Iran Ambassador: Christians Live Most Freely In Iran (Except For The Ones We Toss In Prison)

Over the past 2 weeks, Iran has arrested about 70 Christians.

But despite that, the Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon from claims Mideast Christians live most freely in Iran:

Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon Ghazanfar Roknabadi denounced Tuesday attacks targeting Christians in the Middle East, saying he did not rule out the possibility that Zionism stood behind them. “We do not accept [these attacks]. Around 250,000 Christians are living in security and peace in Iran, enjoying their full civil, humanitarian and political rights equally with Muslims,” he said during a visit to the Christian religious television station Tele Lumiere.
Roknabadi hoped that all Muslim states would follow Tehran’s lead in dealing with “the Christians who live more freely in Iran than in any other Middle Eastern country.” “Iran is always seeking to help all weak states that are subjected to violations by Israel, especially Lebanon,” said the ambassador. A Jan.1 bomb attack on a Coptic church in Alexandria, Egypt, left 23 worshippers dead, and 58 worshippers were killed in an attack on a Chaldean church in Baghdad on Oct. 31

Personally, I take Roknabadi at his word that he hopes that the rest of the Muslim world will follow Iran's lead in dealing with Christians.

After all, according to The Wall Street Journal, the Christians being arrested are apparently either converts from Islam or have been trying to convert Muslims--both of which are punishable by death.

I suppose there is a reason that when Roknabadi claimed that Christians enjoy "full civil, humanitarian and political rights equally with Muslims"--he didn't mention religious rights as well.

Technorati Tag: Muslim Persecution Of Christians and Iran.