Iranian pastor’s execution sentence is call for prayer, protections for religious minorities
- Oct 5, 2011 -
As the freedom-loving world holds its collective breath, and as believers among them here and abroad petition government officials and remain in a state of prayer, they stand united in one desire: the sparing of an Iranian Christian who awaits execution for his faith.
Yousef Nadarkhani—pastor, husband, and father of two—could be executed any day or hour in the wake of a verdict handed down last week by an Iranian court. His “crime”: apostasy against Islam.
Nadarkhani’s tragic story of interrogation and imprisonment began two years ago for refusing to comply with the Iranian government’s mandate that schoolchildren be taught the Islamic faith. He was later convicted on charges that, as an adult, he had recanted the Muslim faith in which he was raised. In November 2010, he was sentenced to death by hanging, a decision upheld by the Iranian Supreme Court in June, though the court found that he never was a practicing Muslim.
Nonetheless, an Iranian court last week upheld his execution sentence—in contrast to Iranian law, relying instead on a “fatwa,” or Islamic religious edict—on the basis of his Muslim ancestry. His only recourse to avoid death, a judge reportedly told him, would be to recant his Christian faith and return “to the religion of your ancestors, Islam.” “I cannot,” he responded in his fourth and final chance to affirm Islam.
Yet Iranian authorities, pummeled by international public outrage, are now trying to cover up their longstanding basis for execution. On Oct. 1, Iranian news media instead cited charges of rape and extortion. Zionism, or treason to Iran as a spy for Israel, is the latest charge, reported the Iranian Fars News Agency. All charges in legal documents since 2009, however, cite apostasy. Though still unrelenting, Iranian authorities appear to be feeling international outrage.
The 33-year-old pastor’s death sentence has prompted an outcry of monumental proportions from U.S. officials, religious leaders, concerned Christians, and non-Christians alike. On Tuesday, ERLC President Richard Land called for his immediate release in a letter to Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Mohammad Khazaee.
“This verdict is a clear violation of the universal human right of religious freedom, as well as an affront to the Islamic Republic of Iran’s claims to provide religious tolerance,” wrote Land, citing Iran’s international obligations to uphold basic human rights as party to such statements as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
“We urge that you use your position as ambassador to the United Nations to press your government to drop any and all charges against Mr. Nadarkhani. Further, we urge you to bring your significant influence to bear to persuade your government to afford full, unfettered human rights and religious freedom to all Iranians,” Land continued in the letter.
Both the White House and the State Department weighed in last week, as did House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and a chorus of other members of Congress.
Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL), along with five other members of Congress, appealed to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in a Sept. 29 letter “to help secure the release of Mr. Nadarkhani and the dropping of all charges against him.” Given the gravity of the issue, that letter has been re-opened for additional congressional signatures.
But more must be done. What the sad situation of Yousef Nadarkhani demonstrates is a need for continued urgency on his behalf. It also helps to underscore the need for greater protections for religious minorities suffering in the hands of hostile regimes in places like Iran. More than 100 Christians have been arrested in the Islamic state in just the last year. Some are still imprisoned.
Legislative action is one response. In August, the House overwhelmingly passed the Near East and South Central Asia Religious Freedom Act (S. 1245/H.R. 440), which would create a special envoy position in the State Department to monitor and promote religious freedom for religious minorities in hotbeds of persecution like Iran. The measure now idles on the other side of the Capitol. The Senate should swiftly take up the bill and send it to President Obama for his signature.
Lawmakers, preoccupied with a host of other concerns, need to know that Americans consider the bill in particular and religious freedom in general priorities. And Yousef Nadarkhani and the millions of persecuted believers like him in Iran and elsewhere need concerned Christians’ fervent prayers and faithful voices on their behalf. Silence in the midst of these human rights atrocities should not be an option.
To urge the immediate release of Iranian pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, you can contact Mohammad Khazaee, Iran’s amabassador to the United Nations, at (212) 687-2020 or iran@un.int. To urge your senators to support the House-passed Near East and South Central Asia Religious Freedom Act (S. 1245/H.R. 440), you can reach them here.
Further Learning
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