Iranian Christian pastor to be executed for not converting to Islam

The religion of peace and love is about to execute a Christian pastor because he will not convert to Islam. Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani says he has never been a Muslim during his entire adult life and he will not give up his Christian faith.

I would like the Islam apologists at Political Forum to comment on this article since they are the ones who constantly tell us how filled with love the religion of Islam is.

What kind of love is being shown when a person is going to be executed because he doesn't want to be a Muslim.

I would especially like to hear what Margot and Moon have to say about this.

Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who is facing the death penalty, again refused to convert to Islam to save his life.
Nadarkhani was arrested in 2009 for the crime of apostasy because he allegedly abandoned Islam for Christianity. As a pastor, Iranian clerics believe that Nadarkhani was preaching in order to convert Muslims.


Before his last hearing Wednesday, Nadarkhani had been given three previous chances to repent, and all three times he has refused. After his final refusal Wednesday, no verdict has been announced, but many expect that he could be put to death as soon as Friday.

The case has slowly garnered international attention, and there are a number of Christian rights groups advocating for his release.

U.S. House Speaker John Boehner also has spoken out against Iran. "While Iran's government claims to promote tolerance, it continues to imprison many of its people because of their faith. This goes beyond the law to an issue of fundamental respect for human dignity. I urge Iran's leaders to abandon this dark path, spare [Nadarkhani's] life, and grant him a full and unconditional release," said Boehner.

There were rumors on Wednesday night that Nadarkhani's execution sentence was to be waived after the final trial, but contradicting reports indicate that the news was incorrect.

"We've had some reports that there has been a verbal announcement from the court in Iran that the sentence is annulled but we urge caution," said Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a religious group campaigning for Nadarkhani's release.
"It's been known that verbal announcements have been directly contradicted by later written statements. We are still calling for international pressure to be kept up."

The American Center for Law and Justice said in a message titled "Troubling News" that the rumors were spread by the Iranian secret service in an attempt to get the media to stop reporting the story. ACLJ said Nadarkhani's lawyer Mohammad Ali Dadkhah called the center Wednesday to say the death sentence hasn't been overturned.

Even if the sentence were commuted, Nadarkhani could still face life in prison. And even if he were released, there would still be danger.
"In Iran about 18 years ago, they had released a pastor, but then came and assassinated him and his bishop later. We cannot stop the pressure," Pastor Firouz Sadegh-Khandjani, a Member of the Council of Elders for the Church of Iran, told the ACLJ.

Between June 2010 and January 2011, more than 200 people in Iran were arrested for their religious beliefs, according to Elam Ministries, a United Kingdom-based church with ties to Iran.

In August, a pastor named Haghnejad was arrested for the third time, according to Christian Solidarity. Police also confiscated 6,500 bibles, which Iran's social issues committee deemed were being used to deceive youths.

While no one has been hanged for the crime of apostasy in Iran for more than 20 years, the country has the second highest execution rate of any nation in the world. So far in 2011, there have been about 400 executions, a quarter of which occurred in September.

http://img.ibtimes.com/www/articles/20110929/222139_iranian-pastor-sentenced-to-death.htm

 

I would like to see what the European anti-death penalty folks have to say about this. Where are their voices? Why are they silent? Is it because America isn't involved?

 

I am waiting to hear from our apologist for the Muslims, those posters who keep telling us how Islam is the religion of peace and love. I notice they are conspicuous by their absence.

 

It's quite simple, that ignorant racists such as yourself seem to not be able to understand.

This has NOTHING to do with Islam. There is no verse in the Quran saying to kill innocent people who convert from Islam or refuse to convert to Islam.

This is the justice system of Iran. Not the justice system of Islam.

Converting from Islam is a sin, but nowhere are we given permission to punish these people ourselves.

Your trying to link this to Islam with nothing. Just because Iran is a Muslim country and this man is a Muslim convert to Christianity. It's political and religious in general, not a image of Islam.

Salam

 

How many people are apologetic towards Iran's government? I don't know anyone on the left who likes or supports Iran's government. We do often have to defend Muslims in general against racist attacks made by bigots on the right(I am not saying that of you, but I know you are aware of this sort of person). That is not the same as defending the despicable actions of a tyrannical theocratic dictatorship, which is basically what exists in Iran. Iran's government has support from right wing Twelver Shi'ites, but almost no one else. Arabs hate them(to be fair some like the anti-imperialist rhetoric the Iranian establishment constantly spouts, but they still hate them in general). Turks dislike them. Liberals dislike them. Right wingers in the west dislike them. So holding all Muslims to account for the actions of a criminal government is silly. I condemn this action, and I condemn the Iranian government. That does not lead me to condemn Islam in general. In fact there is no logical reason to make leap.

 

OJLeb, with all due respect and regardless of what the Koran does or does not say, how can you say Muslims condemning a man to death for apostacy from Islam has nothing to do with Muslims and Islam?

And how can you slander someone as a racist for critcizing Islam, especially over murdering someone for a supposed religious crime.

They are not criticizing Arabs, or Kurds, or Persians etc.

The are criticizing voluntary members of a religious organization for committing violence against others in the name of their religion.
And there is a historical precedence for this in Islam.

When Muslims deny instead of denounce atrocities committed by Muslims in the face of obvious facts I believe it contributes to the distrust others have of Islam.

And for calling someone names like racist for pointing out these are atrocities committed by Muslims in the name of Islam is shameful.

We are not stupid or racists for being offended and appalled by the violations of human rights and human dignities by Muslims in the name of Islam - again regardless of what the Koran does or does not say.

 

Surah al-Baqara: "There is no compulsion in religion. The right direction is distinct from error"

Surah al-Kahf: "Whosoever will, let him believe, and whosoever will, let him disbelieve"

Surah al-Kafirun: "Unto you your religion, and unto me my religion"

You don't understand. The Quran does not say apostasy is punishable by death, however it has verses such as these.

Regardless of what matters to non-Muslims with the Quran, Muslims hold every word of the Quran. The Quran doesn't say kill apostates. Therefore, this isn't a religious act. It is cultural.

A true Islamic way of handling this situation would be to do nothing.

 

Please tell that to the Muslims who are committing these crimes against humanity instead of trying to tell me they are not Muslims.

 

First off, I'm not saying the people involved in this aren't Muslims. Secondly, why is it whenever a few Muslims do something, they are seen as the face of Islam?

Why can't Iran or any Muslim country do what they do without Islam ALWAYS being thrown into the conversation.... They are a country who's justice system allows for these things.

Is it right? To us, it is wrong. To them, it's right. Why does Islam have to be envolved? They are a soverign country, free to do what they want in their country without other nations sticking their nose in their business.

Especially when your country has the death penalty as well, and executed an innocent man themselves last week. As well as two other people.

 

The United States (a predominantly Christian nation) has only recently executed a man who was probably innocent, and have executed scores who may not have been guilty, so let's not get too 'holier-than-thou' about this. The death penalty is a barbaric practice, and any nation which utilises it is open to criticism on that basis.

The actions of the 'Christian' nation of the USA do not condemn Christians or Christianity worldwide, or even Christians in the US. They are state actions which have a cultural basis, much the same as in Iran.

I have no brief for Iran as a state, nor for Islam as a belief system, so I am not one of those Islamic apologists referred to in the OP. But I have similar disregard for any state that executes its citizens, and for any fundamentalist religious beliefs which promote injustice and inhumanity.

So let's have less of this "Shock, horror, why is there no condemnation?" There is condemnation of the Iranian legal system which executes people, cuts off hands, takes out eyes, etc. across the world - and rightly so. Fundamentalist barbarism is barbarism whatever myths are dredged up to justify it.

It should also be noted that The Daily Telegraph reported the matter in slightly less sensationalist terms.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...an-over-Christan-pastor-facing-execution.html

 

It's quite simple really.

Would you blame Christianity and all Christians for the Spanish Inquisition?

Would you blame all Christians for the burning of heretics by the Tudor Kings and Queens of England?

Would you blame Christians and Christianity for the priests and bishops being burned and chopped into pieces for not recognising Henry the 8th as the head of the church?

The Quran says nothing at all about killing non muslims for the reason of being non Muslims. Check the Quran and see.

 

I feel sorry for the Christian man. He should not have to give up his religion in order to spare his own life.
But if I were in his situation, I'd give up my religion and dance naked in the street if it meant I would live.
He's obviously very gutsy to face what will sadly become of him.

 

I as a secular Muslim Kurd condemn Iran's regeime system. they not only against Christian and Jews they are very racist towards Sunni Muslims. how I know well cos i lived there for 2 years and no I am not from Iranian. they call Sunnis "omer"i. omer was one of the 4 khalifa after Mohammed.

and they kick out bahayi out of the country cos they are a distinct type of Muslim who worship a different prophet altogether.

 

Also they do things and say things which are not even mentioned in the quran.

if they write a document they don't write "in the name of God" they say in the name of Ali* which again not acceptable. or they wont say "oh God " its always "oh Ali "!!.

they never mention the prophet Mohammed they only ever mention Ali*.

so they make up their own Islamic laws as they wish not cos Islam says so just cos simply they make it up.

*Ali was one of the 4 khalifas who ruled islam after Mohammed


conclusion ; what Iran's Islamic law does has nothing to do with what Islam is about like leb said its not permitted to punish someone cos they convert that's for God to decide in judgment day.

by the way my best friend a Kurd converted to Christian and he is still my best friend and his family love him unconditionally. religion is something between you and your God humans are not to judge someone based on their religion that's just unacceptable and even Islam doesn't allow it as i have read the entire quran before.

 

I don't know about anyone else, but for me it is the lack of outrage and shock by the Muslim community
when these things happen as well as the frequency in which they occur.

It is the calm acceptance and moral apathy of the greater Muslim community -
you appear more concerned with defending Islam than condeming the fanatics whose
acts of murderous violence are committed in the name of your god and your religion.

As for Iran's government, it is a Theocracy of Islam.
How can you say with any expectation of credibility that an Islamic Governments Actions
have nothing to do with Islam?

Our country has a death penalty for the violation of secular laws, not religious laws.

I make that distinction to illustrate we are talking two different issues.

That said, I give you the death penalty as practiced by the United States is inhumane and barbaric.
Locking people in cages with animals and ignoring, even joking about the rape of men is unjustifiable and criminal.

You are right, this country has real problems and I agree that we need to get our military out of Muslim Nations - The military occupation of sovereign nations is an unjustifiable act of war regardless of the technical and legal wrangling used to excuse it.

 

I would guess he is a true believer.
His mortal existence is a cheap price to pay for his eternal life.

 

So in your opinion these people are not practicing Muslims but heretics?

 

Yes I do.
One of the reasons the America's received waves of european immigrants was religious persecution.

Religious Fanaticism and ignorance allows religious leaders to commit atrocities in the name of god. You are (*)(*)(*)(*) right I blame the Christians of that time for the barbaric practices of their religion.

They justified rape, torture, misogyny and ethnic cleansing (genocide).
I have pagan friends who are well versed on the crimes of Christianity.

 

they make up their own rules which has noting to do with islam

 

It is unfortunate that others do not understand this.

 

Anybody who has been to Iran during the Ashura, will understand how they treat other religions.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z4wP5A80j...HsI/s400/ashura_superstitious_tradition_3.jpg

 

yes they treat the following religion like cr@p

Muslim (Sunni = they call us omeri)
Bahaie (distinct Muslim religion)
Christians
Jews

 

I notice you are still a teen and are a new member of Political Forum so I will excuse you calling me both ignorant and a racist. However, if you personally attack me again instead of attacking my posts, I will notify the moderating staff and request that you be banned from Political Forum.

There are certain rules that make it possible for people with vastly differing opinions to interact at this site and one of the most important of them is, attack the post, not the poster.

Since it was an Islamic court in Qom that decided this Christian pastor should be sentenced to death for the crime of apostacy, ie converting from the Muslim religion, it is indeed an image of Islam.

When Muslims destroy Buddhist statues that is an image of Islam.

When Muslims stone to death a young girl who has been raped, that is an image of Islam.

When Muslims kill homosexuals, that is an image of Islam.

When Muslims kill a Dutch citizen because they didn't like a film he made, that is an image of Islam.

When Muslims call Jihad on cartoonists because they don't like their cartoons, that is an image of Islam.

When Muslims put out a fatwa against an author whose book they don't like, that is an image of Islam.

And when Muslims fly planes into two office buildings, killing thousands of innocent people, that is an image of Islam.

The image of Islam is that of a group of backward people intent on killing all with whom they disagree.

Don't blame the messenger for telling you this. Blame the people who make the message true.

 

Gotta love the "maturity" in this forum.

"I'm telling mummy" LOL

 

I have to strongly disagree with your post, Leo.

As I have stated many times at Political Forum, I am 100% against the death penalty and wish it was never used either in the United States or anywhere else, but for your post to equate the execution of a person accused and convicted of killing a police officer with that of someone who refuses to convert to the Muslim faith, a faith he has not held during his adult life, is ludicrous..

The man executed in the United States was found guilty by a secular court with no religious overtones involved in the decision. The man found guilty in Iran was found guilty by a religious court and religion was the sole deciding factor in deciding his fate.

Your posts are usually better thought out than the one quoted above and I am surprised that you would attempt to equate an execution for the crime of murder with an execution for the 'crime' of not converting to a particular religion.