When a convert from Islam in Iran was sentenced to two years in exile in Sarbaz in 2019, the judge warned him that religious extremists in the remote desert town would treat him harshly (en December 2019).
However, when Ebrahim Firoozi arrived in southwest Iran near the border with Pakistan, he discovered local Muslims were helpful, open and hospitable. This discovery was all the more welcome as in March his term of exile was extended by another 11 months.
He was invited to stay at one person’s home on his first night and was quickly found a place to live. When the people learned he was exiled for his Christian faith rather than for a crime, their kindness increased.
Firoozi, a convert from Islam whilst he was in prison, said he found the ‘people to be very noble’. Firoozi and his advocates believe this kindness was an answer to the prayers of worried friends, family and others. ‘The reason people were nice to me wasn’t because of my own character or my goodness. It was all because of God,’ he said.
Besides punishment, the purpose of exile was to keep him from continuing to be an influence in his home area. Having experienced this kindness in Iran, Firoozi has had his desire to stay in Iran increased, rather than fleeing in the face of persecution.
Firoozi’s lifestyle in exile is simple and he spends much of his time reading Christian literature.
