Half the World
Diocesan Press Service. May 6, 1966 [43-2]
Ralph S. Dean, Executive Officer, Anglican Communion
That is what the people of Isfahan, in Iran, proudly call their city, partly because it once was just that, and partly because the Persian's love of poetry couldn't resist the temptation, since the Persian for 'half the world' (Nesf-I-jahan) rhymes so nicely with Isfahan! Half the world it is not, but a wonderful city it certainly is, as I discovered when I toured it with the Rt. Rev. Hassan Deqhani Tafti, the Anglican Bishop in Iran. Incredibly beautiful mosques with their graceful, tapering minarets; people of the utmost gentleness and charm; the inexhaustible treasures of the bazaar, the busy industry of everyone as they prepared for the Persian New Year (which so aptly coincides with the Spring equinox)- all combined to make indelible impressions on my mind.
I spent ten days in Iran, seeing something of its capital, Teheran, the lovely city of Shiraz (which the people claim to be the home of roses and nightingales), the oil field territory of Ahwaz in Khuzistan, and Abadan, the largest oil distribution centre in the world, to say nothing of side trips to the tombs of Cyrus and Darius, and the ancient ruins of Persepolis.
Thanks in no small measure to the energetic efforts of the Shah, justly loved for his concern for his country - witness particularly the use of military service lads in his attack on illiteracy in the villages - Iran is on the march. And the Church is on the march too.
Iran is a Muslim country, yet I sensed there a greater feeling of liberality than I have felt in other Muslim lands. Partly this may be due to the fact that the Shiah Islam of Iran is more liberal than the orthodox Sunnite Islam of other Muslim countries and undoubtedly is partly due to the innate gentleness and courtesy of the Persian people. Whatever the reason, I saw the Church making headway in its witness to our Lord and in winning disciples to Him.
Of the 2,000 Anglicans in Iran, one-half are Persians and most of them are converts from Islam, Judaism or Zoroastrianism. Nor is this the result of proselytism. It is due to the fact that in the Christian community the people of Iran see a compassion and a concern for people which in the religious sphere is a new conception to them. The Bishop is a Persian and so are half of his twelve clergy and they too are converts.
I saw the concern of Christ for the sick and needy as I watched doctors and nurses at work in hospitals in Isfahan and Shiraz - and of course there are others. Actions speak louder than words, especially when the actions spring out of devotion to Christ, nurtured by the prayer meeting that takes place at the beginning of the day in each hospital.
I saw the same thing in the Noor school (which means School of Light) in Teheran, under the leadership of a wonderful Jewish Christian lady, Miss Gertrude Norullah, soon to retire. Like the sick people in the hospitals and their families, here in school Muslim and Jewish girls are exposed to the quality of Christian witness and radiance which needs few if any words.
Let no one think though that it is easy for a Muslim to become a Christian even in liberal Iran. There is almost certain to be persecution, even if it is social and economic rather than directly physical. And in one place I heard of organized and vocal opposition by the Mullah at the weekly evangelistic service held in one church. Some members of the church thought that police protection should be sought, but the young Persian priest would have none of it. The Bishop supported him and said, with a glint in his eye, "Wherever there is trouble there is always fruit". I was reminded of St. Paul's words: "A great door and an effectual is opened unto me, AND there are many adversaries." (Most of us would have said BUT instead of AND, but St. Paul knew better and so does Bishop Deqhani Tafti.)
The Anglican Church and the Presbyterian Church are the strongest Christian communities in Iran, even though together they constitute only a tiny fraction of the total population. It was good to see the measure of co-operation and of joint action between them, and good to see that it is steadily growing.
After an exciting drive through a minor sandstorm from Abadan on the Persian Gulf to Ahwaz in the oil fields, I met with the Khuzistan Christian Council formed jointly by Presbyterians and Anglicans and entirely indigenous. The local Church has a Persian Anglican priest as its pastor at the moment, and there was no doubt that merely denominational affairs have a very secondary place. Indeed, the younger members of the Council want to know why in Persia there had to be denominations at all.
Why indeed! Alas, 400 years of history cannot be written off that easily, but it is time we realized what an irritation its burden is to the so-called 'younger churches', and what an obvious hindrance to its work it is.
Doors are open in the Muslim land of Iran. It is time we opened some of our's too, or the more important ones in the world will swing slowly shut.