public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance,
practice and teaching. (Article 18.1)
The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran names the Twelver Ja’fari School of Shia Islam
as the state religion and stipulates that “other Islamic schools are to be accorded full respect, and
their followers are free to act in accordance with their own jurisprudence in performing their
religious rites” (Article 12).6 Article 13 of the Constitution provides that the Zoroastrian, Jewish,
and Christian Iranians “are the only recognized religious minorities” under Iranian law. Because
there are no laws safeguarding the right of religious minorities to worship, maintain places of
worship or assemble, the structural exclusion of other religious minorities leaves them without
legal protection to manifest and practice their religion or belief.
Religious minorities recognized by Articles 12 and 13 of the Constitution, have few places of
worship compared to their numbers. Sunnis are not allowed to build new mosques in major cities,
including Tehran. In addition, a number of Sunni religious seminaries have been destroyed by the
government7 and authorities have reportedly been closing Sunni mosques or preventing Sunnis
from gathering for congregational prayers.8 Only 1% of religious temples in Iran are non-Muslim.9
In Tehran, there are about 15 churches for 43,987 Christians (one church every 2932 Christians).
10
The lack of official places of worship forces religious minorities to gather in informal assemblies
inside their own home, frequently termed “house churches,”11 or in underground prayer halls
(namaz khane)12 which often get dismantled by Iranian authorities.13 House churches are often
being raided by the government on the basis that they do not hold necessary permits from the
authorities. Attendees are arrested and imprisoned on charges of “acting against national security
by organizing and conducting house-churches” or “propaganda against the state and insulting the
sacred Iranian establishment.”14
6
The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, English translation, https://irandataportal.syr.edu/wpcontent/uploads/constitution-english-1368.pdf
7
Joint submission to the Human Rights Committee from All Human Rights for All in Iran, Association for Human Rights in
Kurdistan – Geneva, Association for the Human Rights of the Azerbaijani People in Iran, Iran Human Rights Documentation
Center, OutRight International, Siamak Pourzand Foundation, Small Media, Impact Iran, 2020,
<https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CCPR/Shared%20Documents/IRN/INT_CCPR_NGO_IRN_42317_E.pdf>
8
Rights Denied: Violations against ethnic and religious minorities in Iran, https://minorityrights.org/wpcontent/uploads/2018/03/Rights-Denied-Violations-against-ethnic-and-religious-minorities-in-Iran.pdf
9
Based on Province annual data reports, as of 2018.
10
Based on Province annual data reports, as of 2018.
11
Joint submission to the Human Rights Committee from The World Evangelical Alliance, Open Doors, Christian Solidarity
Worldwide, Middle East Concern, Article 18, 29 May 2020 , https://articleeighteen.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/F3430b2020-JointReport_Iran_HRCttee_ListOfIssues-dragged-1.pdf
12
2019 Report on International Religious Freedom: Iran, U.S. Department of State, https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-reporton-international-religious-freedom/iran/
13
Joint submission to the Human Rights Committee from The World Evangelical Alliance, Open Doors, Christian Solidarity
Worldwide, Middle East Concern, Article 18, 29 May 2020 , https://articleeighteen.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/F3430b2020-JointReport_Iran_HRCttee_ListOfIssues-dragged-1.pdf
14
Joint submission to the Human Rights Committee from The World Evangelical Alliance, Open Doors, Christian Solidarity
Worldwide, Middle East Concern, Article 18, 29 May 2020 , https://articleeighteen.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/F3430b2020-JointReport_Iran_HRCttee_ListOfIssues-dragged-1.pdf
2