0:00:02 > 0:00:05Now it's time for Our World.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11In the Netherlands and across Europe, thousands of Iranian
0:00:11 > 0:00:19refugees are turning to Christianity.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22Tired of the lack of freedom in the Islamic Republic,
0:00:22 > 0:00:23they say conversion offers a new start.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37And it's a much needed boost to Dutch church congregations.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40Every week two traditional churches are closing in this country.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43But converting to Christianity can carry a heavy penalty in Iran
0:00:43 > 0:00:47and some say the refugees are only joining the church
0:00:47 > 0:00:50so they won't be sent back.
0:00:51 > 0:00:52I lied to them.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54Most Iranians regard this to be the best way,
0:00:54 > 0:00:55it's not just me.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58The difficulty is that we can't look into people's minds and hearts.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02The difficulty is that we can't look into people's minds and hearts.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04I've been reporting on refugee stories for many years
0:01:04 > 0:01:08and now I'm in the Netherlands to find out why so many Iranians
0:01:08 > 0:01:13are converting to Christianity.
0:01:13 > 0:01:26Are they born again or simply praying for asylum?
0:01:26 > 0:01:29It's a Sunday morning near Dorne, in the central Netherlands
0:01:29 > 0:01:37and preparations are under way for a special ceremony.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41Orif, an Iranian student, in his 20s, is getting ready
0:01:41 > 0:01:44to be baptised.
0:01:44 > 0:01:58Converting to Christianity can be punished by death in Iran and he's
0:01:58 > 0:02:01scared to show his face on camera in case it causes problems
0:02:01 > 0:02:03for his family back home.
0:02:03 > 0:02:10Orif came to the Netherlands over a year ago and left Islam
0:02:11 > 0:02:13after meeting Christians in Europe.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16TRANSLATION: The Christians I met were really nice and at
0:02:16 > 0:02:19the beginning I wondered how these people could be so good.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22I wanted to know more about their opinions
0:02:22 > 0:02:24and what they actually thought.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27And when I read about it, I realised that I knew nothing
0:02:27 > 0:02:30about Christianity because where we grew up everything was closed,
0:02:30 > 0:02:31you couldn't get information.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33The fact that everything in Christian tee is based
0:02:33 > 0:02:35on compassion and love is extraordinary.
0:02:35 > 0:02:40This was the first thing I saw in people here.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43Some here have asked us not to show their faces.
0:02:43 > 0:02:52The baptism will be performed by the Dutch pastor of this church,
0:02:52 > 0:02:53Vaast.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57In baptism that is the moment that someone, he's no longer a secret
0:02:57 > 0:03:00believer, but now he's coming out and he's professing his faith
0:03:00 > 0:03:06and that he wants to be a follower of Jesus.
0:03:06 > 0:03:07APPLAUSE.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11Orif has come here with Dutch friends from his church
0:03:11 > 0:03:24which is a huge part of his life here.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28Although Orif has found a surrogate family in the church,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31his own parents, back in Iran, have cut him off financially
0:03:31 > 0:03:33since his conversion.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02Although Orif has found a surrogate family in the church,
0:04:02 > 0:04:05his own parents, back in Iran, have cut him off financially
0:04:05 > 0:04:06since his conversion.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08TRANSLATION: I grew up in a religious family,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11it's really hard for them to accept other beliefs.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14Since I've changed my beliefs, they've become aggressive
0:04:14 > 0:04:17towards me.
0:04:17 > 0:04:23All my attempts to make peace with them have been futile.
0:04:23 > 0:04:28Orif is just one of three Iranians being baptised here today.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30How often do you baptise people?
0:04:30 > 0:04:37An average of 25 per year.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41Vaast tells me many of the Iranians here come from the local refugee
0:04:41 > 0:04:48centre just down the road.
0:04:48 > 0:04:57For Iranians wanting to stay here, conversion to Christianity can be
0:04:57 > 0:05:01the basis of a successful asylum claim.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Converts argue that their new faith would expose them to persecution
0:05:04 > 0:05:05if they were sent home.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08Vaast tells me that not everyone who asks for baptism
0:05:08 > 0:05:11is entirely genuine.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14If someone is entering here into the church and the same
0:05:14 > 0:05:17day, first day, he is asking me, "When can I be baptised?"
0:05:17 > 0:05:18Then I know enough.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22I know he has a case and that he's searching for baptism and then
0:05:22 > 0:05:24I explain that it will not help him.
0:05:24 > 0:05:29That the certificate will not help him because our government
0:05:29 > 0:05:32is not mad.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36They can easily come to know if you are a real believer or not
0:05:36 > 0:05:45and I'm also not willing to help you with such a thing
0:05:45 > 0:05:48because we are a church, we are followers of Jesus Christ.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52We try to please him and we are not some group who is helping refugees
0:05:52 > 0:05:54to get asylum here.
0:06:00 > 0:06:08Orif seems to be very genuine, he'd spent about a year preparing
0:06:08 > 0:06:14to be baptised, but I've heard of many cases of Iranian refugees
0:06:14 > 0:06:19who have been baptised in a very short time after converting.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22There are no exact numbers for how many Iranians have been baptised
0:06:22 > 0:06:27across Europe in recent years.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29Many of them come to Christianity through Persische, one
0:06:29 > 0:06:31of the largest Persian churches in Europe, famous
0:06:32 > 0:06:39for sharing their activities online.
0:07:00 > 0:07:06The leader, Masood, has baptised literally thousands of Iranian
0:07:06 > 0:07:11converts from the streets of Paris to Turkey.
0:07:11 > 0:07:16He tells me he himself got baptised on his first day in the Netherlands,
0:07:16 > 0:07:20over 17 years ago.
0:07:30 > 0:07:38Soon after converting, Masood set up his church here.
0:07:44 > 0:07:52Soon after converting, Masood set up his church here.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55Masood often let's refugees stay with him while they're waiting
0:07:55 > 0:07:56to hear about their asylum claims and he introduces me to a man,
0:08:36 > 0:08:41Masood often let's refugees stay with him while they're waiting
0:08:41 > 0:08:44to hear about their asylum claims and he introduces me to a man,
0:08:44 > 0:08:48we will call him Syed, who admits he only converted
0:08:48 > 0:08:53as he thought it would help his case.
0:08:53 > 0:09:08TRANSLATION: I became a Christian to live in the Netherlands,
0:09:08 > 0:09:17it was the best possible option.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33Syed was turned down for asylum and is now trying to appeal.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36It's easy to imagine wht immigrants like him would risk lying
0:09:36 > 0:09:37to the authorities.
0:09:37 > 0:09:38Christianity can be the gateway to a new life in Europe.
0:09:46 > 0:09:51I'm on my way to meet Ali, a young Iranian living with a Dutch
0:09:51 > 0:09:55family, who met him in church and are now helping him to get
0:09:55 > 0:09:56settled into Dutch society.
0:11:00 > 0:11:05He has been granted asylum in the Netherlands and is living
0:11:05 > 0:11:08with Christians Yoka and her husband Ronald.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11We saw on television, I think like everybody did,
0:11:11 > 0:11:19the big wave of refugees coming in 2015 and then it was at the end
0:11:19 > 0:11:22of 2015 the start of 2016, that they also contacted us
0:11:22 > 0:11:26as a church and they said, "We want to know more about
0:11:26 > 0:11:26Christianity.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28We want to be baptised."
0:11:28 > 0:11:31They come to us, "Can you help me talk to the doctor?
0:11:31 > 0:11:42Can you help me talk to the lawyer?"
0:11:42 > 0:11:44We try to help them with their documents and translate
0:11:45 > 0:11:46for them whatever we can.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50Although Ali may be far from home, he gets to enjoy a little Iranian
0:11:50 > 0:11:52companionship in Bible studies held at his house each week,
0:11:52 > 0:11:54where they sing Christian hymns in farsi.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08All these men came to the Netherlands as refugees,
0:12:08 > 0:12:15most of them have been turned down for asylum.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17We're hiding their identities for their safety in case
0:12:17 > 0:12:19they are sent back to Iran.
0:12:19 > 0:12:28One of them, Sorop, not his real name, explains why he left?
0:12:28 > 0:12:31TRANSLATION: The force and the oppression were constant,
0:12:31 > 0:12:32they torment us for everything.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35The way we dressed, our hairstyle or because we ate during Ramadan.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38I've been in the Netherlands for 16 months, before that
0:12:38 > 0:12:41I was in the Jungle in Calais for almost four months,
0:12:41 > 0:12:46I wanted to go to England.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48I arrived here after a dangerous journey.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52It was by God's grace that I didn't die, for many people did die.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54I eventually got here, but my case was not accepted.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56They didn't believe I was a Christian.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00I don't know why.
0:13:00 > 0:13:06Sorop says he converted to Christianity years ago in Iran,
0:13:06 > 0:13:10but he's still covering the basics in Bible studies.
0:13:25 > 0:13:30And he didn't seem to know simple facts about Jesus' life.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38We know that in this country the number of Christians is now less
0:13:38 > 0:13:44than it used to be.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46In fact, we are a minority now, I believe.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49Now we see that people from other countries are coming
0:13:49 > 0:13:53and they are new in their new religion and they have a lot
0:13:53 > 0:13:58of questions.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01That's also good for the church because now Christians that
0:14:01 > 0:14:04are Christians for many years have to think about,
0:14:04 > 0:14:07what do I believe?
0:14:07 > 0:14:08Why do I believe it?
0:14:08 > 0:14:10Can I explain it to a new believer?
0:14:10 > 0:14:13So it's also good for them.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16It's hard to know what to think, but these guys are saying
0:14:16 > 0:14:19they are really into Christianity and they converted into Christianity
0:14:19 > 0:14:22facing so many threats in Iran, but they're not able
0:14:22 > 0:14:25to answer basic questions.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29In 2015, there were just over 45,000 applications for asylum
0:14:29 > 0:14:37in the Netherlands, just under 2,000 of them were from Iranians.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39I've come to where the Dutch immigration authority,
0:14:39 > 0:14:42the IND, interview asylum seekers to find out how they work out
0:14:42 > 0:14:50who are the genuine believers.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53I think we have interviews with asylum seekers who claim that
0:14:53 > 0:14:56they've converted to Christianity basically every day and I think more
0:14:56 > 0:15:01than one every day.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04It started like a couple of years ago, maybe 2010,
0:15:04 > 0:15:07around that time, it might be the situations in the country
0:15:07 > 0:15:10of origin, like the places that people come from.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13It might also be that churches have become more active in evangelising
0:15:13 > 0:15:16people and it might be that smugglers have been telling them
0:15:16 > 0:15:27stories about how to get asylum in the Netherlands and in Europe.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30Isn't it hard for you to say someone is really genuine?
0:15:30 > 0:15:34The difficulty is that we can't look into people's minds and hearts.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36Initially, basically, a lot of our questions were focused
0:15:36 > 0:15:39on practical knowledge, like biblical knowledge.
0:15:39 > 0:15:46We have shifted now to questions that are focused more on the process
0:15:46 > 0:15:54that people have gone through and their personal experiences.
0:15:54 > 0:16:00We don't only look at, for example, certificates of baptism.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03Biblical knowledge can be studied, but when you ask someone in-depth
0:16:03 > 0:16:05questions about their personal thoughts and feelings
0:16:05 > 0:16:08and experiences and their motivations, yeah, I think you get
0:16:08 > 0:16:22a better hunch or a better idea of how genuine the conversion is.
0:16:22 > 0:16:29The IND do not keep statistics for why people are granted asylum,
0:16:29 > 0:16:32but of the 1,885 Iranians who applied for asylum in 2015,
0:16:32 > 0:16:39only 340 cases were granted.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42I've come to see Sorop from the Bible study group again,
0:16:43 > 0:16:46he's staying at a refugee centre while he waits to hear the outcome
0:16:46 > 0:16:51of his appeal.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53He shows me his letter of rejection from the IND,
0:16:53 > 0:17:00which is in Dutch.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02TRANSLATION: The reasons they rejected my claim.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04They did not believe me, that's their opinion,
0:17:04 > 0:17:06but there's no window to a person's heart,
0:17:06 > 0:17:13so you can open it and see inside.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16The documents set out in the detail the ways in which the immigration
0:17:17 > 0:17:22officials found his story to be inconsistent.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25The Immigration Service said he also didn't have the depth of knowledge
0:17:25 > 0:17:30and understanding of Christianity that they would expect.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33TRANSLATION: I explained to them that I spoke normally,
0:17:33 > 0:17:35the way I spoke in my neighbourhood.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37I'm just a normal guy with a high school diploma,
0:17:37 > 0:17:42it's their fault that they didn't understand me.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45When I found out I had been rejected, you may not believe me,
0:17:45 > 0:17:48but I thanked God because finally I had a decision.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50If there was freedom in Iran and everybody
0:17:50 > 0:17:53could have their own ideas and follow their own religion,
0:17:53 > 0:17:56then I would have gone back.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59My mother is there and she's the most precious thing to me.
0:17:59 > 0:18:05She has told me to return, but it's just not possible.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09Sorop is still waiting to hear about the outcome of his appeal.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11Conversion doesn't just change the lives of Iranians,
0:18:11 > 0:18:21in parts of the Netherlands it's also transforming the church itself.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24I've been invited to Vaast's church for the Sunday service,
0:18:24 > 0:18:31it's not like anything I've ever seen before.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45The hymns are sung in Farsi and Dutch and all the preaching
0:18:45 > 0:18:49is translated too.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03It is more chaotic and you know the Dutch churches, if it starts
0:19:03 > 0:19:06at 10.00am, it starts exactly at 10.00am, maybe one minute late,
0:19:06 > 0:19:13but not two minutes late it starts, but now this is impossible.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16Some people may think that these changes, they may change
0:19:16 > 0:19:20the church's character.
0:19:20 > 0:19:21Yes, it is.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23What do you think about that?
0:19:23 > 0:19:24Yes, it is changing.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27That was our wish because the church is dying in Europe and in
0:19:27 > 0:19:28the Netherlands too.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31Every week two traditional churches are closing in this country.
0:19:31 > 0:19:35Every week, you see.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39That is because of the identities, it's kind of only old people
0:19:39 > 0:19:42are sitting there and I have the wish always and that is,
0:19:42 > 0:19:48we do this, it's intercultural and mixing up the cultures
0:19:48 > 0:19:59because we do learn a lot of one another.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01Not everyone is happy about the changes happening here,
0:20:01 > 0:20:05several Dutch families have left the congregation.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08Simon used to do the music at the church, but he didn't
0:20:08 > 0:20:14like what was happening and left a few years ago.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16We are used to very international communities, society
0:20:16 > 0:20:23and we loved it.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26I think it can make our culture, our Dutch culture, much richer
0:20:26 > 0:20:33if you're connected to foreigners.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35It was very nice to a certain point.
0:20:35 > 0:20:40When they started preaching in farsi and using farsi as the tongue,
0:20:40 > 0:20:42it became very difficult because we couldn't
0:20:42 > 0:20:50trust the translations.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52The turning point was that somebody was inter-preaching,
0:20:52 > 0:20:58a guy from Afghanistan, and he changed the message.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00He changed the message into something that he liked.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04I think in some ways the church are a little bit naive
0:21:04 > 0:21:07and they are very, very energetic and eager to help people
0:21:07 > 0:21:14with the gospel and freedom from Islam.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17The danger is that you are used by people who use their baptism
0:21:17 > 0:21:25for other purposes.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29They can use their baptism to get status and then you're in real
0:21:29 > 0:21:33trouble because then the ones that really are in danger and need to be
0:21:33 > 0:21:42helped here are not going to be taken serious any more.
0:21:43 > 0:21:49It's impossible to tell how many of the new converts I've spoken
0:21:49 > 0:21:52to are genuine, but it's plain to see they've already brought great
0:21:52 > 0:21:56change to the churches they attend, and the church has had an equally
0:21:56 > 0:21:58profound impact on their lives, offering community and support
0:21:58 > 0:22:06in a new country.
0:22:06 > 0:22:15But the sheer number of people claiming they have found Jesus means
0:22:15 > 0:22:18the asylum system itself has also changed and it's now harder
0:22:18 > 0:22:20to convince the authorities that a conversion to
0:22:20 > 0:22:27Christianity is genuine.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30So for those, like Sorop, who have had their I assume claim
0:22:30 > 0:22:34rejected, all they can do now is pray for permission to start
0:22:34 > 0:22:37a new life in the Netherlands.
0:23:04 > 0:23:10Hello there.