![]() And now, in addition, that he may come back to the United States and rightly respond to these accusations and allegations.ģ. We must still pray and petition for his release because it is unjust to imprison people for having and changing faiths. Because of that, we were working to secure his release. I know he is in jail because of his faith. "I know Saeed is an American citizen of Iranian descent. "There are three things that I know," Sekulow told CT. In the Christianity Today story, Jay Sekulow had it right: And, many Islamic governments have declined to sign the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which includes the right to convert. In many Muslim countries, religious freedom for non-Muslims is restricted at varying levels. We can and must remind the world that all must have the freedom to choose-and in his case, change-faiths. And no person, regardless of his or her flaws, should be imprisoned for sharing his or her faith. We still need to care about religious liberty, and Pastor Saeed still needs to be freed. Yes, regardless of what happens going forward, his image is now "tarnished." He, like all of us, has always been flawed. This is no time to be hasty or reactionary. We must carefully consider the situation, the people involved, and the implications moving forward. Yet at the same time, we do not forsake Pastor Saeed. Two-thirds of pastors address domestic violence from the pulpit one time a year or less. Our Sojourners / IMA World Heath / LifeWay Research data shows this is not happening frequently enough. It reminds us that we need to speak up on domestic violence in our churches. Therefore, we are hurting with Naghmeh in this moment. We should take seriously any accusations from those who speak up about abuse. We need to care about the accusations and the situation. It matters that a wife has spoken up. I think that there are five things we need to do in this situation.ġ. Second, we have to ask, what do we do now? So it's worth our consideration about how we respond. So, many of us are involved here in a way that perhaps we often are not. On September 28, 2013, I tweeted, "Thankful President Obama brought up pastor Saeed Abedini to the Iranian president: #FreeSaeed." I also expressed concern that his continued imprisonment should be an issue in the Iran nuclear deal. Personally, I have been advocating for his release since 2013. We recently highlighted Pastor Saeed on our radio show, "BreakPoint This Week," hosting Naghmeh as a guest. Over 1 million people have signed the petition for his release on /saeed, and over 250,000 people have written letters to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to demand his release. Saeed is an American pastor, and many have called for President Barack Obama to work harder to secure his release and bring him home. Pastor Saeed Abedini was imprisoned in Iran in the summer of 2012 and sentenced to eight years in prison for sharing his Christian faith. She told supporters she's withdrawing from public life for a time of prayer and rest.įirst, here's some background in case you do not know the story. Touring the country to advocate for Saeed's release while coping with marital conflict proved too much, she wrote. The two are able to speak by phone and Skype. The abuse started early in their marriage and has worsened during Saeed's imprisonment, she said. Those troubles include "physical, emotional, psychological and sexual abuse (through Saeed's addiction to pornography)," she wrote. In two emails to supporters, Abedini revealed details of her troubled marriage to Saeed Abedini, an American citizen and pastor imprisoned in Iran since September 2012. ![]() Considering how well-known his situation has been, I imagine this will be global news in just a few hours.īob Smietana writes for Christianity Today: We don't know all the details, but we do know that Pastor Saeed's story has taken a significant turn. Naghmeh Abedini, the wife of Pastor Saeed, the globally known prisoner of the Iranian regime, has shared with her supporters, and now responded in a statement to Christianity Today, that she is ceasing her advocacy and sharing troubling details about Pastor Saeed and their relationship. Naghmeh Abedini Claims Abuse, Halts Public Support for Imprisoned Husband Saeedĩ:30AM EST Ed Stetzer Naghmeh Abedini, wife of imprisoned Saeed Abedini, has stopped her public crusade after saying he abused her.
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