A former petrochemical engineer who witnessed a secretive Iranian government installation fled the country years ago after receiving death threats, eventually finding faith in Jesus Christ after a harrowing journey through Turkey and England. Rev. Shah Ahmadi, now director of strategic alliances for Iran Alive Ministries, recounted his experiences in a recent interview.
Ahmadi’s early life in Iran was steeped in Islamic tradition. His father, a devout Muslim at the time, ensured he began religious instruction at age eight, taking him to the mosque. “In Iran, [the] only religion you can practice is Islam,” Ahmadi explained. By thirteen, he had memorized the Koran, a significant accomplishment within the Iranian educational system.
Despite the religious constraints of his upbringing, Ahmadi excelled academically, earning a degree in survey engineering and becoming a prominent figure in the country’s petrochemical industry. This success brought prestige and a comfortable life, but it was abruptly disrupted when he inadvertently observed a classified government facility while working at a petrochemical factory.
Following this observation, Ahmadi became the subject of intense scrutiny by Iranian intelligence services. He was repeatedly interrogated, and questioned about potential connections to Israel or the United States. “We said, ‘No, no, no. I have nothing to do with them,’” he recalled. He was ultimately warned that his life was in danger if he remained in Iran.
Fearing for his life, Ahmadi made the tough decision to escape. Unable to abandon legally without facing immediate arrest, he embarked on a perilous journey over the mountains separating Iran and Turkey during winter. “I had to escape illegally from Iran because, if I go through the border, they would arrest me,” he said. He traveled with a smuggler and a group of strangers, facing treacherous conditions and the constant fear of capture. “That was like hardest, hardest part of my life,” Ahmadi stated. “I’m just running for my life and the fear, and … I don’t know [if] I’m gonna be die. I don’t know the area.”
Once in Turkey, Ahmadi found himself in a precarious situation, unsure of whom to trust due to the alleged presence of Iranian agents. This uncertainty led him to experiment with alcohol and smoking as a means of coping with the trauma and loss he experienced. “That’s when I start drinking, smoking because I looked at the world, how they are getting satisfied, how they are overcoming the pain, the loss I had,” he said. “God — Islam didn’t answer me.” He found that traditional Islamic practices of prayer and fasting offered no solace during this period.
Ahmadi eventually made his way to England, where he continued a self-destructive lifestyle until a chance encounter with someone who shared the Gospel message. “Someone approached me [with] simple words [and] said, ‘Do you know Jesus loves you?’” he remembered. This message resonated with him, particularly in contrast to the conditional nature of acceptance within Islam. “In Islam, if you do solid, God loves you. If you do bad, God hates you.”
The individual’s message of unconditional love offered by Jesus was transformative. “He said, ‘Arrive to him as you are. He loves you as you are. He will wash you clean,’” Ahmadi recalled. After attending worship services, Ahmadi described a profound spiritual experience. “The peace I received I never had before,” he said. “The presence of God came like rain from top of my head to all of my body.”
Following this experience, Ahmadi spent eight months comparing the Bible and the Koran, ultimately embracing Christianity. He learned that becoming a follower of Christ often entails persecution. Remarkably, his conversion eventually extended to members of his own family. “One by one, they came to Christ,” he said. “Eight of my family came through dreams and visions; Jesus appeared to them inside Iran in different timelines.”
In 2016, Ahmadi facilitated the relocation of his mother, father, and twenty other family members to Turkey, where his father ultimately accepted Christ after hearing a testimony about forgiveness. Ahmadi now reports that 32 of his family members are part of an underground church network within Iran, a dangerous commitment given the severe penalties for religious activity outside state-sanctioned Islam.
Practicing Christianity in Iran carries significant risks. Ahmadi explained that attending house churches can result in five to ten years imprisonment, baptism can lead to twelve to thirteen years in prison, and performing baptisms carries even harsher consequences. The Iranian government continues to suppress religious freedom, particularly for those who convert from Islam.
