ICC Note: Some 500 churches are registered in Iran though many are abandoned and on the verge of destruction. According to reports, many of these churches are being destroyed by extremists in the country who have no care that they are national heritage sites. All the while UNESCO has praised Iran for including such churches in their list of historical sites, though ignoring the fact that many have and continue to be destroyed.

02/27/2017 Iran (Mohabat News):  A while ago, a UNESCO representative praised the Islamic Republic of Iran for including a few Armenian Historical church buildings on the list of national heritage sites. The St. Mary Church in Tehran was among the newly registered churches.

Some reports quoted Robert Biglarian, the Armenian member of the Iranian parliament, as saying “Recently, a group of extremist Muslims destroyed an Armenian church in Sava near Marivan County. Armenians have voiced their concern over this issue and officials are investigating to find those responsible.”

This is not an isolated incident. On May 12, 2016, another church called St. Mary in Salmas County in Urumia province was destroyed as well.

Some Iranian news services reported that a mal-intended group entered the church property stealthily, breaking into the church building through its roof and began destroying the cross inside the building using sledgehammers and axes. They also broke the statues of Mary and tore the pictures on the wall.

…

[Full Story]