Christian student arrested in Iran for sharing faith on campus

Mostafa Zangooyee is accused of propagating the Christian faith

A Christian student has been arrested in Iran, accused of sharing his faith at the university he attends.

Mostafa Zangooyee (24) was detained by plain-clothes security officers on 30 June as he was leaving his home. He was taken away to an undisclosed location and there is no information about his condition or whereabouts.

The arresting officers later contacted Mostafa’s parents to inform them of the arrest and charges against their son; he is accused of evangelism and propagating the Christian faith on his university campus.

Mostafa, who is from Gachsaran in south-west Iran, remains in custody.

His arrest follows a report in Iranian daily newspaper Keyhan, which is closely managed by the strict Islamic government, that a professor had been sacked for propagating Christianity at the university where he taught.

It said that the professor at the Free (Azad) University of Iran in Ahvaz had been openly sharing the Christian faith with students and staff, and once this was discovered, he was immediately dismissed.

The article warned about the dangers and rapid growth of Christianity among university students and academic staff.

Evangelism among Muslims is strictly forbidden in Iran, where the growth of the Church is viewed as a threat by the country’s hard-line Islamic regime.

There has been a severe crackdown on Christians over the last year; the arrests of more than 250 Christians have been confirmed, but the actual number is thought to be much higher.

– barnabusfund