TELL TRUMP THERE ARE CHRISTIANS IN IRAN BEFORE HE BLOWS IT UP – By Steve Wintermute

The United States is a religiously diverse nation and has been since before its founding. However, the current United States President, Donald J. Trump, considers himself the protector of only one – Christianity. “We are going to protect Christianity and we do not have to be politically correct about it.” “For a religious leader to question a person’s faith is disgraceful. I am proud to be a Christian, and as president, I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened, unlike what is happening now.” “That is a terrible situation, isn’t it? Where they can say we don’t like the way you’re speaking about Christianity, about God. We don’t like what you just said and we’re gonna take away your tax-exempt status which you know how important it is.” 

“Christianity is under siege. I’m Protestant, Presbyterian, and I’m proud of it. Other religions frankly are banding together, we need to band together.”

Our Christian President started a war with Iran using the pretext that it had nuclear weapons aimed at the U. S. even though almost a year earlier he claimed his bombers had “utterly destroyed” Iran’s nuclear capacity.

 He has often threatened to destroy the country. “'For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving Fast, or there won't be anything left of them. Time Is Of The Essence! President DJT.” “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will …” “We have a plan because of the power of our military where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o’clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be used again.”

And just the other day, Trump also warned Oman, our ally in the region, against partnering with Iran to jointly control the strait (of Hormuz). “Oman will behave just like everybody else or we’ll have to blow them up.”

What the Protector of Christianity has never mentioned, likely because he is ignorant of it, is that there are Christians in Iran and Oman. So when he threatens to destroy both countries, he is threatening to kill not only millions of Muslims, whom he wholesale labels terrorists, but also thousands of Christians.

There is little official record of Christianity in Oman until the arrival of the Portuguese in 1504. Today, almost all Christians (about 3.63% of the population) in Oman are from other countries. Most of them are from the Philippines, India or Western countries, and they are concentrated in the country's urban areas of Muscat, Sohar, and Salalah. More than 50 different Christian groups, fellowships, and assemblies are active in the Muscat metropolitan area. The Protestant Church of Oman, the Catholic vicariate, the Eastern Orthodox Parish and the al Amana Center (interdenominational Christian). There is also a Christian cemetery located in Muscat.   

In Iran, Christianity dates back to the early years of the religion. From the beginning, it has always been a minority of the population under Iran’s different state religions: Zoroastrianism in ancient Persia, Sunni Islam in the Middle Ages after the Arab conquest, then Shia Islam since the Safavid conversion of the 15th century.

A number of Christian denominations are currently represented in Iran. The oldest and most numerous are the Armenians and Assyrians both having their own distinctive cultures and languages. The newer and smaller denominations are drawn both from the traditionally Christian ethnic minorities and converts from a non-Christian (mainly Muslims) background. The major Christian churches in Iran are, in descending order by approximate numbers of adherents: Armenian Apostolic Church, Assyrian Church of the East, Catholic Church in three different rites: (Chaldean, Armenian and Latin), Assyrian Evangelical Church Presbyterian, Assyrian Pentecostal Church, Jamaʿat-e Rabbani (Iranian Assemblies of God), Anglican Diocese of Iran, and Russian Orthodox Church. There are also house churches which operate out of members’ homes.

It is estimated that the Armenian and Assyrian churches have around 300,000 adherents each and that all the others together have between 7,000 and 15,000.

“… as president, I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened.”

“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.”

Trump cannot have it both ways.

Steve Wintermute is a journalist and history student. Contact him at stevewintermute1@gmail.com.