ICC Note: A new report from a London based nonprofit has found that the internet is an essential tool in empowering Iran’s Christian minorities. Used by religious minorities, the internet allows them to connect with other similar minorities around the world, document the persecution they face, and even reach out for additional help. As Christian converts continue to face more persecution, the internet has been essential in giving them continued hope for help.

06/27/14 Iran (Mohabat News) – A new report by the London based non-profit group Small Media says the Internet is playing an “essential role” in empowering Iran’s repressed religious minorities who are banned from public places and platforms.

Among the minorities are the Baha’is, who are not recognized in the Constitution of the Islamic republic; evangelical Christians, who can face the death penalty for converting from Islam; and Sufis, such as the Gonabadi dervishes, who have come under attack over their interpretation of Islam.

Ahmed Shaheed, the United Nations special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, wrote in his March report that Baha’is are “almost exclusively” prosecuted for facilitating educational services and publicly engaging in religious practices. Shaheed wrote that Christian converts have also faced a similar pattern of persecution. He also noted increased state pressure on Sufis and also Sunni Muslims who face limits in their religious practices.

The report by Small Media, titled “Heretics,” says these groups have turned to the Internet to create faith networks that span not just Iran, but the world.

The increasing use of the Internet by these groups comes amid state filtering of all their major websites.

“As the Iranian state cracks down on Christian and Baha’i evangelism and minority political activism on the ground, it is simultaneously waging a war against religious minority communities online and on the airwaves,” the report notes.

Countering Oppression With Creativity

Despite this ongoing war, religious activists are migrating to cyberspace in an effort to evade state surveillance and get news of the state’s human rights abuses out to the international community.

James Marchant, research manager at Small Media, said religious communities are using the Internet and satellite channels creatively in the face of the state oppression they face.

Marchant told RFE/RL that different groups make use of online technology based on their needs.

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