Source: International Christian Concern, December 1, 2022
I was born and raised in a [Kurdish] Muslim family in Iran. I only studied until junior high school. Then, I was expelled because I could not afford school tuition. At that time, my father became ill, and because I was the eldest of seven children, I had to replace my father as the breadwinner for my family.
As [I belong to] an ethnic minority in Iran, the government doesn’t care about my rights. For example, I do not have an ID card because the government does not provide it. Because I don’t have an ID card, I can’t work in Iran.
In 2013, I had the idea of moving to Australia to change my life. There is an agent who can make an illegal passport for me, and I had to pay around US$3,500. They said I could go to Australia by sea. At the port, the police stopped me, saying that if I wanted to go to Australia, I had to go through immigration.
At immigration, they said that I needed to go through the UN agency UNHCR and this meant I essentially had to live in prison for about 16 months. And to reach Australia, one of the countries I had to go through was Indonesia. I got a placement in jail in Indonesia. After that, I was transferred to a refugee camp in another city in Indonesia. I chose to live in Indonesia instead of continuing on to Australia.
In Indonesia, I met an Afghan named Adam. He taught me about Christianity, who God is, and the Christian faith. I became a believer in Christ.
In early 2022, my friend Hassan came to Indonesia. He was my neighbor in Iran. In September, police [in Iran] shot Hassan’s son for participating in a demonstration against the government’s obligation to wear the hijab. He survived but was scared for his life. The police are looking for Hassan’s son, but he has fled to a village in Iran.
I’m so grateful for my life now. I used to be a devout Muslim. When I learned about Christ, my heart felt peace and joy, which I had never felt before. Then, finally, I found what I was looking for.
Read Kurdish Church Growing Despite Increased Regional Tension (INcontext International). It includes background on who the Kurds are and why Iran would blame them for the current unrest.