Iran has issued what could be the final execution order for Youcef Nadarkhani, the Christian pastor who was found guilty of renouncing Islam.Read the rest here.
Nadarkhani has been waiting in limbo for this verdict for months. After turning down four separate chances to convert to Islam to save his life, Iranian officials delayed their sentencing, leaving the pastor to await his fate inside a cell in Iran's Gilan province. But now, Nadarkhani could be executed within days.
"They are threatening to execute a pastor who is, in my opinion, totally innocent," said U.S. Representative Joseph Pitts (R. - PA), who is sponsoring a congressional resolution to call for Nadarkhani's freedom.
"He's facing the threat of execution on false charges just because of his religious belief. He's willing to face the hangman's noose over this."
On Monday, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), an international Christian and human rights organization, discovered that Nadarkhani's "life is in imminent danger" and that "the situation has not been this dire" since the organization first learned of his arrest. While that first report did not go into specifics, the organization believes it has confirmed the execution order and that, at least as of Tuesday, Nadarkhani was still alive.
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7 comments:
Iran is in a bit of a cleft stick. This is a quote (as far as I can remember) from someone who commented when Pastor Youcef's plight was first given an international airing:
Iran is wrestling with the Gospel dilemma: Kill Pastor Youcef: more Jesus. Let him live: more Jesus. You cannot kill the Source of Life.
I wouldn't trust either the IBTimes or the ACLJ to give honest information on this. The ACLJ is a Pat Robertson outfit subject to that man's biases. Information on who's behind the IBTimes is exceptionally scarce. Unless this story is verified by independent news outlets that aren't actively beating war drums over Iran I'll remain skeptical.
Jason,
Christian Solidarity World Wide is has been reporting on this story for months if not years.
Fox News has reported on it.
The White House just issued a statement of condemnation for the death sentence.
It is very real. Now please do something about it. Attention is the key to saving Youcef's life. The more the better. The faster the better.
Peggy, CSW and Fox News are hyper-partisan when it comes to anti-Islamic and anti-Iranian propaganda. The White House, Senate and HOR are likely getting their information from lobbyists of similar groups. I remain skeptical on this as I do for the supposed trapped and injured journalists in Syria. If it's true, then it's a shame that the situation will be exploited as further pretense for more unjustified war.
Jason,
Wow. Just wow.
Peggy,
Check out Hill & Knowlton PR and the first Iraq War online.
On 10/10/90, they had a 15 y/o girl testify falsely in front of Congress about Iraqi soldiers killing Kuwaiti innocents, babies, and the like. Who could doubt a 15 y/o girl's SWORN testimony? That sold the war to the public.
You are free to believe what you want but I'll remain skeptical of any so-called Christian organization with a president that has been rather intimately tied to a billionaire Saudi arms dealer.
^ Correction to the above - testimony was not sworn, but it was fake and the result is history.
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