I heard about the case of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani last week, and am glad to see the press is beginning to publicize it. Nadarkhani pastors a church of about 400 people in Iran. This afternoon Drudge linked to a Fox Report. Yesterday the Washington Post published an article by Jordan Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice. The case is urgent and ominous. Nadarkhani could be executed any day. Please read below and click through to "continue reading.."
Just days after Iran released two Americans accused of spying, an Iranian court has upheld the apostasy conviction and execution sentence of Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani.
The 11th branch of Iran’s Gilan Provincial Court has determined that Nadarkhani has Islamic ancestry and therefore must recant his faith in Jesus Christ. Iran’s supreme court had previously ruled that the trial court must determine if Youcef had been a Muslim before converting to Christianity.
However, the judges, acting like terrorists with a hostage, demanded that he recant his faith in Christ before even taking evidence. The judges stated that even though the judgment they have made is against the current Iranian and international laws, they have to uphold the previous decision of the 27th Branch of the Supreme Court in Qom.
When asked to “repent” by the judges, Youcef stated, “Repent means to return. What should I return to? To the blasphemy that I had before my faith in Christ?” The judges replied , “To the religion of your ancestors, Islam.” To which he replied, “I cannot.”
It is reported that Youcef was able to see his children for the first time since March and was in good spirits speaking of how he longed to serve the church upon his release.
Pastor Youcef will be brought to the court for two additional “hearings” on September 27th and 28th for the sole purpose of being called upon to recant his Christian faith. The ACLJ’s sources report that although Pastor Youcef’s attorneys will attempt to appeal the case, there is no guarantee that the provincial court will not act on its own interpretation of Sharia law and execute pastor Youcef as early as Wednesday.
Technically, there is no right of appeal, and under Iran’s interpretation of Hadith and Sharia law, Pastor Youcef is to be given three chances to recant. He has already been asked to recant twice, and will be asked to do so again Tuesday. If he does not recant his Christian faith, he could be executed at any time.
We are continuing to press for the international community to take note of Youcef’s situation and call for his unconditional release. We are also continuing to work with members of Congress and are urging the State Department to get involved to save the life of this Christian pastor.
There is still time to save this pastor’s life.
Please share Youcef’s situation with anyone you know and pray for his release and the safety of his attorney, a brave Muslim who has been sentenced to nine years in prison and banned from practicing law by the Iranian government.
Firouz Sadegh-Khandjani, a Member of the Council of Elders for the Church of Iran and a close personal friend of Youcef, called into my radio show Tuesday from Iran to provide an update on Pastor Youcef. You can listen to the interview here.
Update: Speaker of the House John Boehner released the following statement on the case:
Religious freedom is a universal human right. The reports that Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani will be sentenced to death by the Iranian government unless he disavows his Christian faith are distressing for people of every country and creed. While Iran’s government claims to promote tolerance, it continues to imprison many of its people because of their faith. This goes beyond the law to an issue of fundamental respect for human dignity. I urge Iran’s leaders to abandon this dark path, spare Yousef Nadarkhani’s life, and grant him a full and unconditional release.
Nina Shea writes:
So far, there’s been no reaction to this week’s developments from Secretary of State Clinton, in contrast to U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague, who issued a protest.
There has also been a notable lack of interest from the main religious and human-rights groups that led the American campaign on behalf of the two American hikers freed last week from an Iranian prison. If the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Episcopal Church, the National Council of Churches, and the National Association of Evangelicals believe that special pleading for Christians will only do more harm, they should take a lesson from the past. In 2000, Jewish groups organized worldwide interfaith protests, candlelight vigils, and prayer services on behalf of 13 Jewish Iranians were accused of being Zionist spies. All 13 were eventually freed.
Me: I wonder if the world will pay attention to this story. Will it take note note that the "religion of peace" seeks to kill a Christian with "Muslim ancestry"? How long must we continue to endure endless nonsense regarding Islam's "tolerance" of other religions? And why, as Nina Shea, states, has there been silence from prominent Christian groups in the United States?
Update 9/29/11 1:30 PM - From the White House Office of the Press Secretary:
The United States condemns the conviction of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani. Pastor Nadarkhani has done nothing more than maintain his devout faith, which is a universal right for all people. That the Iranian authorities would try to force him to renounce that faith violates the religious values they claim to defend, crosses all bounds of decency, and breaches Iran’s own international obligations. A decision to impose the death penalty would further demonstrate the Iranian authorities’ utter disregard for religious freedom, and highlight Iran’s continuing violation of the universal rights of its citizens. We call upon the Iranian authorities to release Pastor Nadarkhani, and demonstrate a commitment to basic, universal human rights, including freedom of religion.
Me: Why not the President himself? Why so late? Looks a lot like a "finger to the wind" response.
Update #2 8:10 PM Read Marco Rubio's vigorous statement: America Should Stand Up for Religious Freedom in Freedom (Marco Rubio will likely be President of the United States one day.)