09/14/2019 Iran (International Christian Concern) – Iran’s Minister of Education, Mohsen Haji Mirzaei, commented at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday that children who profess an unrecognized faith should be banned from school. He justified this suggestion by saying that these children are engaging in propaganda.
However, later that day, Mirzaei made comments on twitter which partially retracted these comments. He affirmed that education is the right of all children and referenced the Iranian constitution which says that “no one should be molested or taken to task simply for holding a certain belief.” Yet, Mirzaei did write that the promotion of illegal sects should not take place within a legal education environment. This type of language is often used to reference the Baha’i faith and Evangelical Christians.
Iran is an officially Islamic nation, and the government views any non-Islamic religion has an inherent national security threat. The government has come under increased international pressure and domestic unrest has generated much concern within leadership circles.
