Source: World Watch Monitor, June 8, 2018
Attempts by Western politicians and media to judge whether Iranian migrants and asylum-seekers who ask to be baptized are either genuine or are doing so to boost their chances of being granted asylum are “naïve,” according to an academic who has carried out extensive research among Iranians who profess to have become Christians.
Dr. Sara Afshari, who has been helping the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark to devise a strategy for integrating Farsi-speaking migrants and refugees from Iran, Afghanistan, and Kurdistan into society and the Church, told World Watch Monitor: “I don’t like this naïve understanding of conversion by the politicians or the media saying they become Christian because their case will be strengthened. That might be one of the reasons for some—not for all.”
Her comments come as European governments look for ways to assess whether claims of conversions made by Iranians seeking asylum in their country are genuine. There are thought to be thousands of Iranians who have requested baptism in the UK, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and the Netherlands.
» Full story explores the range of meanings conversion may have in a Middle Eastern context and also looks at of the role of dreams.
» Whether you’re a dream skeptic or a dream enthusiast, you may find food for thought in When Muslims Dream of Jesus (The Gospel Coalition).