Iranian Extremists Threaten to Kill 3 Ex-Muslim Pastors
An Iranian Muslim extremists group identifying themselves as "Hezbollah" sent a letter to three Iranian pastors with a Muslim background threatening them to return to Islam or else risk being murdered.
The radical group calls itself "The Hezbollah Party, Army of the World's Imam" and accused the pastors of being spies for foreign powers, according to Farsi Christian News Network (FCNN). The extremists demanded the Iranian pastors denounce their faith in Christ and return to Islam.
In the letter delivered to the Iranian pastors on March 11, the group said they are "aware of all anti-Islamic activities" that the men were doing in the churches in Athens and other places.
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"And we know that you with some other agents of espionage organizations in the disguise of European and American pastors are deceiving the Muslims, that unfortunately are escaping and going adrift from Iran and Afghanistan and other Arabic countries and changing their religion and their faith, converting them like this into the false Christianity," the letter read, according to FCNN, which received a copy of the letter from the Farsi-speaking Christian Church in Athens and translated it to English.
Although the three Iranian pastors live and serve in Athens, the Iranian extremists threatened them and their families with death.
The letter warned that if the pastors do not return to Islam, then according to Islamic law or sharia, they will be declared apostates and the authors of the letter will "fulfill our religious duty towards you."
"You are standing against The Holy Organized Republic Islamic, and also to the billions of Islamic people," the letter read. "Be aware that in these days that the power of the Islamic world is growing, it's army and economy's success have blinded the American and European government and have defeated and scared them.
"You betrayers of your own Islamic countries have forgotten it and have your hands into the satanic hands of this criminal and thief governments and have become the missionaries of their corrupted goals."
At the conclusion of the letter, the extremists warned that "very quickly all the Europe, America, Israel, and all other satanic authorities of the world will be destroyed with the hands of Islam, the only most holy religion would be increased and scattered throughout all the world and will lead the world."
"We wait for you that are deceived to come back to the embrace of Islam and confess," wrote The Hezbollah Party, Army of the World's Imam.
For the past five years, the Iranian Baptist Church in Athens has been ministering to many Iranian and Afghani residents in Greece as well as refugees and students who for various reasons left Iran to seek asylum. There are an estimated 150 churches around the world that are ministering to Iranians and Afghanis living outside of their country, FCNN reported.
