians International (ICI), Colorado Springs. 15 December 1998. Telephone interview with Executive Director.

Tchilingirian, Hratch. 1996. "The Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church." [Internet] (The Armenian Church Electronic Information Center) [Accessed 11 Dec. 1998]

Attachment

Tchilingirian, Hratch. 1996. "The Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church." [Internet] (The Armenian Church Electronic Information Center) [Accessed 11 Dec. 1998]