The protests in Iran are now the “bloodiest confrontation in the Islamic Republic’s history.” The protest started after the death of a young Kurdish woman under the custody of the Islamic Republic’s morality police. Her death has reignited anger over issues including restrictions on personal freedoms in Iran, the strict dress codes for women, and an economy reeling from sanctions. Women have played a prominent role in the protests, waving and burning their veils. Some have publicly cut their hair as furious crowds called for the fall of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Read more here:
Jerusalem Post, by Jonathan Spyer, “Iran Protest: Inside the Kurdish Uprising Against the Iranian Regime” (December 16, 2022)
All Arab News, “Who are the Kurdish people? And what are the implications of their presence in Iran, the larger Middle East?” (October 20, 2022)
Reuter, by Jerusalem Post Staff “What are the protests in Iran about and why are they continuing? A look at why the protests are happening in Iran, how the Iranian regime is responding, what the world is saying and what can be done?” (September 25, 2022)
State media quoted Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in October as saying Iran must ‘deal decisively with those who oppose the country’s security and tranquility.” At least three times a week, mobile Internet has been disrupted in Iran. Activists say the move is intended to prevent video footage of the violence from reaching the world.
In Jonathan Spyer’s latest article published in the Jerusalem Post and the Middle East Forum, the latest news from Iran suggests a sharp intensification of regime tactics. The regime decided that ongoing containment was no longer an option three months in. So far, 458 people have been killed in the Iranian regime’s responses to the demonstrations, including 63 children and 29 women, according to the Iranian human rights organization.
Spyer interviewed some of the Kurdish leaders from the Kurdish region of Iran, and on their position via a vie the regime in Tehran and the protests. He quoted the PAK leader on the matter of Kurdish statehood, saying:
“If Israel didn’t have its own state, there would be another Holocaust. So having a state is the only way to guarantee the safety and sovereignty of the nation. I want a free and independent Kurdish state. But, of course, the people themselves must decide this.”
Let us pray for the nation of Iran at this very critical time.
How to pray for Iran:
- Pray for those who have lost family in the protests – pray for comfort over mothers and fathers who lost their children.
- Pray for the protestors – for wisdom and protection from guards shooting at them.
- Pray for provision – for financial and material provisions in this trying season.
- Pray for the body of Christ – to be strengthened with God’s power according to His glorious might so that they may have great endurance and patience in this season of trial and persecution (Colossians 1:9-12).
- Pray for the prophetic destiny of Iran – that God would be enthroned in Iran (Jeremiah 49:34-39).
- Pray for the Kurds of Iran – they are a large minority in Iran, numbering about 10 million, and are at the center of the protests. There is a growing house church movement among them and our prayers for them at this time are crucial. Many other Kurds from Iran are fleeing the country into N. Iraq. Pray for Christian Organizations to receive them in N. Iraq.
Thank you for standing with our friends and the body of Messiah in Iran at this time.
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