Ain Ebel, a Christian village in South Lebanon, November 2024. csi
On February 28, Israel and the United States attacked the Islamic Republic of Iran, killing the country’s supreme leader, the Ayatollah Khamenei. Iranian forces have retaliated by attacking U.S. allies across the region. On March 2, Iran’s ally in Lebanon, Hezbollah, attacked Israel, and Israel began air and ground attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon, in areas where many Christians live. Northern Iraq, another area with a large Christian population, has also come under attack from Iranian forces, who are targeting U.S. bases and allies in the area.
All across the greater Middle East and North Africa, Christians and their neighbors are being affected by this new war. Below, we have collected some of the reports CSI has received from our partners in these countries, and other Christian voices.
Like everyone, Christians in the greater Middle East hold a variety of opinions on the current crisis. The voices below do not speak for CSI, but we believe they should be heard.
CSI’s statement on this new conflict can be found here.
Lebanon
CSI’s local partner writes:
“Christians in Alma Chaab, near the border with Israel, were ordered to evacuate their homes by the Israeli army; many took refuge in the village church and rang the bells as a sign of resistance, refusing to abandon their homes for fear that Hezbollah will occupy them, as happened during the 2024 Israel-Hezbollah war. In Ain Ebel, the stance is similar: dozens of families, including many children, are refusing to leave, despite fears that their homes will be hit by Israeli missiles.”
Iraq
A prominent Christian leader writes:
“People are very afraid of the Iranian strikes falling on Erbil and its suburb Ankawa. Many Christians are leaving Erbil for the Nineveh plain, but even there, there are clashes between militia groups. I am receiving many phone calls from people asking me, ‘What should we do? Where should we go?’ Horrible questions with no answer. I told them I do not know, but like our grandparents and parents, we must endure. Our whole country is occupied by Iran-backed militias, which are now being targeted. We hope that Israel and the U.S. will not target Christian militias, which have the mission to preserve order in Christian villages.”
Pakistan
A Christian human rights lawyer writes:
“Pakistan shares a border with Iran, and the war is having a terrible social and economic impact on Pakistan. Prices are skyrocketing and people cannot buy food. Protestors have attacked U.S. consulates in Lahore and Karachi and burned vehicles while marching on the U.S. embassy in Islamabad. The UN office in Sakardu was burnt to ashes. Pakistani Christians are terrified. The Muslim majority sees the war as a war against Muslims by the Kafirs (Christians and Jews). Unless the war ends, the lives and properties of Christians in Pakistan will be at risk. Our utmost need is for the war to end and for negotiations to resolve these issues peacefully.”
Nigeria
An Anglican pastor writes:
“Radical Islamic preachers in Nigeria are mobilizing people for vengeance. Many of them are encouraging their followers to attack Nigerian Christians, in response to the United States’ attack on Iran. There is a real danger that churches may be attacked soon.”
Iran (Armenian community)
A member of the political council of the Armenian Apostolic Church writes:
“The situation is extremely tense in Tehran. None of the Armenians in our community have been killed so far, but our schools are closed and our cultural center has been damaged. Our youth organizations are making the rounds, checking in on the families in our community and making sure they have everything they need. We are standing here tall and strong next to our Armenian communities.
“We hope this unjustified war is over soon. We are mourning all the lives lost who perished in the name of Iran. The Armenian community and our Church in Iran is standing next to all of our Iranian compatriots who are defending our nation and Iran’s territorial integrity and unity. We pray for them.”
Iran (World Iranian Christian Alliance)
The World Iranian Christian Alliance released this statement on January 20, before the beginning of the current conflict, in response to the Iranian regime’s massacre of thousands of protestors in January:
“The World Iranian Christian Alliance, with profound sorrow, unequivocally condemns in the strongest possible terms the widespread, systematic, and brutal killing of Iranian protesting citizens in recent days, which—according to reports, physical evidence, and published images—has resulted in the deaths of thousands of defenceless people. What has occurred over these past days is not merely the suppression of protests, but a new chapter of state violence and the commission of crimes that, from the perspective of international law, may constitute crimes against humanity—crimes that are virtually unprecedented in Iran’s contemporary history.
“In these dark and decisive moments, inspired by the Holy Scriptures, we consider ourselves to be ‘prisoners of hope’, for in Christ—even in the darkest times—we believe in the triumph of light over darkness. The perseverance of the Iranian people conveys a message filled with hope and human dignity—a message that not only inspires us, but has also the awakened the conscience of the world, while simultaneously creating a moral and human responsibility for solidarity and effective action in response.”
