Iranian government seizes church retreat center because of its alleged ties to CIA

The Iranian government has seized a retreat center in the city of Karaj based on allegations that the church is being funded by the CIA.

The government alleged that the retreat center is owned by an organization "funded by the US through the CIA spy agency to infiltrate the Islamic world, and particularly Iran, by conducting evangelistic activities," World Watch Monitor reported.

The center has been under the ownership of the Council of Assemblies of God (AoG) churches in Iran since the early 1970s. The AoG Church was established in the country prior to the 1979 revolution, and it is not affiliated with the AoG denomination in the U.S. Its status as a registered religious institution was reinstated after the Islamic Revolution.

Article 18, a London-based NGO, expressed its concern that the confiscation is part of a "renewed phase" in the crackdown against Protestant churches.

Former church leaders told the NGO that the "ultimate goal of the campaign is to render Protestant and Evangelical churches, with more than 630 million adherents worldwide, as an outsider cult with no official recognition in Iran."

One reason for the confiscation seemed to be related to a misunderstanding about the former name of the affiliated Central AoG Church in Tehran, which used to be known as "Philadelphia." The name is common throughout the Christian world and not necessarily linked to the famous city in the U.S.

The Executive Headquarters of Iman's Directive (EIKO), a government body under the direct control of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, asserted that the AoG is a branch of Philadelphia Churches in the U.S.

"Considering that the property belongs to the Council of Assemblies of God churches, which is a branch of Philadelphia Churches in the United States, funded by the US through the CIA spy agency ... the court issues and declares the order of confiscation of the mentioned property," EIKO stated in the notice of confiscation.

Article 18, however, pointed out that "Philadelphia" alludes to the Greek word found in the New Testament which means "brotherly love."

The General Superintendent of the AoG has expressed dismay about the confiscation and called on the government to restore the property to its rightful owner.

Article 18 along with other Iranian and European human rights organizations recently called on the international community to pressure the Iranian government to account for its treatment of Christian converts.

Iran is ranked as the ninth most difficult place to live as a Christian on the Open Doors World Watch List.