Our Christian Kurdish Family In the Middle East
Family of Aram Mehdi


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Case #0005
Aram and his family are from the Kurdish autonomous region in Iraq. He was just an infant, younger than his son is today, when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait during the first gulf war. Kurdish people were systematically persecuted and executed under his regime. Saddam and his Baath party used violence, torture, arbitrary arrest, unlawful detention, so called enforced disappearance, and murder. In most cases, though Saddam is gone, these types of tactics are still enforced, exposing a systematic mistreatment and oppression against Kurds that did not die with the dictator, but sadly continued to rule and infringe on Kurdish human rights in the Middle East until today.
In desperate efforts to avoid persecution, Aram's uncle led the family into the mountains, but could not save them all. Many fell unable to escape the use of chemical warfare, others were captured and murdered. Aram and his uncle were among the few lucky to survive, and today Aram is married and blessed with a 2 year old son. And as with any parent looking into their child's eyes, his heart too overflows with love and dreams for a brighter future. Yet, not as every parent he hides the horrors of harsh reality, the hopelessness and the despair. The American Declaration of Independence has secured the right to pursue happiness for all its citizens, but happiness for all Kurds still in the Middle East translates into their very right to exist. Not a single liberty from The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is promised to his son, he must first and always continue to fight to simply stay alive.
Growing up in the darkness of dictatorship, Aram developed a strong sense of activism in regard to freedom, thought, democracy, and education. Through an extensive research into the Islamic faith and history, the Hadith text, and verses in the Qur'an, he came to the conclusion that principles of Islam did not align with his own personal beliefs and he seized his Islamic practices. It did not take long for the slander to begin, as well as the violence amongst his own family in Kurdistan. Even the people in his close knit social circle began to vilify him with the grave label of an infidel. The outrageous and constant emotional abuse drove Aram into a deep depression.
Overcoming the isolation and draining agony alone was a miracle, but even more grace was poured onto him and guided by the strength of his convictions he returned to social media under his own name, publicly questioning the Islamic faith. This made him a prime target for the clergy in Kurdistan and led to many live-stream discussions with religious leaders where he discussed religious contradictions, expressing his own views in the hope for a civilized dialogue. Sadly, free speech was subjected to further calumny and threats. Subsequently, the defamation campaign against Aram also began to target his immediate family, including his younger sister Awarin. An attempt to not only completely wreck his own reputation, but to also dismantle the family unit, preying on the most vulnerable members in continuation of their horrendous efforts to silence him, shatter his spirit and put an end to free thought and choice. Aram is also a founding member of the Yasna Organization, which promotes Zoroastrian philosophy and documents his persecution (Reuters article is provided below).
Aram and his family continue to struggle. Regimes come and go, but exploiting and harming human beings to remain in power and solidify control is the story of humanity since the beginning. We should not call ourselves a civilized society and cannot fully pursue true happiness, while turning a blind eye to such tormenting injustices to other human beings and their children, whose only fault is the location where they were brought into this world. Our world. The same world we believe we co-create and push toward progress. We share his story with you in our desire to increase awareness, as in the words of Publilius Syrus "The eyes are not responsible when the mind does the seeing". This is our plea to everyone to truly see. "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it", when the Apostle John wrote this, the holy spirit saw this family too and the millions others like it, and wanted us to understand how profoundly central the love to a stranger will always be in this world. Only a commandment, one of just 10, with power that lies in billions of souls. Aram is not alone...
But in the country's Kurdish region, Zoroastrianism witnessed an unexpected revival after the extremist Islamic State group occupied vast swathes of northern Iraq, imposing a brutal doctrine of Islam and persecuting religious minorities.
"I began to ask myself, is theirs the true Islam, or the Islam that my parents taught me?" - Aram Mehdi
"Zoroastrians make a comeback in northern Iraq, but still face stigma." by Charlotte Bruneau & Kawa Omar. Reuters, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-religion-zoroastrianism-idUSKBN26L336/. Accessed 13 January 2025
There are also other interviews which Aram participated in on Rudaw TV, NRT TV as well as other Reuters articles, where he was known as "Aram Zoroastrian." Despite all his efforts to promote dialogue and moderation, his efforts were all seen as anti-Islamic, and he was eventually perceived as a threat to the state.
After finding the Holy Bible and reading it in secret, Aram slowly and secretly converted to Christianity.
Aram found a church, knocked on the door, and a young girl greeted him. He explained that he was interested in Christianity and said he would like to be baptized. After their conversation, the girl wrote down his phone number and gave it to the pastor. The pastor eventually called him and arranged a meeting with Aram.
Upon meeting the pastor of the church, Aram explained to him that he had lost all faith in any religion. The pastor prayed for and over Aram, and talked to him about the truths contained in the Holy Bible.
Aram began attending church regularly. He then met a pastor named Jeremy Kocher, a pastor from Britain who came to Kurdistan to spread the truth of Christianity. Pastor Kocher ran a church out of his home where he held regular services in the Sorani Kurdish language. Aram began serving with Pastor Kocher every week in his house, until the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, after which serious restrictions were imposed on all countries. Not long after this, Pastor Kocher returned to Great Britain.


Aram also saw his friends converting to Christianity also. One of his closest friends, which also came from a Muslim family, also converted to Christianity. His friend, who was an Anabaptist, invited Aram to attend a conference at the Anabaptist church , where he met the Metropolitan of Eastern Kurdistan Behzad Miziry as well as the Metropolitan of Duhok Leroy, who had come from the United States. From that point on, Aram attended the Anabaptist church alongside his friend.
Metropolitan Behzad would eventually wed Aram to his wife Media on the 15th of June 2022. Media also had doubts regarding Islam, and after Aram and Media began dating, she also converted to Christianity. Aram's family was against their marriage, and he was eventually kicked out of his home. Mr. Behzad allowed them to live in the church in Kurdistan and supported them from that point on. Eventually, Aram and Media would have a son named Arta.
In November of 2022, the accusations started again. Aram became entangled in a case, brought on by Muslim clerics, who began attacking him and his friend that first took him to the Anabaptist church, accusing them of leading people away from Islam and promoting Christianity.
Aram was arrested by an officer with close ties to extremists, in Kurdistan. He was detained for 10 days without cause, and he never had the opportunity to communicate with his family, nor was he allowed consultation of a lawyer. He was locked up and treated as a criminal, alongside other criminals who were responsible for severe crimes. He was then interrogated by another officer who used humiliation and threats of imprisonment.
During this whole ordeal, Media was alone, pregnant, and terrified. Aram's family had abandoned them due to their conversion to Christianity. With the help of Metropolitan Behzad and a lawyer, Aram was released on bail. After his release, the lawyer refused to continue with his case because the lawyer was an atheist and did not want to pursue a case regarding religion.
Two days later, Aram was arrested again by the same extremist officer. Aram was released the same day on bail. However, it was published on social media, by the state, that Aram's consequences would be a long imprisonment. All of Aram's contact information was leaked to the public and spread very quickly, causing much psychological stress for Aram and his pregnant wife.
In January 2023, the accusations resurfaced with threats on Aram and his friend, along with Metropolitan Behzad, for insulting Islam. Metropolitan Behzad had 20 charges brought against him for this.
With the help of the Anabaptist church and other international organizations, Metropolitan Behzad was able to go to Lebanon. The charges against him were eventually dropped as he was the only representative of the Anabaptist church in the Middle East. Aram's friend would eventually flee to Lebanon for safety, not long after Metropolitan Behzad.
During this time, Aram and Media's son Arta was born. They were unable to flee as the others. Media and Arta stayed with Media's mother for an extended period, until the situation quieted down. Aram was constantly pressured from the court and state and forced to hide from public view. Aram was fired from his job due to all the accusations. Two months later, Aram's friend returned to Kurdistan and was immediately arrested and remained incarcerated for six months. Upon release, Aram's friend fled back to Lebanon.
At this point, Aram's family was in complete disarray without financial support or a roof over their head. Two of Aram's close Christian friends would be killed, one by their very own family. Posts began circulating on social media stating that Aram was their next target. Day by day, Christians continued to be martyred, and the harassment faced there was too much to bare.
Aram began selling everything he had. He raised enough money for his family to flee to Jordan finally, and they were out. More cases began to be filed in court against Aram in Kurdistan, even after his exit. I believe this was to prevent him from ever returning. Like the apostle Paul, Aram refused to be quiet. He told the truth. I am proud to call Aram my brother, Media my sister, and little Arta my brother.
Aram is one of our families who we are helping trying to get out of the Middle East, so they can enjoy what we as Americans take for granted everyday. Little Arta deserves to grow up in a place free from war and persecution. Would you please donate to help their cause.