Youcef Nadarkhani, a 34 year old father of two, had gotten his final verdict from the Iranian court. The Christian Pastor will be executed for apostasy. He was charged after he converted from Islam to Christianity.
Jordan Sekulow, executive director of The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) said,
“The world needs to stand up and say that a man cannot be put to death because of his faith. This one case is not just about one execution. We have been able to expose the system instead of just letting one man disappear, like so many other Christians have in the past.”
The order to execute Nadarkhani comes on the heels of a Congressional resolution sponsored by Joe Pitts condemning the apostasy charge and demanding his release.
Congressman Pitts told Fox News ,
“Iran has become more isolated because of their drive for nuclear weapons, and the fundamentalist government has stepped up persecution of religious minorities to deflect criticism. The persecuted are their own citizens, whose only crime is practicing their faith.”
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and 89 members of Congress, along with the European Union, France, Great Britain, Mexico and Germany, have condemned Iran for arresting Nadarkhani and have called for his quick release.
After the guilty verdict was returned against him he was given three chances to repent. The first chance was to publicly recant his beliefs, the second was to convert to Islam the third was to declare Muhammad a prophet. He declined to do all three.
What do you think about the idea that countries can execute citizens who go against the country’s fundamental belief system?