Four Christians in Iran were arrested for gathering in a house and praying on New Years Day. According to Fides News Agency, the four Christians, Sara Rahimi-Nejad, Mostafa Nadri, Majid Sheidaei and George Isaiah, were in a house in Karaj when police stormed the house, beat them and transferred them to an undisclosed location.
Iranian News Agency, Mohabat News, sent a note to Fides, saying that the plain clothed policeman seized personal belongings, notes, computers, CDs and DVDs from the house. The event echoes a similar arrest during the Christmas season where several Christians were arrested in a house in Tehran.
Sources within Iran claim that the police usually carried out raids in what they describe as house churches, which are considered by the government to be illegal and dangerous. Police allegedly attempt to extort confessions from Christians, forcing them to admit that they are being paid from abroad to promote Christianity in Iran.
According to a recent report by «Open Doors», a non-governmental organization, Iran is among the top ten countries in the world where Christians are most persecuted.
