Jama'at-e Rabbani - Official Iranian Perceptions

Official Iranian Perceptions

The Iranian government, especially in its post-1979 Revolutionary Islamist form, is highly suspicious of all Christian sects not native to Iran, namely the Assyrian Church of the East and the Armenian Apostolic Church, both of which have been present in the lands of the Persian Empire since the 4th Century, A.D.

During the late 17th and again in the 19th centuries, Iran was quite open to foreign influence, including Western Christian missionaries who founded schools, hospitals, and who proselytized Eastern Christians as well as Muslims. These groups, among them French Jesuit Roman Catholics, British Anglicans, and American Assemblies of God had some small successes and the current presence in Iran of these denominations is due to their influence. Even by the most secular Iranians, these groups are considered "western innovations" and are not fully trusted. This sentiment is often shared even by the native Christian groups.

Since the Islamic Revolution, however, the institutionalization of Islamic Sharia law has come down especially hard on the Assemblies of God because of their unique success in converting Muslims to Christianity. This success is due principally to its principle of using the vernacular Persian language as the language of its prayer and not one of the several ancient languages (i.e., Syriac, Armenian) used for prayer by the other Christian groups.