The Iranian intelligence minister recently admitted that Christianity is growing at a concerning rate in Iran. Join me today as I look at why people are converting from Islam and the obstacles they face in Iran. In my last video, I examined the truth of the meme that Islam is the world's fastest growing religion focusing on hard data. If you haven't done so already, be sure to check out that video. I'm still working on a follow-up video that will examine the future of Christianity and religion in general. However, in my last video, I also mentioned that there was antidotal evidence that the Islamic bubble was beginning to pop. Several people suggested in the comments that would be good idea to create videos looking at this evidence periodically. This is the first such video, so be sure to let me know what you think about it in the comments. But first, a quick note. All my videos are licensed under the Creative Commons Share-like license. This means you're free to reuse any of my content, however you like, just provide a link back to the original video. For example, YouTuber End Time 2016 is re-uploading some of my videos with German subtitles. Be sure to check out his channel if that interests you. A link is in the description. If you're interested in doing something similar with your own native language, just send me an email, and I'll be happy to send you transcripts and early access to future videos to facilitate. I've also enabled community translations on my videos in case you prefer not to re-upload to your own channel. With that out of the way, let's take a look at Islam in Iran. Approximately 99% of the country is Muslim. However, in early May, Mahmoud Al-Alih addressed a group of Shia leaders. The ironically titled Intelligence Minister declared that Christianity is growing in parts of Iran and talked about what the government is doing to address the problem. Radio Farda reports. According to Al-Alih, in one of the cities of the Hamedon Provenants in Northwestern Iran, a number of people running ordinary businesses such as sandwich parlors have shown interest in Christianity, but the ministry has summoned them. Apparently, Mr. Al-Alih had, quote, no choice but to summon them, even though it's not part of his job description. However, he tried to downplay the importance of the conversion by implying that it was just commoners that were converting. Guess he's not a big fan of sandwiches. The report continues. Al-Alih quoted some of these individuals as saying, we are looking for a religion that could give us peace of mind. Adding that, we told them Islam is the religion of brotherhood and friendship. Sure it is, Mr. Intelligence Minister. The lowly sandwich shop owners are buying it. But they said Muslim scholars are constantly speaking against each other. If Islam is the religion of friendship, you should first create peace and friendship among your own religious scholars. Al-Alih went on to say that, quote, propaganda is a necessity and should be explained to people who need it. At least according to Google Translate, it probably actually said something more like advertising, but propaganda is an appropriate translation. Apparently, a country that's 99% Muslim needs advertising to prevent people from converting to a religion that carries with it a guarantee of persecution and a great possibility of jail time, if not worse. Good luck with your empty claims of peace and friendship, sir. Of course, propaganda isn't the only tool the government has at its disposal. Christianity is technically legal in Iran. However, conversion to Christianity is illegal and can carry the def penalty. Actual def sentences are rare, but long term jail sentences are not. Additionally, it is illegal to conduct church services or even own a Bible in the National Language of Farsi. As such, Iran is listed as the knife-worst country in the world to be a Christian, according to open doors USA due to the heavy persecution that Christians face. Even so, people are converting to Christianity in large numbers. The world religion database estimates that there are around 290,000 Christians in Iran in the year 2000. By the year 2015, that number had swelled to 532,000. Based on the growth rate of the general population, that makes a conservative estimate of just under 200,000 converts. A separate academic study estimated that what there was between 100 and 500,000, X-Muslim converts to Christianity in Iran by the year 2010. When doors puts the estimate around 370,000 converts to Christianity in Iran. Regardless of the exact number currently living there, the total number of Iranians who have converted to Christianity is no doubt higher due to the number of Christians who flee the country after converting. It is likely that there are more X-Muslim converts to Christianity living in Iran than anywhere else in the Middle East, and that trend is likely to continue. As Islam is more closely associated with the unpopular government, than with national pride. Additionally, mosque attendance in Iran is the lowest of any Middle Eastern country. Parts for Iran Ministries reports that they receive about 700 inquiries a day, or 250,000 annually, from Muslims seeking to learn about Christianity. God truly is at work in Iran, and its inhabitants are beginning to find Christ. If you enjoyed this video, be sure to hit the like button. Then subscribe to this channel and hit the notification bell to get more content just like this. Thanks for watching.