Tag: Saeed Abedini

Posted on

selective outrage

MeriamIbrahim2014-05With the recent understandable swelling of passionate outrage centering on citizens Sterling and Sam, can we handle a tough question?  Are we willing to address whether or not our outrage is selective?

I note the following from last week, as reported by The Los Angeles Times:

“A pregnant Sudanese woman who refused to renounce her Christianity was sentenced to death by hanging Thursday in a Khartoum court, provoking outrage from human rights groups.

Meriam Yehya Ibrahim, who has a young son and is married to a Christian from South Sudan, violated Islamic sharia law, the court said.  She insists she was raised Christian, not Muslim.

The court also ordered Ibrahim to be flogged for having sexual relations with her husband, since her marriage is not recognized by officials.”

Thankfully, outrage was expressed by Amnesty International:

“The fact that a woman has been sentenced to death for her religious choice, and to flogging for being married to a man of an allegedly different religion is appalling and abhorrent.”

Note also that Ibrahim, currently jailed with her 20 month-old son, will be allowed to give birth to her second child and raise/nurse the child until the age of 2.  She then faces execution.

Ibrahim’s husband in an American citizen.

saeed-abedini

Note, also, the following this week, as reported by the American Center for  Law and Justice:

“After spending two months in an Iranian hospital, we learned today that Pastor Saeed Abedini was removed from the hospital and taken back to Rajai Shahr Prison.

The transfer came without any advance notice and family members in Iran confirmed that he was severely beaten at the hospital and then forcibly returned to prison.

The reason for the transfer is unclear and according to family members, one of the guards who was involved in the transfer mentioned the Iranian nuclear talks as a possible motive.”

Abedini is a former Muslim who converted to Christianity in 2000.  He has been detained in Iran since 2012, incarcerated, and sentenced in January of 2013 to eight years in prison, reportedly on charges of undermining national security through his Christian faith and evangelical efforts.  Abedini is an American citizen.

And so today the Intramuralist wonders…

We hear passionate, national and political outrage regarding the individual cases of Donald Sterling and Michael Sam.  What they were involved in was significant, and some actions and reactions were outrageous.  Racism… bigotry…  Some aspects were so outrageous, pundits, politicians, and ordinary people passionately, publicly shared their disgust.  But where is the passionate outpouring of disgust for Ibrahim and Abedini?  … both of whom also have American ties?  They are persons who are currently being persecuted solely because of their religion… because of their Christian faith.

Are we unable to talk passionately and compassionately about the Christian faith?  Can we only talk racism and bigotry when Christianity is not the cause for the injustice?  Hence, I ask:  are we selective in our outrage?  If so, why?

Respectfully…

AR

Posted on

fact as opposed to rhetoric

Every now and then a story strikes me as so significant that my sense is we need to discuss and highlight such amidst these postings.  The depth of the news deserves our attention.  Today is such a day.

 

Allow me to initially note that this account is very current; that being so, details are evolving daily.  I would encourage you to pay attention to those details.  Hence, take note of the following name:  Saeed Abedini.

 

Abedini is a 32 year old American citizen.  He is originally from Iran.  Abedini has a wife and 2 small children.  His extended family remains in Iran.

 

Abedini returns regularly to the Arab country in order to both visit his extended family and oversee a humanitarian effort he began years ago to build an orphanage; he has been arrested multiple times upon his return.   What has Abedini been arrested for?

 

Abedini is a pastor.  He is an American Christian pastor.  Abedini converted from Islam to Christianity.  As we logically wrestle with fact as opposed to rhetoric, know that any Muslim who apostatizes — literally “regresses” — or specifically goes on to at some point, somehow reject the Islamic faith — commits an offense which may be punishable by death.  Islamic scholars disagree on this assessment; the reality exists, however, that a sizable number of scholars believe execution is the appropriate consequence.  Under Shariah law, a Muslim who converts to Christianity is on par with someone waging war against Islam.

 

In mid-December without initial notice of any formal charges, Abedini was again imprisoned.  As he remained incarcerated, the Iranian government ambiguously charged him with compromising national security, omitting the specifics of the compromising actions.  The government also announced the American would go on trial for this offense.  According to his attorneys, Abedini is scheduled to appear before an Iranian judge known as the “hanging judge,” a man identified by the European Union in 2011 as an individual actually subject to sanctions for human rights violations.  Judge Pir-Abassi has reportedly presided over a number of cases against human rights activists, often handing down long prison sentences and even several death penalties.

 

One more seemingly significant detail:  at the time of this writing, Abedini’s whereabouts are also ambiguous.  When his family went to visit him in Iranian prison last Wednesday, they were told he was not there.  Then yesterday, they were told he had been moved within the prison yet they were not permitted to see him.

 

A couple more related notes:  Abedini’s family reports that he has been repeatedly interrogated and beaten within prison walls.  He has also experienced injury and pain as a result of these beatings and may be in need of medical treatment.  His attorney and family seem to know few more specifics.

 

Allow me one more rather relevant detail…

 

While the American government often calls for the fair and humane treatment of its citizens — in fact, our government often simply calls for the fair and humane treatment of all people regardless of citizenship — for months the American government has said nothing.

 

Finally, this week — only after approximately 250,000 online signatures, significant negative publicity, and public appeals by 50 U.S. House Representatives — the U.S. State Department called for Abedini’s release.  As Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) stated, “Every U.S. citizen should have the assurance that the U.S. government will come vigorously to their defense in a time of need, especially when they are unjustly tried in a foreign country.”  For months, there was not only no vigorous defense; there was no defense.

 

Why would we allow an innocent man to persevere alone?  Did his religion affect our response?

 

Ensuring that we wrestle with fact as opposed to rhetoric, the Intramuralist can only concerningly, definitely offer, “I don’t know.”

 

Respectfully,

AR

[Note:  This morning, Jan. 27th, Abedini was sentenced to 8 years in prison for attempting to undermine the Iranian government.  His attorney was apparently shut out from some of the judicial proceedings.  What will now be the response of governments around the world?]