Banking scandal(s), still in the news; ordinary Iranians endure 21.5% inflation rate

As the trial of eight defendants in Iran’s largest banking scam comes to an end, the headlines go on. Again there are allegations that the fraud of 2.6 billion dollars had connections with the government, so the semi official Mehr News Agency has as its headline – ‘Main suspect in 2.6. billion fraud case had links with ex-minister’. The suspect is Mah-Afarid Amir-Khosravi, and in court, it was said he met with a former government minister. It was also stated that the government had called Mr Khosrvavie a model job creator. As this case continues, another banking scandal has appeared in the press. The State Inspector for the province of Hormoz, Momen-Abadi, said last week that his agency had discovered that ‘tens of millions’ of euros, dollars, and tomans had been leant by a state bank to a private company without sufficient security.

The overall impact of these banking scandals is to reinforce the impression in people’s minds that crony capitalism that delivers fabulous wealth to insiders is alive and well in Iran. Meanwhile ordinary Iranians are suffering in the supermarket with prices leaping up 21.5% this year. The ever increasing cost of living is the main topic of conversation in most people’s homes, spiked with a growing sense of injustice that while they work long hours and can hardly make ends meet, there is an elite that is making vast fortunes.

In the midst of economic injustice, it is important Christians focus on preaching Christ as the One who brings true peace and wealth to our hearts.

Pray for:

• Justice to be done over the banking scandals
• Inflation to come down
• Church to be able to help those who are struggling financially.

Cancer: two thirds of cases diagnosed too late, and a culture of secrecy

At the end of this month there will be a major conference on cancer treatment in Tehran. One senior expert in the field, Dr Nematollah Rostami, has already pin pointed one of the main problems: late diagnosis. Dr Rostami says that up to two thirds of the patients found to be with cancer each year for two thirds of them (about 45,000 people) the diagnosis has come too late for treatment. This is something the conference wants to deal with. Other reports show there is a culture of secrecy when it comes to cancer. In one survey of 142 cancer patients, over half of them did not know they were suffering from the disease, and some of them who did know had been not been informed by their doctors, but by someone else. Whether this is something that needs addressing will be open to debate. Some argue that patients are happier if they do not know they have this aggressive disease. While treatment for cancer in Iran clearly needs improvement, it is ironic that outside the country, there are two Iranians who are making great advances in the treatment of the disease. Dr. Omid Farrokhzad of Harvard Medical School has produced a smart cancer drug that is capable of targeting cancer cells in animals. This could well mean that chemotherapy that attacks all the cells in the body will become something of the past. And Dr Hooshmand Sheshbaradaran in Sweden is also developing drugs that directly attack the cancer cells.

As in all countries cancer provides Christians an opportunity to share the hope of the resurrection with all concerned, and when they are sure of the Holy Spirit’s leading, to see miraculous healings in the name of Jesus.

Pray for:

· Dr Rostami and team to improve early diagnosis of cancer.

· Sensitivity over issue of disclosure.

· Christians to share and pray wisely.

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It’s the economy, stupid

Reports about last week’s parliamentary elections say there was one topic everyone was talking about: the economy. And it was not the grand place of Iran in the world’s economy they were worried about, but the rising price of their groceries, the spread of unemployment, and the problem of housing, especially in the cities. Of these three it is inflation that is probably causing the most pain. At the moment it’s running at about 20%. Nobody’s wage is rising at the same rate, so people have to constantly cut the family budget. So great is the concern over the economy, that there is even talk that President Ahmadinejad will be called to a now less than friendly parliament to explain his policies. Ironically experts have in fact supported President Ahmadinejad’s cutting of the state subsidies and reckon that this and other moves will halve Iran’s inflation rate in the next few years. Such predictions are of no comfort to the average Iranian today who is struggling to make ends meet.

Christians share this struggle even more intensely as their job security is that much more vulnerable. As believers they can easily be fired. They have little come back as the judicial system is not sympathetic to people it calls ‘apostates’. For these Christians it is an important time to prove the truth of the Scripture that the Lord will provide for all our needs.

Pray for:

• Wisdom for those running the economy
• Those struggling to look to Jesus for help
• Christians to be a witness in these difficult economic times

Answer to financial corruption: the death sentence

Iran has got used to pyramid selling scams. There was news just this month of fifteen companies being broken up. But the banking scandal last year is of a different order. About 2.6 billion dollars was embezzled using fake letters of credit. The country was shocked. The head of the Bank of Sedarat was fired, and the head of the Bank of Melli fled to Canada. He doesn’t seem keen to return. That’s not surprising as the head of the judiciary, Ayatollah Larijani, has announced that five of the 31 suspects could face the death sentence.

While Christians might raise an eyebrow over the death sentence being used, all would agree it is important to counter financial corruption. It harms everyone, especially the poor. Corruption also gives Christians a good opportunity to live out the New Testament’s call for Jesus’s disciples to live simply, and so show their neighbours that true riches are found not in the quicksand of money, but in a relationship with God through Christ.

Pray for:

• Wisdom for the judiciary dealing with the banking scandal
• Success for authorities seeking to root out corruption
• Witness of Christians in material matters

Drug war headlines in the press; headlines of restored lives in heaven

Some say Iran has four million drug users. That’s an epidemic. And each drug user drags a whole family into the nightmare. In recent weeks there have been welcome headlines of success about police arrests of drug dealers. The Mehr news agency reports on January 3rd that the authorities broke nine major drug rings, killing four dealers, arresting 38, and confiscating 10 tons of narcotics. On January 8th the Tehran police arrested 250 criminals, including drug dealers. On January 9th there is a report from the border police, who have confiscated nine tons of narcotics. And there are also stories of government determination to deal with the new ‘psychoactive drugs’ with the death sentence. All Christians should pray for these ‘authorities who do not bear the sword in vain’.
There are no stories though in the press about drug addicts being set free and living a normal healthy life. Perhaps that is because so many have had an encounter with Jesus Christ. There are many such restored drug addicts in the Iranian church. Their stories are not in the papers, but they are certainly in heaven, and are known to ordinary Christians.
Jesus Christ is truly the One who can break the curse of drugs that is blighting the lives of so many in Iran. The need for the church to have experienced and trained counsellors who can deal with desperate addicts is great. As is the potential. For the drug addict of today, is the church pioneer of tomorrow. They tend to be the most passionate followers of Christ. They know He has truly lifted them out of hell.

Pray for:

• Authorities fighting drug barons
• Holy Spirit to bring conviction to those in drug trade
• For witness of ex drug addicts in the church

Sanctions, danger in the air

Iran’s air safety record is not brilliant. Since 2002 at least 474 passengers have been killed in air crashes. As well as weather conditions another reason given is the lack of spare parts for maintaining the aeroplanes. With the new sanctions just passed by the West this is going to get a whole lot worse. So much so that one of Iran’s most famous pilots Captain Hooshang Shahbazi, has launched an international campaign demanding sanctions on spare parts for civilian planes are lifted. Captain Shahbazi shot to international fame when he safely landed an Iran Air Boeing 727 without its front landing gear at Tehran’s Mehrabad airport on October 18th. There were no casualties.

Pray for:
• Spare parts for civilian aircraft so Iranians can have safety in the air
• Overall maintenance of civilian fleets
• Wisdom of officials to improve safety.

75 million: new population figures, new pressures for church and state

The early findings of Iran’s National Population and Housing census show that the country’s population is now about 75 million. That’s five million more than it was five years ago. Part of the reason for the hike might be President Ahmadinejad. He has poured scorn on family planning as a Western, secular import and encouraged Iranians to have large families, saying the country could support another 50 million on top of the then 70 million. Last year he backed this call up with a promise to give a grant to every family that has a new child. It would seem there has been a response.

These new population figures will bring new pressures, especially in the economy. Unemployment runs at about 11%, but is up to 30% for teenagers and young adults. The rise in population will exacerbate this. To deal with this the government might enlarge the state sector even more, to provide jobs, but this might hamper the sort of investment that will create real employment.

The church has no argument with large families. They are a blessing. But these new population figures do bring a challenge. There are now five million more people to reach with the Gospel. This is a good reminder for church leaders to think big.

Pray for:

• Wisdom for Iran’s planners.
• Creation of jobs.
• Expansion of evangelistic programmes to reach.

Climate change: floods in the South West, dried up lake in the North West

On Monday 21st November floods have killed eight people and made another 60,000 plus homeless in the SW provinces of Khuzestan and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad. Iran’s major relief charity, the Iranian Red Crescent Society, has been involved giving out temporary shelters and medical help. In the North West of the country there is still intense anger over Lake Urmia which is fast drying up. This will destroy much of the agriculture the area depends on. Locals blame the building of a dam. To allay this anger the government have recently promised over $200 million to rectify the problem.
It is in desperate poverty that people genuinely turn to God in their hearts. May this be the case in these two tragedies.

Pray for:

• The flood victims in the South West of Iran
• The farmers in the North West
• For all who are in desperate need to hear the Gospel

Banking scandal, injustice in the air

Iran’s $2.8 billion banking scam is still very much in the headlines. This week President Ahmadinejad’s Economic’s Minister, Shamseddin Hosseini, faced an impeachment motion in parliament. He survived. There have also been calls for the President to present himself before the house to answer questions about the scandal. There is no indication he will go. Over in Canada the man at the centre of the scandal, Mahmoud Reza Khavari,has reportedly given a $3 million house to his daughter, and while some politicians there are calling for him to be stripped of his citizenship, and Iran is demanding his return – no flights are booked.

All of this is leaving a sense of injustice in the air. With this case continuing to get air time and print space, the feeling there is an elite controlling the economy who can get away with making vast fortunes at the expense of the ordinary man inevitably gets stronger. For Christians this is an opportunity to emphasize that Jesus Christ bluntly said you can either love God or money, and to demonstrate that a true believer lives a simple life.

Pray for:

• Justice to be done in this case

• Christians to set an example regarding materialism

• Church to support the poor

2.8 billion dollar banking scandal, Iranians not impressed

As ordinary Iranians battle with rising inflation, they are not impressed that seven of their banks have lost 2.8 billion dollars in the worst banking scam Iran has known. Earlier this month, reports began to circulate that from June 2009 till August 2011, businessman Mah-Afarid Khosravi forged letters of credit from the country’s second largest bank, Bank Sederat, and passed these on to other banks, including the famous Bank Meli. The funds were then used to start about forty different companies. There has been widespread condemnation of the corruption, and the government has said it is determined to deal with the crime robustly. However, some are saying that a scam involving such large amounts of money could not have happened without the involvement of insiders. There are also questions as to why Mr Khosravi was so conveniently allowed to leave the country. The news will underline the impression in many minds that there is an elite in Iran whose financial dealings within the state are not open to enough public scrutiny. The rise and fall of Mr Khosravi and those who helped him provides the church with living example of the man in Jesus’ parable who greedily thought full barns was the only need for a happy life.

Pray for:

• Justice in this particular case.
• Wisdom to make Iran’s public finances more accountable.
• Church to preach Christ and poverty better than riches and hell.

Salt Lake Protests

Lake Urmia in the north west of Iran is drying up. Some blame drought. Others global warming; Others aggressive agricultural policies. The locals view the shrinking lake as a disaster, especially farmers and those who live off tourism, and whatever the cause, they believe the government should be able to do something. So last week there were protests in the region’s capital, Tabriz. They were put down fairly forcefully by the authorities who say its global warming – i.e. out of their hands. Behind the lake there is also race. Most of the people in this region are Azeri, Turks, and those who like fanciful conspiracy theories have been saying the dying lake is a part of some sinister plot to empty the area of Azeris.

Pray for:

• Wisdom for experts to know how best to restore the lake

• Locals whose lives depend on the lake

• The racial element of the dispute to be eliminated

Internet, talk of switching off the world wide web

Iran was one of the first countries in the Middle East to go on line and now more than thirty three million Iranians love the World Wide Web and all it brings. But not all in the government are happy. There is the fear of Islamic values being undermined, and there is the net’s political impact, seen with the 2009 demonstrations which relied heavily on the social networking sites. The authorities have always been vigilant, not hesitating to block thousands of websites they do not like. Many of these sites are pornographic and Iran should be applauded for its stance against the sex trade. However many other sites, including Christian sites, can also be banned.

 Now there are reports that Iran is seeking to develop an Iran only internet, which once developed would mean the whole country can be cut off from the world wide web. If this policy is implemented it is likely it will cause a lot of social stress. Apart from frustrating the millions of Iranians who enjoy communicating with their friends and family outside Iran through facebook and skype, and keeping in touch with the wider world, there could also be serious implications for business. There will certainly be serious implications for the church. Christians outside Iran have long been using the Internet to both share the Good News of Christ and teach new believers. All this work would be threatened if this policy is successful.

Pray for:

• Iranian authorities to have wisdom to block evil sites

• Iran stays on line with the rest of the world

• Christians continue to use the net wisely and well

An eye for an eye: Justice for Ameneh Bahrami

A horrific acid attack on Ameneh Bahrami by the man she turned down for marriage has left her blind and disfigured, and much unease hanging over Iran’s legal system. According to the country’s laws, Ms Bahrami is allowed to ask the court for retribution, and she insisted on her rights. Accordingly last week she was due to drop acid into the eyes of her attacker, Majid Movahedi and blind him. But at the 11th hour the sentence was postponed. It is not known now what will happen.

 Though some argue in favor of letting the victim of a crime demand ‘blood money’ – especially those who believe that sentencing in some countries is too lenient – when it comes to putting it into practice, as has nearly happened in this case, there is unease. There is unease over the victim having the final say over the sentence, and unease of how barbaric the punishments can be, as in this case. Not surprisingly there is a whole range of opinion on how Ameneh Bahrami should be given justice. Iran’s lawmakers need wisdom. And in this debate it is important that Christians remind their country men that Jesus taught there is a higher law than brutal revenge: ‘You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.’

Pray for:

• Wisdom for Iran’s law makers in this case, and others
• Christ to visit both Ameneh Bahrami and Majid Movahedi
• Rule of law always to be above all citizens.