Iranian pastor 'may avoid death'

MagicMarker

http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/world-news/iranian-pastor-may-avoid-death-2891594.html

The lawyer of an Iranian pastor sentenced to death for apostasy is hopeful an appeals court will acquit him.

Mohammad Ali Dadkhah says he believes in a "95% chance" of acquittal for 32-year-old Youcef Nadarkhani.

Nadarkhani turned to Christianity when he was 19 and later became a pastor in the northern Iranian city of Rasht.

He was convicted of apostasy in 2010 and remains in prison in Rasht.

Dadkhah said he has appeared before the appeals court over the past four days and expects a ruling by the end of next week.

He says neither Iranian law nor clerics have ever stipulated the death penalty as punishment for converting from Islam to Christianity.

Earlier, Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague called for the Iranian regime to overturn Nadarkhani's sentence, adding: "I deplore reports that Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, an Iranian Church leader, could be executed imminently after refusing an order by the Supreme Court of Iran to recant his faith.

"This demonstrates the Iranian regime's continued unwillingness to abide by its constitutional and international obligations to respect religious freedom.

"I pay tribute to the courage shown by Pastor Nadarkhani who has no case to answer and call on the Iranian authorities to overturn his sentence."

And from a different source.

Despite the fact that he was never anything other than a Christian, Iranian clerics have determined that since his ancestors practiced Islam he is still considered guilty.

Quite unbelievable really. Fair play to him for refusing to repent, I think I'd happily convert to Islam and keep my fingers crossed, then get the fuck out of the country!!

i'm confused about how he was "never anything other than christian" if he converted at 19

Beruthiel

Seems a reasonable response to me....

Galvasean

bluewolf wrote: »

i'm confused about how he was "never anything other than christian" if he converted at 19

Perhaps he never identified with Islam or considered himelf Muslim the same way many atheists never identified with the religions they were brought up to be part of?

Knasher

Galvasean wrote: »

Perhaps he never identified with Islam or considered himelf Muslim the same way many atheists never identified with the religions they were brought up to be part of?

Or perhaps his parents weren't members of the islamic faith and never raised him as part of it.

Had a look at wikipedia to see if it mentioned anything about his background. It didn't mention if his parents were muslim, but apparently he was arrested originally for protesting against a policy in kids local school which required them all to read from the Qur'an.

Galvasean

Galvasean wrote: »

Perhaps he never identified with Islam or considered himelf Muslim the same way many atheists never identified with the religions they were brought up to be part of?

Well the reason I'm asking is that if he's accused of apostasy then he must have been muslim to start with, even if it was in name only. That would contradict the "he was never anything but christian" which implies he was raised christian or was at least not raised muslim. I don't think "what he identifies with" comes into it for those assertions
Not a big deal, I'm just wondering which it is

Knasher

bluewolf wrote: »

Well the reason I'm asking is that if he's accused of apostasy then he must have been muslim to start with, even if it was in name only.

But the second quote mentioned that he was considered guilty because his ancestors practiced Islam. It would seem unusual to specifically mention that if he was also a member of Islam, even if he never identified with it.

Knasher

Knasher wrote: »

But the second quote mentioned that he was considered guilty because his ancestors practiced Islam. It would seem unusual to specifically mention that if he was also a member of Islam, even if he never identified with it.

That's true

Ah well, it's good news either way

Galvasean

Hopefully the international attention this case receives will help bring about an end to this archaic and barbaric law.

alex73

MagicMarker wrote: »

Quite unbelievable really. Fair play to him for refusing to repent, I think I'd happily convert to Islam and keep my fingers crossed, then get the fuck out of the country!!

If we all converted to different faiths with a Gun to our heads.. Would us believers really be believers? In Germany during the WWII many priests offered to give fake Baptism Certs to Jewish Children, esp Girls.. Not to convert them.. Just as a means to avoid them having to go to Gettos.. Many Rabbis refused such an action.

Faith aside... many People have died for what they Believe in, Civil Rights, Human Rights.. Religious People have killed non believers, simple because they did not believe,,, Which is wrong and Non Believers have killed Believers.


What is needed is reciprocal respect.. Problem is with Islam is that there is not 2 way debate... They expect respect in the west where they are minorities,, but in Majority Muslim states they don't give the same respect to the minorities there.. Saudi Arabia has about 2 Million Christians (mostly migrant workers) and practically no places of worship.

Mistress 69

I reckon he should take the soup.... after all he is only dealing with a bunch of ah's... result is he gets off the hook and lives to fight another day.

Ray Palmer

Didn't they actually say that he is charged with rape now