Iran says American Pastor tried to turn children against Islam.
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Colorado
Springs, Jan. 20 (World
Watch Monitor) — Iran
on Monday accused an Idaho man of trying to entice young people to
Christianity and away from the country’s official religion, Islam,
the man’s American-based legal team says.
The
trial of Saeed Abedini, 32, of Boise, began Monday in the Tehran
courtroom of Abbas Pir-Abbassi, a Revolutionary Court judge
notorious for harsh sentences. Abedini faces
a lengthy prison sentence and possibly the death penalty for the
alleged crime of attempting to undermine the Iranian government
through the spread of Christianity.
The
American Center for Law and Justice said prosecutors presented
evidence that Abedini created “a network of Christian house
churches” starting in 2000, the year he left Islam for
Christianity.
“The
regime alleged that Pastor Saeed intentionally sought to sway the
minds of Iranian youth by turning the youth toward Christianity and
against Islam, the official religion of Iran,” the center said in a
prepared statement.
The
American Center for Law and Justice
is a Washington, D.C.-based attorney group that uses
litigation to press for religious and speech freedom. It has
waged a lobbying campaign to persuade the Obama Administration to
make a public demand for Abedini’s release.
Abedini
was arrested in September during a visit in which supporters say he
was managing the construction of a non-religious orphanage. His
supporters say he had agreed in 2009 to stop building the church
network and to focus exclusively on the orphanage project, and that
he had made eight orphanage-oriented visits to Iran before his
arrest.
The
center said Abedini is represented in Iran by “Naser
Sarbazi, a Muslim lawyer in Iran who is dedicated to preserving human
rights and upholding the right for all individuals to practice their
faith freely.” It also said Abedini’s father, who lives in Iran,
was the only family member permitted in the courtroom.
Abedini’s
wife, Nagmeh, posted this account of Monday’s courtroom proceedings
on the
“Pray
for Pastor Saeed Abedini” Facebook page:
Saeed
was able to share from the Bible to the Judge and say that he was not
a political person and had no political intentions, but he was a
follower of His Lord Jesus Christ. There will be no more hearings and
the formal charges and sentences will most likely be announced next
week according to his lawyer in Iran.
There seemed to have been moments when the judge was moved by Saeed's testimony. Please continue to pray for the Judge and Saeed's release and his return back to our family. We should be hearing some news next week.
There seemed to have been moments when the judge was moved by Saeed's testimony. Please continue to pray for the Judge and Saeed's release and his return back to our family. We should be hearing some news next week.
The
American Center for Law and Justice posted a
report on its website
Monday that claims several lay leaders of the house churches have
been summoned to appear in court. But it also said it’s unknown
whether the judge will permit any more witnesses, or whether the
trial is essentially completed.
Abedini
and his wife were born Muslim in Iran. She moved to the United States
as a child, obtained U.S. citizenship, converted to Christianity,
relocated to Idaho with her family, and eventually returned to Iran
to connect with her extended family, said Lauren Phillips,
coordinator for international outreach for Cavalry Chapel of Boise,
where the couple are members. Though ordained after his work planting
house churches in Iran, Abedini is not active as a pastor in his home
church.
In
Iran Nagmeh met Abedini, who had converted to Christianity in 2000
and was helping to start house churches. Married in 2004, they moved
to Idaho in 2005 after Abedini endured an interrogation session over
his church activities, according to an attorney at the American
Center for Law and Justice. As the
spouse of an American citizen, Abedini too was granted U.S.
citizenship.
Copyright
2013 World Watch Monitor
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