Raised in a Shia Muslim background, Mursal embraced in March 2025 the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, a minority religious movement that has drawn followers from various countries. Like many believers who joined this faith, he did not take up arms, organize protests, or incite violence. He simply shared his beliefs peacefully on his personal social media accounts. But what followed was not peaceful dialogue. What followed was punishment.

I have been subjected to harassment and persecution by both the government and my family because of my faith in the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light. In Iran, there is no freedom of belief, and in the Islamic Republic, anyone who changes their religion is considered an apostate. Public expression of this belief may result in imprisonment and, in some cases, execution.

The Divine Just State magazine sat with Zahra Shekariyan Asl, a qualified and published nurse from Iran, to get details of her experiences and struggles, including the recent disappearance of her brother, Mohammadreza Shekariyan Asl, who has not been missing since the 23rd of September.

Today, Iran is a different place than it was on the 25th of February. In less than one month, the instability that started at the end of December and intensified throughout January, as previously documented, with protests on the streets against the government and violence erupting as reported in the global news press, culminated in the airstrike that ended the life of Ali Khamenei on the 28th of February.

In Iran I was strictly controlled by my family, and they threatened me with house arrest and to hand me over to the police. All of this happened due to threats from the Intelligence Organization of the IRGC, because reports about my conversion and my preaching to people had reached them. These threats initially came in the form of phone calls and Telegram messages, and they still continue.

"CAP Freedom of Conscience delivers statement at UN Human Rights Council on arbitrary detention, torture, and persecution of Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light members in Egypt under Item 9."

I, Mehdi Akbari, born on January 31, 1993, am from Iran. I embraced the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light in the year 2021. In 2022, after my brothers and their families were arrested near the border on charges of attempting to flee the government, I was summoned to the ideological office by Mr. Tajari, who was my superior during my service in the Law Enforcement Forces. He reprimanded me for not reporting my brother’s religious beliefs and ordered for me to spy on my brothe

In Iran, anyone who leaves Islam is considered an infidel, and their blood is considered permissible (halal). After many threats and arrests of members of our religion, and realizing that I could no longer practice my faith in Iran, because I was being threatened daily, I decided to leave the country. I took steps to leave, but at Imam Khomeini Airport, after purchasing a ticket, paying the fees, and passing through inspection, my name was called over the loudspeaker.