Iran: Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani Sentenced to Death for Refusing to Convert to Islam

By Deacon Keith Fournier
10/3/2011
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

A missionary Church known for proclaiming her message to all peoples must necessarily work for the freedom of the faith

Today we bring to the attention of the global readership of Catholic Online the plight of a Protestant Christian pastor in Iran, Pastor Youce Nadarkhani. This brave Christian man was sentenced to death because he refuses to convert to Islam.

Protestant Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani

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GILAN, Iran (Catholic Online) - The martyrs of the early Church died for their faith in the God who was revealed in Jesus Christ, and for this very reason they also died for freedom of conscience and the freedom to profess one's own faith - a profession that no State can impose but which, instead, can only be claimed with God's grace in freedom of conscience.

A December 2005 address given by Pope Benedict XVI to the Roman Curia states the clear position of the Catholic Church concerning Religious Freedom as a fundamental human right: "The Second Vatican Council, recognizing and making its own an essential principle of the modern State with the Decree on Religious Freedom, has recovered the deepest patrimony of the Church. By so doing she can be conscious of being in full harmony with the teaching of Jesus himself (cf. Mt 22: 21), as well as with the Church of the martyrs of all time.

"The ancient Church naturally prayed for the emperors and political leaders out of duty (cf. I Tm 2: 2); but while she prayed for the emperors, she refused to worship them and thereby clearly rejected the religion of the State. The martyrs of the early Church died for their faith in that God who was revealed in Jesus Christ, and for this very reason they also died for freedom of conscience and the freedom to profess one's own faith - a profession that no State can impose but which, instead, can only be claimed with God's grace in freedom of conscience.

"A missionary Church known for proclaiming her message to all peoples must necessarily work for the freedom of the faith. She desires to transmit the gift of the truth that exists for one and all. At the same time, she assures peoples and their Governments that she does not wish to destroy their identity and culture by doing so, but to give them, on the contrary, a response which, in their innermost depths, they are waiting for - a response with which the multiplicity of cultures is not lost but instead unity between men and women increases and thus also peace between peoples."

The Fundamental Human Right to Religious Freedom is under a frontal assault all around the world. The persecution against Catholics and other Christians has escalated. We regularly report on the persecution against Catholics. Today we bring to the attention of the global readership of Catholic Online the plight of a Protestant Christian pastor in Iran, Pastor Youce Nadarkhani. This brave Christian man was sentenced to death because he refuses to convert to Islam.

I first read about the plight of this Christian pastor in an article written by Daniel D. Tovrov of the International Business Times entitled Iranian Pastor Sentenced to Death: Nadarkhani Refuses to Convert "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. "

I then discovered that one of those groups rising to the defense of the Pastor was the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) which is led by a friend, Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow. I served the ACLJ for seven years as its first Executive Director. The American Center for Law and Justice reported on Thursday:

"ACLJ attorneys confirmed with Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani's attorney in Iran, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, that the death sentence still stands. Mr. Dadkhah stated that at the end of yesterday's hearing, three of the five judges appeared to be leaning toward annulling Pastor Youcef's sentence. Recognizing, however, that the judges' decision is not final and may be swayed by outside pressure before delivering the final verdict, he urges the international community to continue to cry out for Pastor Youcef's ...

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1 - 10 of 31 Comments

Wonderer
1 year ago
It is shameful, that Iran, once a just and tolerant country, has lost it's legal bearings. They now claim the charges against Pastor Nadarkhani are rape, extortion and apostasy.
In these additions to the original charge of apostasy they reveal themselves.

Because the 'rape' of Iranian Christians is what they are permitting and God has not empowered His creation to extort belief in Him at the price of their life which is, along with freewill, the Almighty's gift to us. This is truly a most blasphemous extortion.

Release him NOW!
Jorge
1 year ago
Bullbajer..see the practical results od watching PBs saudi-moeny paid documentaries in cable TV or reading the inumerous literature, all PAID by saudi arabia that introduces concepts totally aline like"lesser jihad" and "greater jihad". ..and absolute revisionist, deceiteful, pan-islamic DISASTER.The only TRUE concept of Jihad is the one of violently, agressively spreading islam to all humanity and to all the planet, at all and any cost, that implies invasion with armies, immigrants, makinftreaties that muslims will brek once they get the upper hand; it will imply the muslims rainig, looting, kidnapping, cummiting massive acts of genocide, terror, torture, oppression of non-muslims until they pay jizza as inferior creatures, or get themselves butchered.
Here is what JIHAD really means:The Arabic word Jihad is derived from the root word Jahada (struggle). Jihad has come to mean an offensive war to be waged by Muslims against all non-Muslims to convert them to Islam on the pain of death. Jihad is enjoined on all Muslims by the Quran.
Bukhari:V4B52N196 "Allah's Apostle said, 'I have been ordered to fight with the people till they say,"None has the right to be worshipped but Allah."'"
Muslim:C40B20N4676 "Jihad Is Compulsory."
Bulbajer
1 year ago
Jorge, I agree (wait... what?!)... with you about Christianity and murder. Christians who commit murder or rape or some other horrible crime are not truly Christians. In the same sense, Muslims who commit murder or rape or some other horrible crime are not truly Muslims. Jihad is divided into two parts: the greater and the lesser. The greater jihad is spiritual warfare - much like ours. The lesser is physical warfare - to be used as a last result, e.g., defending innocent people against violent aggressors. Since the founding of Islam, various groups have emphasized the lesser jihad or twisted the definition of the greater jihad to include opposing anyone who isn't Muslim. These groups of Islam have never been the dominant form, nevermind "the" Islam. When my Muslim friends and neighbors tell me that Allah mandates love and prohibits murder, and when I see the headlines detailing killings by al-Quaeda or the like (who believe that Allah mandates murder and prohibits love), I'm sorry, but I'm going to believe my friends and neighbors. I don't care if you've been to an Islamic country. You can't judge an entire religion based on the actions of some of its adherents.
Jorge
1 year ago
Bulbajer..you should worry about your own cognitive dissonance problem, not about mine..I SAID that "catholics have never killed any one for following their faith", and by this i mean that any catholic that murderes any one, is violating the 10 comandments and Jesus Christ prohibition of murder to spread the christian/catholic faith.Catholics, HONEST catholics could never kill any one just because he/she is not a catholic, or because that person disagrees with something in catholicism. Unfortunately ISLAM, MUSLIMS KILL any one, muslim and specially non-muslims, justmbecause they might criticise or disagree with some tenet of the islamic faithj. if you cannot graspt what I am saying, then it is better to go to school and take some literacy lessons.ctholics can only kill in self-decence in the catholic "just war" doctrine with which I absolutely agree with, and that applies to islam PERFECTLY! i ALSO NEVER SAID THAT PROTESTANTS killes and raped a lot for following their faith since no protestant religion deffends murder for spreading or deffending their faith.Once again you are caught LYING!CATHOLICS AND PROTESTANTS did cummited murder, rape and other crimes by VIOLATING the most basic tenets of their faith(with the exception of the "just war" doctrine that applyes to catholics,not necessarly to protestants).Go watch the PBS documentary about muhaMAD, islam-saudi-paid revisionist, pan- islamic supremacist whitewashing propaganda about islam, a "credible" source for functional illiterates and naive idiots who fall prey of the islamic web of lies, distortions and sheer manipulations!
Jeancatherine
1 year ago
frikkie

Get your hands on the early church fathers then you will understand what its all about.

By the way its communists who have killed more people than what was dont by secular society during the Inquisition. The people in the Inquisition were trying to keep cool heads during that time when it came to trials.
Bulbajer
1 year ago
Jorge, I'm really starting to worry about you. Where did you learn your history? Who told you that Catholics never committed murder while Protestants killed and raped a lot?
Marie
1 year ago
Frikkie, you are obviously unaware that Catholicism was the very first Christian religion, started by Jesus Christ himself. There were no protestant religions until the 1400s, when Martin Luther broke away from the church. Jesus Christ gave Peter, our first Pope, the keys to the kingdom of heaven and that what he binds or looses on Earth will be bound or loosed in Heaven. Those "keys of office" have since been passed down to each Pope. Jesus also instructed his apostles, the first priests and bishops, that whosoever sins they forgive will be forgiven.
Jorge
1 year ago
frikkie, you are demented..since when catholics murdered any one for following their faith, as ou maliciously imply? there is no "gossip" whatsoever in the never-ending jihad that has claimed around 300 million innocent deaths by jihadist DELIBERATE and QURANIC SANCTIONED GENOCIDE OF ALL NON-MUSLIMS, since muhammad came along 1400 years ago in arabia and spreaded islam by the sword. I don't know if you are a muslim or a protestant radical anti-christian. I do not believe all protestants are anti-christ and many will be saved by our LORD CHRIST JESUS-THIS BRAVE PASTOR IS ONE OF THOSE BLESSED HEROES. However there have been also many crimes cummited by protestants, including of sexual, pedophilic nature...I remember a brazilian protestant pastor notr just raped children but actually murdered them( that is radicallly "innovative"!!)..we both know that does not imply in any way that protestantism deffends pedopjily, as the catholic priests also violated basic catholic principles, when they cummited those violent crimes. Christians, catholics, ortodox , protestants and evangelicals should be united when any one of our people is threathened like this BRAVE PASTOR is by JIHADIST MASS-MURDERES, TERRORISTS, SATNAISTS, ANTI-CHRISTS, and NOT startfoolishly fighting each other, betwen ourselves. christian divisions have allowed in the past the growth of sin, wars, destruction and the world has never see.It is time for christian division and infighting to CEASE once and for all..JESUS WILL NEVER ENDORSE CHRISTIANS FIGHTING EACH OTHER.LOVE AND UNION IS OUR COMMON GROUND..Not hatred and division!!
Joemends
1 year ago
This l strongly believe is a great sign for all Christians to testify to.We are talking of a Moslem convert,who has embraced the Christian faith and has even gone to the extent of putting his very life on the line.Can 100%Christians emulate this?And if no,why?Let us all arise,and spiritually support our dear own in this battle of the wicked and evil one.He will definately be set free.
frikkie
1 year ago
Catholics murdered millions of christians, now they want to gossip about Islam? The Catholic church is the anti christ and now wants to play good cop with their islamic friends the bad cop. People beware of the satan seed that wants to stand in the place of Christ.. The pope wants to be Jesus on earth and wants to forgive peoples sins through his pedophile priests. . Your undoing is booked in revelations.

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