Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, currently serving a 10 year prison sentence in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison for “acting against the national interest”, has gone on a hunger strike in protest at his children being prevented from continuing their education.
UK-based religious freedom advocacy CSW report that Nadarkhani started the strike on 23rd September, the day his 15-year-old son Yoel was informed he could not return to school because he had not completed Islamic studies. CSW said that in addition, the pastor’s older son Daniel, 17, has been denied a school report card which would enable him to enrol in higher education despite a 2017 court ruling that had allowed him to continue school by attending Islamic studies classes in a non-participatory manner.
“Members of recognised religious minorities, including Christians, are normally exempt from attending classes in Islamic studies, but children of converts to Christianity are considered by the authorities to be Muslims,” said CSW in a statement. “However, Pastor Nadarkhani never practised Islam prior to espousing Christianity, and was acquitted of apostasy in 2012. Moreover, according to a fatwa issued by Iran’s Supreme Leader in 2009, children born into a Christian family whose parents may be deemed apostate still have the right to receive Christian religious education. “
In a letter to prison authorities, Nadarkhani described his actions as “the cry of a father, unjustly imprisoned”.
Mervyn Thomas, chief executive of CSW, said the organisation was “deeply concerned” Pastor Nadarkhani’s children had been denied access to education because of their religious beliefs.
“Even more disturbing are indications that other second generation Christian children are experiencing similar difficulties,” he said. “This directly contravenes a Supreme Leader’s fatwa permitting children raised in Christian homes to access appropriate education.”
He called on Iranian authorities to rectify this situation and allow Yoel Nadarkhani and other children facing similar discrimination to return to school as well as for Daniel Nadarkhani to be provided with the documentation necessary to enable him to enrol in university.
“We also continue to call for the immediate and unconditional release of Pastor Nadarkhani and all others from religious minority communities who are currently imprisoned for their faith.”
Pastor Nadarkhani was initially arrested in the city of Rasht on 13th October, 2009, after questioning the Muslim monopoly on religious instruction for Iranian children, according to CSW. He was acquitted of apostasy and released in September, 2012, but rearrested in December that year on an administrative technicality before he was released again in January, 2013.
On 13th May, 2016, Pastor Nadarkhani was arrested once again, along with three other Christians. On 14th June, 2017, they were each given a 10 year prison sentence “acting against the national security through propagating house churches and promoting Zionist Christianity”.
The four Christians were released on bail pending an appeal, but were informed on 2nd May last year that the sentences had been upheld. They were subsequently arrested in a series of raids in July last year and taken to Evin prison to serve their sentences.
