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Subscribe to RSSA U.S. human rights group says it has received troubling reports that Iran may have issued an execution order for an Iranian pastor, who was sentenced to death because he refused to recant his Christian faith and return to Islam.
“At this point, we can confirm that he is still alive,” Jordan Sekulow, executive director for the American Center for Law and Justice, told msnbc.com Wednesday evening.
“We know that the head of Iran’s judiciary, Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, must approve publicly held executions, but only a small percentage of executions are held in public — most executions in Iran are conducted in secret,” he said. “We are calling on the Iranian government to release the pastor immediately.”
Nadarkhani, 32, was arrested and sentenced to death in Iran’s northern city of Rasht in 2009, Sekulow said.
An appeals court upheld his sentence last year after he refused to reconvert to Islam, his lawyer Mohammad Ali Dadkhah told Reuters.
Nadarkhani, a member of the Protestant evangelical Church of Iran and a father of two, had been given three chances to recant by the appeals court, Dadkhah told Reuters.
The United States and Britain’s Archbishop of Canterbury have called on Iran to save the life of Nadarkhani. Iranian leaders have rejected claims by Western human rights groups that the Islamic Republic pressures religious minorities.
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They will make him a martyr if they kill him. Then the people will see the Muslim faith for what it really is a bunch of thugs.
"The people" are mostly muslims over there . Even if they kill the Christian , the rest will think it's what allah wants . islam is a very evil cult , displayed once again in this story .
Nadarkhani, a member of the Protestant evangelical Church of Iran
Who would even attend such a church in fear they would face execution to.
TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO THINK ISLAM IS JUST LIKE ANY OTHER RELIGION:
Think again. It is not. As in the roach motel ads, Islam is the only religion that once you check-in and join, you can not check-out and get out without fear of getting killed by Muslims. And if given the chance, Many Muslims will kill you if you decide you no longer want to be a Muslim.
You can be a Buddhist and decide you no longer wish to practice Buddhism, nothing will happen to you, you have nothing to fear, and no one will want to kill you for it.
You can be a Christian and decide you no longer wish to practice Christianity, nothing will happen to you, you have nothing to fear, and no one will want to kill you for it.
You can be a Hindu and decide you no longer wish to practice Hinduism, nothing will happen to you, you have nothing to fear, and no one will want to kill you for it.
You can be a Jew and decide you no longer wish to practice Judaism, nothing will happen to you, you have nothing to fear, and no one will want to kill you for it.
But you can NOT be a Muslim and decide you no longer wish to practice Islam. You risk getting injured if not killed, you have plenty to fear, and many Muslims will want to kill you for it.
This is something that dates back to the time of Islam's Prophet Muhammad. At that time, Muhammad ordered that any of his followers who decided they no longer want to be a Muslim and reject Islam be killed. He even enshrined this in the Quran. In the Quoran, Surah 4:89 states... "Those who reject Islam must be killed. If they turn back (from Islam), take (hold of) them and kill them wherever you find them..."
Since this is something that was a direct order from Islam's prophet Muhammad himself, many Muslims around the world today continue to follow this order to kill any one who becomes a Muslim and then later reject Islam and decide he or she no longer want to be a Muslim.
How peaceful and moderate of them .Remember only 2 dozen ,muslims are radical , the rest are all peaceful and moderate .
Hope the Iranian court has mercy and grace to this poor human being and he has done good thing to their people, Iranian, for he is just a preacher who preaches good news and tells people to be a good citizens, to be diligent, to take care of families, and to obey the government laws and orders.
Hope the Iranian court has perceived another viewpoints that he cannot commit the things that they have charged him. Under the Islamic law, the court cannot wrongfully accuse the innocent and instead the law is supposed to protect the good people and he is one of them to teach people to be good and productive citizens.
Muslim mosque and Christian church build alongside to each other in U.S.A. and they greet each other and they help each other. They do not wrongfully accuse each other. There are Muslims and Christians living in the same neighborhood in U.S.A. and they greet and they talk to each other and they go shopping in the same neighborhood...
Please do save the innocent people, such as Christians. Whatever political and relgious problem they have, please do not kill the innocent people.
I don't agree with it.But in many ultra-religious Muslim countries its a crime to convert to another faith from Islam.They have that same law in countries that are our allies,like Saudi Arabia.Iran has a Christian minority,that is free to practice their religion.But those are historical Christian people.Not Muslims that convert to Christianity.Islam,unlike Christianity hasn't had a reformation and modernized yet.Remember,that even till the end of the 18th century in the Christian World,people in several countries were being put to death because of their faith.
Here are some links that will provide a little more information on Pastor Nadarkhani and his plight.
http://au.christiantoday.com/article/iranian-pastor-nadarkhanis-execution-order-may-have-been-signed/12867.htm
http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/10/pastor_yousef_nadarkhani.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youcef_Nadarkhani
Once upon a time, Iran was rich with religious diversity. No more. There are other minorities besides Christians who are also in danger from the blood thirsty insanity of the monsters running the show in Tehran.
Christians kill muslims and Muslims and christians. It's okay, both of them are an evil cult.
Oh pray tell great GenghisKhan-Gingivitis, (because your mouth is a cesspool)
Christians strive to follow the Ten Commandments and Love your neighbor (and everyone is your neighbor)Do you even know any of the Ten Commandments. What is evil about "Thou Shall Commit Adultery" " Thou Shall Not Murder" Thou Shall Not Steal"?
CORRECTION, if you did not know, the Commandment is Thou Shall NOT COMMIT Adultery
American troops did the job asked to do. We all knew we were not going to able to change the internal tensions within the country - it's sectarian tensions is older than the United States. You do not change that without peace talks and continous meetings. They need other ways some reaching the people who seek violence as their means of voice. A lot of this is funded by drugs (all types) - go figure.
Joao read the article again. The county in question is Iran not Iraq, we have no troops in Iran and have never had troops in Iran. So I am not sure what American troops have to do with Iran not following UN Declaration of Human rights, which it is a party to, that garantied all people freedom of religion.
Islam is not a religion. It is a gang just like the Crips, Bloods, Mara Salvatrucha, Mexican Mafia, Zetas, ad infinitum. Those nations who believe in freedom of religion need to wipe out all these punks if there is ever to be world peace.
Yourfreespeach1776 said it all. This is one religion you cannot walk away from. These people have sand for brains, they cannot reason for themselves. We tried to help them, but as sometimes children are wont to do, they have reverted to their past. So much for all those American lives we lost over there. There is not one American life worth losing to these imbiciles! Yet we lost many. No more! This pastor will have to get out on his own. I cant believe there is even a protestant church over there?
Islam needs to be erased from the face of this planet.