Friday, July 23, 2010
A Burden of Dangerous Proof
I sat in on a difficult meeting yesterday. An Iranian couple I know fled Iran because of threats connected to their conversion to Christianity. Their case has not been accepted by the Home Office, who say that our friends are not genuine Christians. The only way they can reopen their case is through submitting new evidence.
The struggle for this couple is to find some proof, outside their own testimony, that the came to faith in Iran. This means that they would need to make some sort of contact with the underground church they were a part of, or other contacts who shared Christianity, or family, and get a statement that can be used in court.
This seems like a simple thing, but not in reality. Any evidence they can gather from Iran will mean putting other Christians in their country at risk.
My Iranian friend asked, “If we get this evidence, does it mean that we will be granted asylum?”
The legal representatives answered, “No, there is never any guarantee, but it would help your case.”
He responded, “Even if we were certain that we would receive asylum with this evidence, I would not want to be responsible for putting any other Christians at risk, how could I do that?”
The couple is between a rock and a hard place. Getting the evidence they need could put people they know in Iran in grave danger. But without this evidence, it is unlikely Home Office will accept their case and possibly deport them. Ironically, this concern for others confirms to me that they take their faith seriously, echoing Paul’s instruction to “do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus” (Phil 2:3-5). They would sacrifice their own future to ensure their friends' safety. When applied to this context, Apostle Paul's instruction seems to have more weight than it is often given.
The struggle for this couple is to find some proof, outside their own testimony, that the came to faith in Iran. This means that they would need to make some sort of contact with the underground church they were a part of, or other contacts who shared Christianity, or family, and get a statement that can be used in court.
This seems like a simple thing, but not in reality. Any evidence they can gather from Iran will mean putting other Christians in their country at risk.
My Iranian friend asked, “If we get this evidence, does it mean that we will be granted asylum?”
The legal representatives answered, “No, there is never any guarantee, but it would help your case.”
He responded, “Even if we were certain that we would receive asylum with this evidence, I would not want to be responsible for putting any other Christians at risk, how could I do that?”
The couple is between a rock and a hard place. Getting the evidence they need could put people they know in Iran in grave danger. But without this evidence, it is unlikely Home Office will accept their case and possibly deport them. Ironically, this concern for others confirms to me that they take their faith seriously, echoing Paul’s instruction to “do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus” (Phil 2:3-5). They would sacrifice their own future to ensure their friends' safety. When applied to this context, Apostle Paul's instruction seems to have more weight than it is often given.
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