Mary B
When Life Is Unfair: Mary’s Story of Faith, Persecution, and Escape from Iran
Mary B Episode 1
A cross from the floor
MARY
when I was 15,17, 17 years old I found a wood in the floor and I made it across yes with that wood and I colored it and I hang hang around my neck
KELLY
So we’re had you seen a cross how do you seen a cross
MARY
No no just I hear because I love movies and western movies I love John Wayne and Gary Cooper yes and I watch a lot of movies and I knew about the cross sometimes they talk about Jesus and and I saw the cross in the movie
KELLY
Little did Mary know, at seventeen years old, that this tiny colored cross would lead her through a life full of troubles.
A LIFE FULL OF TROUBLES
MARY
yes in my country that was illegal yes we were afraid a lot we had a lot of stress because we were waiting for police because if somebody called the police they would attack the home or something
KELLY
So they attacked their home it come in and wow
MARY
They took all of people to jail to jail
KELLY
Oh wow no matter what male female?
MARY
Nothing nothing and they went they took people to jail and after that they hang all the people
KELLY
Oh my goodness
MARY
Yes no court nothing because that was illegal not true about this
KELLY
So they come into the home take the people put them in jail and then hang them?publicly?
MARY
Yes yes
KELLY
So these were people you knew
MARY
For Christian for Baha’i for all religion not just Christian
RELIGION PUNISHABLE BY DEATH
KELLY
Today’s guest, Mary, grew up in Tehran, Iran, under a government that only allowed one religion: Shia Islam. Converting from this religion to any other could be punishable by death.
This is the Iran we’re used to hearing about, where citizens don’t share the freedoms we have in America. But it is also a beautiful country steeped in ancient traditions. Mary loved her homeland, and as a child, she had no idea what her cross necklace would get her into.
(Music: Theme music)
Growing Up in Iran
KA what was your weather like there in Iran
MB We have four seasons
KA you do? OK
MB. Snow raining and we have desert we have jungle and we have a mountain we have sea
KA you have it all
MB Yes Very very beautiful country
KELLY
Iran, also called Persia, has been an important country in the history of our world because of its central location in Eurasia and Western Asia.18] Tehran is the political and economic center of Iran, and the largest and most populous city in Western Asia with more than 8.8 million residents in the city and 15 million in the larger metropolitan area.[19]
The distinctive culture of Iran can be seen even in its calendar, which starts in the middle of March.
KELLY
So do you did you have traditions or like we have in America we have Thanksgiving then we have Christmas and so did you have certain traditions like that at home
NOWRUS
MARY
Yes yes we have Nowrus and the first of the spring this is we have Nowrus a celebration and the people go to to their house to their visit each other and they had a lot of her they make a lot of Iranian food they invited each other to their house sing music to each other and they have a lot of fun and we have Sizdah Be-dar which is 13 years of spring and they go to people go to picnic and they play volleyball and basketball and they make kebab yes and they have rice Kabasa sometimes fish and yes we have many many celebrations in my country
KELLY
The Persian word now means new and the word ruz means day, so nowruz literally means “starting a new day.” The Iranians celebrate a new year on the first day of spring, the 21st of March. During Nowruz, Iranian families gather around and visit each other. It is also the best time to re-experience the feeling of mehr or pure love. In nowruz all families talk about their best experiences of the last year and the things they are looking forward to in the next year and they all become bonded again in peace.
OPEN MINDEDNESS
Who was in your family you had a mom and a dad
MB Yes and two brothers and my father was open mind he he wasn’t religious just he believed in God they are they were Muslim my father passed away my mother is living in Iran yes when I was a child I was thinking about Jesus I don’t know why I didn’t know anything about Jesus about gospel about the Bible nothing nothing because the government doesn’t let people know about Jesus
KA so did you go to school
MB Yes I went to school and I graduated from University I was an accountant in my country and always when I was a child I always think about Jesus talk about Jesus and sometimes I think I need him a lot and I he was in my heart I don’t know why and sometimes I asked many questions about Jesus from my dad and my dad said I don’t have any idea Mary I don’t know I know about Mohamed Koran religion but I don’t know about Jesus and I went when I was 15,17,17 years old I found a wood in the floor and I made it across yes with that wood and I colored it and I hang hang around my neck
I watch a lot of movies and I knew about the cross sometimes they talk about Jesus and and I saw the cross in the movie and yes but when I came to Dallas I thought I have to see desert cactus a horse many horses
KA right I thought the same thing
MB but nothing
KA right it’s disappointing It’s like a city
MB nothing
KA That’s funny
MET HUSBAND AT A COFFEE SHOP
KELLY
This cross soon became far more than a necklace, especially when Mary met the man who would become her husband. Finally, here was someone who could answer the questions her father never could.
MB
I saw my husband in the coffee shop in my country yes and we got familiar each other and after two months we got married and my husband I got Christian and my husband 20 days after we he got Christian also
KELLY
After Mary and her husband were married, they both wanted to be baptized, but that was illegal in Iran.
Secret Baptism in Dubai
MB we went to Dubai because we needed to have baptism and my husband and I had baptism in Dubai we have passport and for baptism was awesome yes that was a great opportunity for us and God gave us that opportunity because for going to other country we needed to have a lot of money because into month is very very low and when you want to change to like dollar you can like this you have to spent a lot of money to get that money that was very very difficult and one day I was prey and I said to Jesus you know I love having baptism and I don’t have enough money you know and how can I do that in the church I was praying and somebody called me hey lady come on he doesn’t know me and he said come on lady and I went there and he said do you want to have baptism
KA Oh my
MB I said yes how do you know that just I don’t know God put in my heart and I said yes how can I do that because of my country that was no nothing and he said I want to send you to other country really I don’t have enough money and he said I don’t need money don’t worry about the money just if you want you can go and I said yes I want to go and how about my husband and he said your husband know nothing because this is a group of women you can go to other country for baptism if you want then the church supported this money and just women you cannot go with your husband and I said no thank you I want to go with my husband and he said OK I think you have to wait I said OK that’s OK and one month later we went me and my husband went to Dubai
KA. So were you baptized in a church
MB No in hotel because in Dubai it’s illegal
KA Oh it is OK it’s illegal too
MB Yes yes in the hotel and somebody close the door in the pool and they don’t let to come people come something like that very very quickly
KA So even in Dubai it had to be in secret in the hotel pool wow I did not know them and so stranger gifted you with this?
MB yes
KA that’s awesome
MB Then they give you Christian was from I think I think from France they came to Dubai they did they did everything for us
KA From France
MB Yes from France yes
KA wow that’s amazing
MB we were there one week and we had Bible study and praying that was amazing that lady translate to Persian everything it was awesome
Mary’s heart for her fellow Christians at home led her to place herself in great danger.
Bible Smuggling
KA Oh that sweet so then after you were baptized did you go back OK
MB We went back to my country went one sweet suit full of Bible
KA Wow that’s dangerous
MB I didn’t think about anything I just I focus on Jesus Jesus you know knows people need Bible help me just help me and then I take it to my country in the airport someone call me come on open
KA Oh Mary!
MB Yes and I said OK and that I wanted to open it somebody else call him come on come on and he said don’t open it go
KA oh Mary ok I was so nervous
MB Yes yes so nervous yes and my husband was dying and he said oh Mary Mary go yes
KA Wow you are so brave that is amazing
MB Don’t know how I do that I don’t know I am talking about that situation in that happened to me I I think I am not brave no I am not brave I am just conscious I got conscious I didn’t think anything just I just think about Jesus
KA wow and you wanted people to have Bibles
MB Yes yes because most people like to know about Jesus but they don’t know anything about him and most people need to have Bible they need to just read if they want to choose Jesus they can if not that’s OK
KA So after you brought Bibles in were you able to give them to people
MB Yes because we had Bible study at home
KA oh Wow at your home
MB. Yes
KA. And so that was secret and people would wood people just find out and show up
MB. Yes I try to because I work in the school architect that protects your school and many many student we had and I try to talk about Jesus with them not all of them just look at their face and I try to to get closer to them and say something about Jesus and sometimes I invited them to my house if they want to know who about Jesus you can come to my house you can have study Bible if you want if you don’t like Jesus it’s OK just listen just listen yeah says OK
you were able to have Bible study so how long did that go on your Bible study?
MB Five years
KA wow So long time you got to you kept a good secret for a long time that’s awesome
MB Because everybody came to my house I know that that is too dangerous coming here is dangerous
KA so then they execute people who are not in that belief system that is terrorizing that is so scary
MB yes Very scary yes
we have 2 kind of Muslim shiite is different In my country they are Shiite they believe to 12 imam I don’t know Imam is like the holy person they believe them and then they want some thing in their life they are they say to Imam please give me and we can make rice for you and food for you I hear some I think the Catholic
KA like a priest or a cardinal or a pope
MB Yes they do like Muslim I think
KA they do have they confessed to a priest and things like that there is a sect of Muslim that the government allows but there’s one that they don’t allow OK
MB that’s Sunni that they don’t allow SUNNI is Muslim but they don’t have mosque they cannot go with the Shiite for pray because they they believe other things just Allah not Imam
KA so is it the power of the imam
MB yes more than Mohammed he’s a prophet
KA but they’re the ones that control
MB Yes and mom is powerful men they are not
KA OK so that is probably why the government likes to keep that under control
MB Yes control yes
Underground Church
KA So what were you able to have a Bible
MB NO
KA OK Are you able to meet with other Christians
MB never
KA OK It was just you and your husband by yourselves
MB yes I would be have underground church
KA yes underground church
MB Underground church and we went there and we pray and after two years government understood about that place somebody called them and say something about us I don’t know yes and the government attacked to the church and took all of our friends we weren’t there all of our friends
KA That’s awful
MB Yes awful all of them they let them to run away they gave them opportunity to run away 20 days you can go after that you have to go to jail like us
MB They said OK you this country is not yours you are not belong here you have to go if you want to stay here you have to go to jail with your family
20 Days to Flee or Be Jailed
KELLY
After two years of keeping her illegal religion hidden, Mary and her husband were faced with a terrible choice. They could stay in Iran, the only home they’d ever had, only to be arrested in 20 days and possibly be executed. Or they could flee to a foreign land, leaving behind everything they knew.
