Iran (MNN) — Authorities crackdown as protests sweep Iran, arresting more than 1,200 demonstrators.
Dozens have lost their lives in the unrest, which Iran blames on the United States. The U.S. recently allowed tech firms to expand business in Iran, where the government squelched most internet access in response to the protests.
In a statement emailed to the Associated Press, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the move will help counter Iran’s surveillance efforts:
“It is clear that the Iranian government is afraid of its own people. Mahsa Amini is senselessly, tragically dead, and now the government is violently suppressing peaceful protesters rightly angry about her loss.”
Iranian protestors on the Keshavrz Boulvard in Tehran.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Public anger erupted last week following the death of 22-year-old Amini in police custody. She’s become the face of a nationwide push for women’s rights.
Lily Meschi of Iran Alive Ministries says Iran treats its women like second-class citizens. “They (women) have been oppressed in law and by the government,” Meschi says.
“They are always “less than”; for instance, if a woman gets raped in Iran, they can’t even take the matter to court because a woman’s testimony counts as half of a man’s. So, the woman is unable to testify against her rapist.”
Untapped potential
Iran Alive broadcasts the hope of Christ through satellite T.V. More about that here. “About 7.7 percent of the population watches our network in Iran daily; that would be equivalent to 6 million people,” Meschi says.
Women comprise a growing segment of Iran Alive’s audience and workforce. “A high percentage of our ministry leaders are women,” Meschi says.
“When they receive their identity in Christ, they truly become influential. They become agents of transformation in their communities and family.”
Help Iran Alive Ministries keep its programs on the air here.
“We hear a lot of different testimonies from women who charge their entire family to come together and be discipled, be learning from the Word of God,” Meschi says.
“As they receive the message of the Gospel, they’re discipling [their families].”
Header image depicts Amir Kabir University students protesting on September 20, 2022. (Wikimedia Commons)