In a recent Washington Post opinion piece on Youcef Nadarkhani, a Christian pastor under a death sentence for apostasy in Iran, Jordan Sekulow describes Nadarkhani’s attorney as:
. . . a brave Muslim who has been sentenced to nine years in prison and banned from practicing law by the Iranian government.
And John Boehner has weighed in:
Religious freedom is a universal human right. The reports that Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani will be sentenced to death by the Iranian government unless he disavows his Christian faith are distressing for people of every country and creed.
Where is President Obama on this? Even as a cynical political calculation, it can’t possibly be good for his reelection prospects to let a Christian pastor in Iran go to his death without so much as a peep of protest from him.
What sort of hope is being kept alive by such diplomatic silence?
If you want to lobby President Obama to say something about this unfortunate man, here’s the number to the White House switchboard:
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
From my perspective it is all religion that stands convicted in cases like this. The consequences of delusional/irrational religious beliefs held by both the authorities and the victim stand exposed for all to see. The only admirable individual is the victim’s attorney who has risked disbarment and imprisonment by standing up for justice, a rational human principle.
I note that no muslim has responded to the challenge in your earlier post on this matter.
I am still hoping that Obama is conducting secret negotiations with the Iranian Government. Also, I am hoping that some representatives of World organizations managed to communicate their support to the Pastor. Knowing the Muslim mentality, I assume that they believe that the Pastor is following a false religion and that he will recant his faith when he is facing death. Some Muslims did that recently in Turkey, when they ambushed German preachers and tortured them to force them to deny Christ, and when they failed they killed them. In the case of the Iranian government, I hope that they have some wise advisers who will have them back off in the last minute.