Christian Refugees: Paying a Heavy Price for Their Faith

Many Iranian Christian converts have been subjected to persecution, imprisonment, deprivation of employment and education, and ultimately forced to flee their homeland due to their religious beliefs. These refugees often live in Turkey as asylum seekers, hoping for resettlement in a third country.

In Turkey, Christian refugees face compounded discrimination and suffering. Like other asylum seekers, they are deprived of many basic human rights and, as Christian converts, they encounter mockery, anger, and mistreatment from both officials and local residents.

Many Christian converts are forced to undertake hard, long-hour jobs to survive, often without receiving their wages and with no recourse for complaints. They are subjected to the will of their employers due to the lack of alternatives for survival. Refugees live in constant uncertainty, as the Turkish government can revoke their residency permits and deport them back to Iran at any time.

The report details interviews with Christian refugees about their harsh conditions in Turkey:

**“You’ll Be Lucky if You Get Paid for Your Work”**

Reza Mousavi, who recently resettled in Canada with his wife Maryam Bahtiniya, shared his experience: “In small towns, finding any job is very difficult. You’ll be lucky if you get paid for the work you do. I have a back problem and can’t perform heavy physical labor. This is a personal issue for me, but others might be in a similar situation.”

Maryam Bahtiniya added, “In other countries, refugees have supportive systems with housing or job opportunities. But here, we are deprived of these opportunities and are sent to small towns where we can’t meet our basic needs. Most of the time, we have to work extremely hard to survive.”

As of January 2023, a new law penalizing foreigners who work without authorization has made finding employment even more difficult for asylum seekers. Many Christian refugees report having to work up to 16 hours a day and struggling to afford food and medicine for their families.

**“We Don’t Help Hungry Christians”**

Ali Reza (Perham) Mohammadpour, who has been in Turkey since 2016, recounted: “When I arrived in Turkey, I weighed 95 kilos. Due to financial problems, I often bought cheap bread and fasted some days to better endure hunger. I lost 35 kilos in a month, which led to severe skin problems. When I sought help from the Turkish Disabled Association, they told me that because I wasn’t using a wheelchair, I wasn’t eligible for assistance. I was also rejected for jobs in cafes and restaurants because I was considered disabled. When I sought financial help from a financial institution, the official saw my cross and told me, ‘We don’t help hungry Christians. Even if we had the budget, we would help a hungry Muslim instead.’ I cried on my way home, feeling abandoned.”

**Even Children Are Not Safe**

Christian converts face harassment and discrimination beyond their refugee status due to their faith. Many report being fired from jobs upon revealing their religious conversion, and children of Christian refugees experience severe discrimination in schools. For example, Mani Aliabadi Rawari’s daughter faced derogatory remarks from teachers and peers about her Christian faith.

**Recommendations for Improving Refugee Conditions**

The report by the four Christian organizations includes recommendations for improving the situation of refugees and asylum seekers. These include providing access to primary health care after the first year of registration, facilitating job opportunities, and ending workplace exploitation. The organizations also call for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to ensure transparency in the resettlement process and to take swift action to assist refugees at risk of imminent deportation. Furthermore, they urge resettlement countries to expedite the resettlement process and enhance support programs for Iranian Christians and other refugees in Turkey.