Christianity in Iran

The Christians in Iran represent between 0.4 and 0.8 % of the country's population and were widespread before the arrival of Islam in the country. Today, they only represent a small minority in a majority Shiite Muslim country. The Christian communities of Iran are among the oldest Christian communities around the world.

History and legal

Christianity in Iran has a long history behind it, it exists in the country already from the very early years of the faith. The Iranian Christianity had a much larger presence than today in the past. Christians in Iran have once played a significant role in the history of Christian mission - today proselytizing is forbidden under penalty, and may be punished by death. Also, Muslims who convert to Christianity be executed. There are around 600 churches in Iran ..

After the introduction of a parliamentary system by the Constitutional Revolution in 1906, Iranian Jews, Zoroastrians and Christians were fixed seats in the Iranian parliament and were recognized as a minority religions. The constitutional recognition of minority religions was also maintained after the Islamic Revolution in 1979. So Christian marriages were still possible even after 1979. In other areas of life, the Christians were subjected by the Islamization of the previously secular legal system aligned to Islamic law, why in the 80s and 90s, many left the country.

Confessions

The Christians in Iran are a religious group, consists of about 110000-250000 Armenians, Assyrians 15-30000 and a small number of Catholics, Anglicans and other Protestants who are only a very small proportion of converts from the 19th century.

Churches of the Armenian rite

There is a community of 180,000 Armenian Apostolic Christians in Iran. Other sources give the number to 150,000 Armenian -born Christians. The Armenians are now predominantly urban regions concentrated mainly in Tehran and Isfahan; smaller communities exist in Tabriz, Arak and other cities. In 2004, there were among the approximately 70 million inhabitants of Iran estimated 110000-250000 members of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the largest Christian community in Iran.

Churches of the Syrian rite

There is a small community of only 15,000 Assyrians. A majority of the Assyrians are also urban influenced, although there are still several Assyrian villages in the area of Lake Urmia.

There are also about 25,000 Chaldean Christians in Iran, that members of the rom- Uniate Assyrian Church.