American Jailed for Practicing Christianity in Iran Approaches Sentence Anniversary

[Walter Powers]

As his wife is in New York to fight for his freedom, a letter American pastor Saeed Abedini recently managed to get out of his Iranian jail cell and to his seven-year-old daughter for her birthday has come to light.

He calls Rebekka his "little hero" and expresses heartbreak about not seeing her grow. Rebekka's mom, Naghmeh, is unable to travel with their two young kids to Iran for fear she might also be arrested, but with the Iranian delegation in New York for the UN, she is pressing his case. This week, she traveled to New York and was able to hand-deliver a letter Monday to the delegation of Iran's new president asking for her husband's quick release.

Abedini, 33, an American citizen who left his wife and children behind in their Boise home to travel to Iran last year, has been held in the notoriously brutal Evin prison for his Christian faith.

"My Beautiful Rebekka, you don't realize how much I rejoice and weep when I see your pictures behind the glass window when my parents visit me every week in prison," he wrote.

Rebekka turned seven Sept. 12, making this her second birthday without her father.

"Your hair has grown so long and is such a beautiful black color," he wrote.

"It is so hard and so heartbreaking for me to see these pictures and to know that I am not there beside you as you grow."

Last month, an Iranian court rejected an appeal from Abedini and refused to reduce the eight-year prison term his supporters believe is tantamount to a death sentence, according to his family and lawyers.

His supporters say he has been beaten and tortured in the prison, and that he was only in Iran to try to start a secular orphanage.

In language meant for a young child to understand, Abedini tells her daughter that while he is being held and has to be away from her, she is "also facing hardships."

"I came here to help the kids that did not have mommies and daddies, but my own kids lost their daddy."

Abedini had been making one of his frequent visits to see his parents and the rest of his family in Iran, his native country, where he spent many years as a Christian leader and community organizer developing Iran's underground home church communities for Christian converts.

On this last trip, the Iranian government pulled him off a bus and said he must face a penalty for his previous work as a Christian leader in Iran.

Thursday is the one-year anniversary of his imprisonment.

Anybody who thinks Iran is becoming a "moderate country" is way wrong. If they'll jail you for being a Christian (or Jew, or Athiest, whatever), they are extreme.

[Left Now]

Anybody who thinks Iran is becoming a "moderate country" is way wrong. If they'll jail you for being a Christian (or Jew, or Athiest, whatever), they are extreme.




He is not imprisoned because of his faith!He is imprisoned because he was a foreigner who established underground illegal churches,and establishing illegal places according to laws of all countries,is illegal.

Won't you imprison a foreign Muslim who has established an underground Mosque in US?

[Magus]

"Originally Posted by foxnews.com"

HA. HA. HAAAAAaaaaaeeeeu erhm.


Won't you imprison a foreign Muslim who has established an underground Mosque in US?


They are protesting not to have Muslims in the country.

[Left Now]

"Originally Posted by foxnews.com"

HA. HA. HAAAAAaaaaaeeeeu erhm.




They are protesting not to have Muslims in the country.

Who?

[Magus]

Who?

Ummm... Westerners, mainly the Christian fundies.

[Left Now]

Ummm... Westerners, mainly the Christian fundies.

But we do not protest against the presence of minorities in our country(Except the Baha'eis).

[Magus]

But we do not protest against the presence of minorities in our country(Except the Baha'eis).

Yes, no one does. And seriously, cut the slack on the Bahais and the Ahmediya, they aren't doing any harm.

In a Muslim country, one has to register their institution of worship and pay taxes. What it seems is that guy did none of it, so don't be surprised peeps if he got jailed for "Practicing Christianity".

[Left Now]

Yes, no one does. And seriously, cut the slack on the Bahais and the Ahmediya, they aren't doing any harm.

In a Muslim country, one has to register their institution of worship and pay taxes. What it seems is that guy did none of it, so don't be surprised peeps if he got jailed for "Practicing Christianity".

I do not know many of the Baha'eis personally,but their sect is originally from my birth city "Shiraz" : Their beliefs are a mixture of Semi-Islamic principles and Shirazi Suffis beliefs.
However,maybe in the future the pressure on them will be decreased.

[Walter Powers]

He is not imprisoned because of his faith!He is imprisoned because he was a foreigner who established underground illegal churches,and establishing illegal places according to laws of all countries,is illegal.

Won't you imprison a foreign Muslim who has established an underground Mosque in US?

Uh, no, maybe fine him a few hundred dollars? I don't think you'd have any reason to establish an underground mosque here, as you don't need gov't approval really. Whereas in the ISLAMIC Republic of Iran they might hesistate to approve Christian organizations.

[Left Now]

Uh, no, maybe fine him a few hundred dollars? I don't think you'd have any reason to establish an underground mosque here, as you don't need gov't approval really. Whereas in the ISLAMIC Republic of Iran they might hesistate to approve Christian organizations.

Any building here needs an approval from the government to be established,not only churches.Even Mosques and Islamic social centers need to have a governmental approval to be established.You do not mean in US you can establish a school in your house do you?

[britishboy]

that's terrible! I think the real people is the peoples hate towards the west, when that changes the laws will follow

[Harry Smith]

I seem to remember that the US jail a lot of Muslims in naval base without even charging them for any crimes- it hurts to taste your own medicine

[Stronk Serb]

I seem to remember that the US jail a lot of Muslims in naval base without even charging them for any crimes- it hurts to taste your own medicine

What's that lovely place called? Guantanamo?

Uh, no, maybe fine him a few hundred dollars? I don't think you'd have any reason to establish an underground mosque here, as you don't need gov't approval really. Whereas in the ISLAMIC Republic of Iran they might hesistate to approve Christian organizations.

You need government approval to build anything, and to build a religious preaching place. They are subject to taxes, and this guy is essentially treated as a man who established an cult and did not pay any taxes. He would get treated the same way here. He did not pay taxes, so he goes to jail.

[Sir Suomi]

I'm hoping this Iranian president will be competent enough to realize what a ridiculous mistake his predecessor made. There should be no need more approval from your government to establish a religious establishment( Not including the approval to construct a building), regardless if you are from the Christian faith, the Islamic faith, or the Jewish faith. This just shows you why Iran is Not a moderate country.

[Stronk Serb]

I'm hoping this Iranian president will be competent enough to realize what a ridiculous mistake his predecessor made. There should be no need more approval from your government to establish a religious establishment( Not including the approval to construct a building), regardless if you are from the Christian faith, the Islamic faith, or the Jewish faith. This just shows you why Iran is Not a moderate country.

You do not need approval, you register and establish a religious establishment. You then need building approvals, which is normal. In Serbia it is the same, register and it's all good. This guy did not register and did not pay a penny and established illegal religious centers. Of course he would get jailed.

[Magus]

that's terrible! I think the real people is the peoples hate towards the west, when that changes the laws will follow

-____-

What you are doing is exactly what this misleading title from Faux news wants you to do.

Also, forget the notion that Christianity is a Western construct. It isn't.

There should be no need more approval from your government to establish a religious establishment( Not including the approval to construct a building), regardless if you are from the Christian faith, the Islamic faith, or the Jewish faith. This just shows you why Iran is Not a moderate country.

In most countries, and for any building, whether religious or not, needs registration(thanks for CM for bringing it up) and approval by the government, by the governorate and by the municipality to build the place. You must have the correct documentation and funds to build it, and then they will approve it for the establishment.

Since Iran is an Islamic state, it has to be applied for religious institutions.

You can't just go and make a small cabin and call people for Jesus. You are doing it all wrong, by law.

It's Moderate when it is applied to Muslims in the "secular" West, but not Moderate when it is applied to western Christians in a primarily Islamic theocracy? Just wow.

[Southside]

that's terrible! I think the real people is the peoples hate towards the west, when that changes the laws will follow

Yeah because Christianity is a "Western" religion!

[Twilly F. Sniper]

Yeah because Christianity is a "Western" religion!

No religion is truly western. Even though it is moreso practiced by westerners, it was established in the eastern part of the world, like most religions, in the middle east (somewhat ironically according to this story.)

This is actually a thread made out of American nationalism (which, most foreigners should agree, is quite a common thing.) Iran may have some issues governmentally, but he was charged for establishing churches (obviously on Iranian ground) without legal permission, as stated earlier in the thread.