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  Since the sixteenth century, Shiite Islam and the Iranian state have been intertwined. However, under the Pahlavi monarchy, Iran maintained a friendship with the West and, with that, basic human rights. With the overthrow of the Shah in 1979 and the installation of a theocratic Shiite government, any religious freedom for faiths other than Shiite Islam was crushed, despite constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion.
In recent years, there has been some upheaval, as many of the people rebel against the strict standards of the religious authorities, including in the area of human rights. Some openness to change was shown in January 2003 when the non-Muslims gained some of the same rights as Muslims, in regard to payments to the families of those killed. This is contrary to the strict interpretations of Sharia law that had been followed. Christians make up less than one-half of one percent of the population. Open witness to Muslims is banned and government spies monitor Christian groups. One such group was arrested In September 2004. A group of Assemblies of God believers had gathered for their conference when police arrived, blindfolding every person in attendance and leading them away for questioning. Ten pastors were detained, but a few days later, only Hamid Pourmand remained in prison. During his incarceration, he had minimal contact with his family, and faced continual pressure to convert to Islam. His wife and sons were dependent on the generosity of fellow believers, having been stripped of Pastor Pourmand’s salary. Thankfully, due to international pressure, he was acquitted of blasphemy charges in conjunction with his conversion to Christianity twenty-five years earlier. A conviction of blasphemy could very well have resulted in the death penalty under Shariah law. Pastor Pourmand was released early on July 20, 2006, but was warned that attending church services could revoke his release orders and force him to serve the remaining fourteen months of his sentence. Believers are also discriminated against in education, employment, and property ownership and several pastors have been murdered. Although missions are not allowed to enter Iran, a growing number of Muslims have converted to Christianity. Those who do convert, however, often face serious danger to themselves and their families and may seek refugee status abroad; something that foreign governments are not always willing to grant, as shown in two cases involving Canada in 2002 and 2003. There are also possibilities of evangelizing the millions of Iranians who live abroad, including more than two million in the United States. Prayer Requests
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