White House Condemns Possible Execution of Iranian Pastor

[General Mung Beans]

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/09/28 ... ian-faith/

White House Condemns Possible Execution of Iranian Pastor

By Joshua Rhett Miller

Published September 29, 2011


The White House condemned the conviction and possible death sentence for an Iranian pastor who refuses to renounce his Christian faith on Thursday, saying the execution would further demonstrate Iranian authorities "utter disregard" for religious freedom.

Youcef Nadarkhani, 32, who maintains he has never been a Muslim as an adult, has Islamic ancestry and therefore must recant his faith in Jesus Christ, the 11th branch of Iran's Gilan Provincial Court has ruled. Iran's Supreme Court had ordered the trial court to determine whether Nadarkhani had been a Muslim prior to converting to Christianity.




"Pastor Nadarkhani has done nothing more than maintain his devout faith, which is a universal right for all people," the statement released by the White House read. "That the Iranian authorities would try to force him to renounce that faith violates the religious values they claim to defend, crosses all bounds of decency, and breaches Iran's own international obligations. A decision to impose the death penalty would further demonstrate the Iranian authorities' utter disregard for religious freedom, and highlight Iran's continuing violation of the universal rights of its citizens. We call upon the Iranian authorities to release Pastor Nadarkhani, and demonstrate a commitment to basic, universal human rights, including freedom of religion."

Attorney Mohammad Ali Dadkhah told The Associated Press on Thursday that his client has appeared before the appeals court over the past four days and expects a ruling by the end of next week. Dadkhah said he believes there's a "95 percent chance" of acquittal for Nadarkhani.

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

The judges in the case, according to the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ), demanded that Nadarkhani recant his Christian faith before submission of evidence. Though the judgment runs against current Iranian and international laws and is not codified in Iranian penal code, the judge stated that the court must uphold the decision of the 27th Branch of the Supreme Court in Qom.

When asked to repent, Nadarkhani stated: "Repent means to return. What should I return to? To the blasphemy that I had before my faith in Christ?"

"To the religion of your ancestors, Islam," the judge replied, according to the American Center for Law & Justice.

"I cannot," Nadarkhani said.

An unnamed source close to Nadarkhani's attorney told the American Center for Law and Justice that a judge has agreed to overturn Nadarkhani's death sentence, but the report could not be independently confirmed.

Even if the sentence is overturned, Jordan Sekulow, the executive director of the ACLJ, said the message is that it would be unlikely that Nadarkhani would be set free.

Nadarkhani is the latest Christian cleric to be imprisoned in Iran for his religious beliefs. According to Elam Ministries, a United Kingdom-based organization that serves Christian churches in Iran, there was a significant increase in the number of Christians arrested solely for practicing their faith between June 2010 and January 2011. A total of 202 arrests occurred during that six-month period, including 33 people who remained in prison as of January, Elam reported.

An Assyrian evangelical pastor, Rev. Wilson Issavi, was imprisoned for 54 days for allegedly converting Muslims prior to his release in March 2010, Elam officials told FoxNews.com.

Nadarkhani, a pastor in the 400-member Church of Iran, has been held in that country's Gilan Province since October 2009, after he protested to local education authorities that his son was forced to read from the Koran at school. His wife, Fatemeh Pasandideh, was also arrested in June 2010 in an apparent attempt to pressure him to renounce his faith. She was released in October 2010, according to Amnesty International.

Nadarkhani was sentenced to death for apostasy last September based on religious writings by Iranian clerics, including Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, despite the fact that there is no offense of "apostasy" in the nation's penal code, Amnesty International reports.

In June, the Supreme Court of Iran ruled that a lower court should re-examine procedural flaws in the case, giving local judges the power to decide whether to release, execute or retry Nadarkhani. The verdict, according to Amnesty International, includes a provision for the sentence to be overturned should Nadarkhani renounce his faith.

Elise Auerbach, an Iranian analyst for Amnesty International USA, told FoxNews.com that an execution for apostasy has not been carried out in Iran since 1990. Nadarkhani's sentence is a "clear violation of international law," she said.

"The key is to keep up the pressure and to publicize the story because it obviously outrages most people," Auerbach said. "It's part of the pattern of persecution based on religion in Iran."

Kiri Kankhwende, a spokeswoman for Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a human rights organization that specializes in religious freedom, told FoxNews.com that Nadarkhani was asked for the fourth time to renounce his faith during a hearing early Wednesday and he denied that request.

"We're waiting to hear the final outcome," she told FoxNews.com. "We're still waiting to hear what they've decided."

Kankhwende said Nadarkhani could be executed Wednesday or Thursday.

"Iran is unpredictable," she said. "We can't say when it might happen. It's a very real threat, but we can't say when exactly."

Officials at the U.S. State Department declined to comment when reached on Wednesday.

House Speaker John Boehner said Nadarkhani's case is "distressing for people of every country and creed," according to a statement released on Wednesday.

"While Iran's government claims to promote tolerance, it continues to imprison many of its people because of their faith," the statement read. "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."

Father Jonathan Morris, a Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of New York and an analyst for Fox News Channel, said Nadarkhani's case is "unmistakable evidence" that Iran is executing Christians simply because they refuse to become Muslims.

Morris continued: "Will President Obama, and the free world, allow the United Nations to continue in its cowardly silence on this matter?"

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Ayatollah Ass-a-holah indeed.

[Bakustra]

This perfectly shows what's wrong with Fox News- when given something as inexcusable and vicious as this, they cannot help but distort it. He is not being charged for being a Christian or for refusing to become a Muslim, but rather for converting to Christianity as a Muslim. The prior claims are blatant propaganda against Iran, twisting an already-idiotic law to make it seem as though Iran is killing all its Christians right now. This is simply false. Really, would it be so hard for Fox News to avoid distorting the truth?

[General Mung Beans]

This perfectly shows what's wrong with Fox News- when given something as inexcusable and vicious as this, they cannot help but distort it. He is not being charged for being a Christian or for refusing to become a Muslim, but rather for converting to Christianity as a Muslim. The prior claims are blatant propaganda against Iran, twisting an already-idiotic law to make it seem as though Iran is killing all its Christians right now. This is simply false. Really, would it be so hard for Fox News to avoid distorting the truth?

Erhm...

Nadarkhani was sentenced to death for apostasy last September based on religious writings by Iranian clerics, including Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, despite the fact that there is no offense of "apostasy" in the nation's penal code, Amnesty International reports.

And I'm assuming you aren't implying that him being sentenced to death for apostasy rather than just being Christian makes it any better.

[Samuel]

This perfectly shows what's wrong with Fox News- when given something as inexcusable and vicious as this, they cannot help but distort it. He is not being charged for being a Christian or for refusing to become a Muslim, but rather for converting to Christianity as a Muslim. The prior claims are blatant propaganda against Iran, twisting an already-idiotic law to make it seem as though Iran is killing all its Christians right now. This is simply false. Really, would it be so hard for Fox News to avoid distorting the truth?

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

When asked to repent, Nadarkhani stated: "Repent means to return. What should I return to? To the blasphemy that I had before my faith in Christ?"

Nadarkhani was sentenced to death for apostasy last September based on religious writings by Iranian clerics, including Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, despite the fact that there is no offense of "apostasy" in the nation's penal code, Amnesty International reports.

Wow. It looks like Fox News is saying that he is being punished for converting to Christianity from Islam.

The only paragraph you could possibly misconstrue is

Nadarkhani is the latest Christian cleric to be imprisoned in Iran for his religious beliefs. According to Elam Ministries, a United Kingdom-based organization that serves Christian churches in Iran, there was a significant increase in the number of Christians arrested solely for practicing their faith between June 2010 and January 2011. A total of 202 arrests occurred during that six-month period, including 33 people who remained in prison as of January, Elam reported.

You immediately attack the whole article as propoganda, despite the fact the rest focuses on apostacy.

[Bakustra]

Or this paragraph, helpfully bolded for you two?

Father Jonathan Morris, a Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of New York and an analyst for Fox News Channel, said Nadarkhani's case is "unmistakable evidence" that Iran is executing Christians simply because they refuse to become Muslims.

This is simply put, a god-damn lie. Iran has 300000+ Christians, who are not being slaughtered en masse for their faith and are entitled to certain legal protections and privileges within Iran. By presenting it as such, this makes it seem as though Iran is committing genocide against its religious minorities, or seeking to eliminate its religious minorities at the very least, rather than criminalizing conversion to non-Islamic faiths. This is something that anybody with an iota of belief in religious freedom would consider abhorrent (and I suppose some Fox News watchers probably consider it bad too), but they feel the need to distort the actual situation and lie about it. This is a bad thing no matter what they're lying about, because their job, despite what the US Supreme Court declared, is to report the truth.

EDIT: The article as a whole focuses on him being persecuted for being a Christian rather than for being a convert. This is common in grey propaganda- framing the issue in such a way as to alter the way people think about it. This is in order to get people in America thinking that Iran hates Christians, and therefore, Iran hates you.

[General Mung Beans]

Or this paragraph, helpfully bolded for you two?

Father Jonathan Morris, a Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of New York and an analyst for Fox News Channel, said Nadarkhani's case is "unmistakable evidence" that Iran is executing Christians simply because they refuse to become Muslims.

This is simply put, a god-damn lie. Iran has 300000+ Christians, who are not being slaughtered en masse for their faith and are entitled to certain legal protections and privileges within Iran. By presenting it as such, this makes it seem as though Iran is committing genocide against its religious minorities, or seeking to eliminate its religious minorities at the very least, rather than criminalizing conversion to non-Islamic faiths. This is something that anybody with an iota of belief in religious freedom would consider abhorrent (and I suppose some Fox News watchers probably consider it bad too), but they feel the need to distort the actual situation and lie about it. This is a bad thing no matter what they're lying about, because their job, despite what the US Supreme Court declared, is to report the truth.

The article was quoting an analyst who can be and are often wrong.

[Flagg]

So the WH can condemn this, but not commute the sentence of Troy Davis?

[Thanas]

It is a hilariously bad lie mistake lie, but it is not like we can expect balanced views from Fox news. Let us get back to the subject matter instead of discussing the failings of Fox news, shall we?

[Samuel]

The article as a whole focuses on him being persecuted for being a Christian rather than for being a convert.

Except for paragraphs 2,5,7,8,9,13,15,17.

But I guess one paragraph in the report and it is Fox is distorting the news

It is a hilariously bad lie mistake lie, but it is not like we can expect balanced views from Fox news. Let us get back to the subject matter instead of discussing the failings of Fox news, shall we?

What subject matter? It is a theocracy threating to execute people for apostacy.

[Thanas]

How about discussing the issue of christians in Iran?

In any case, the tangent about Fox news stops right now. Don't ignore that warning again.

[Bakustra]

I wonder at why conversion, of all things, is so seriously discouraged. I've never quite understood why so many powered classes and groups throughout history have been absolutely convinced that their authority hangs by a thread. After all, what concern is it of the living if people become enamored with false religions? Isn't it the place of God to sit in judgment for that? I mean, I could quote Eco on fascism, as it applies pretty well to situations like this, but that doesn't tell us where it comes from or why converts are seen as enemies.

[Shroom Man 777]

Okay, so it's Fox News propaganda that this and that... oh, and Iran still wants to execute a Muslim for turning into Christianity. But... Fox News!!! Okay, Buck Ustra.

I think we should be more outraged and more contrarian towards governments that decaffeinate people for changing their religion, than towards shitty news companies that give shitty news. Am I rite?

[Simon_Jester]

This perfectly shows what's wrong with Fox News- when given something as inexcusable and vicious as this, they cannot help but distort it. He is not being charged for being a Christian or for refusing to become a Muslim, but rather for converting to Christianity as a Muslim.

How is that better?

[Flagg]

This perfectly shows what's wrong with Fox News- when given something as inexcusable and vicious as this, they cannot help but distort it. He is not being charged for being a Christian or for refusing to become a Muslim, but rather for converting to Christianity as a Muslim.

How is that better?

Not necessarily better, but it's an important distinction because Iran doesn't go around executing Christians for being Christians.

[Simon_Jester]

Yes, it does.

It just only executes Christians who used to be Muslims.

I fail to see how this is significant, aside from the fact that it is not killing all the Christians in the country at once.

When a nation kills only a few homosexuals, or sterilizes only a few Roma, or something like that, we don't run around insisting "oh, but it was only a few!" A few is not good enough; the standard of ethical performance is zero. You should be killing zero Christians for being Christians, regardless of whether they ever were Muslim; you should be killing zero Muslims for being Muslims, regardless of whether they were ever Christian.

How does this man having been Muslim in the past in any way excuse or mitigate Iran deciding to kill him for being a Christian in the present?

[Flagg]

Dumbass, I said that they don't kill Christians for being Christians. This guy was an apostate, not just a Christian. And no one said this isn't just as bad, they are simply saying it's a distinction Fox apparently failed to make.

[Simon_Jester]

Dumbass, I said that they don't kill Christians for being Christians. This guy was an apostate, not just a Christian. And no one said this isn't just as bad, they are simply saying it's a distinction Fox apparently failed to make.

Who gives a shit whether Fox made the distinction or not? It's just as bad either way. It's not as if Fox reported that Iran was killing hundreds of people when they were only killing one. Sure, the Iranian government has some bullshit internal reason like 'apostate' to kill him, but why should I or anyone outside Iran care about what bullshit reasons they have, any more than I care why a bunch of hicks murder this particular gay guy and not some other gay guy?

[Flagg]

Dumbass, I said that they don't kill Christians for being Christians. This guy was an apostate, not just a Christian. And no one said this isn't just as bad, they are simply saying it's a distinction Fox apparently failed to make.

Who gives a shit whether Fox made the distinction or not? It's just as bad either way. It's not as if Fox reported that Iran was killing hundreds of people when they were only killing one. Sure, the Iranian government has some bullshit internal reason like 'apostate' to kill him, but why should I or anyone outside Iran care about what bullshit reasons they have, any more than I care why a bunch of hicks murder this particular gay guy and not some other gay guy?

Because it gives the impression that Iran is going around killing all Christians when that's not the case. It's misleading if not outright lying. And yes, we all agree that it's just as bad.

[Simon_Jester]

Because it gives the impression that Iran is going around killing all Christians when that's not the case. It's misleading if not outright lying. And yes, we all agree that it's just as bad.

It gave no such impression to me. Why did it give you the impression that Fox is trying to make people think Iran is killing all Christians, as opposed to merely persecuting Christian religious leaders and "apostates" who convert from islam?

There's, what, one quote by one guy in there that asserts this, versus the whole rest of the article.

[Flagg]

Because it gives the impression that Iran is going around killing all Christians when that's not the case. It's misleading if not outright lying. And yes, we all agree that it's just as bad.

It gave no such impression to me. Why did it give you the impression that Fox is trying to make people think Iran is killing all Christians, as opposed to merely persecuting Christian religious leaders and "apostates" who convert from islam?

There's, what, one quote by one guy in there that asserts this, versus the whole rest of the article.

I was just explaining Bakustras position.

[Samuel]

I wonder at why conversion, of all things, is so seriously discouraged. I've never quite understood why so many powered classes and groups throughout history have been absolutely convinced that their authority hangs by a thread. After all, what concern is it of the living if people become enamored with false religions? Isn't it the place of God to sit in judgment for that? I mean, I could quote Eco on fascism, as it applies pretty well to situations like this, but that doesn't tell us where it comes from or why converts are seen as enemies.

Because religions care what you believe. After all, if they God didn't care what you believed religion wouldn't exist in the first place. Maybe you'd get just a list of social norms handed down from the almighty... but than you run into why you should obey them and so religion logically follows.

[Shroom Man 777]

Because Iran, and other countries, are theocratic nations and thus religion is an integral part of the government/regime's rulership and thus people converting to another religion is actually a threat or an undermining of their rulership?

Basically how some one-party governments marginalize or vilify or outright illegalize other parties when they gain complete dominance and seek to keep it that way.

Making people to believe and lay their lives down and submit themselves to a higher godly authority is basically conditioning to make people do the same towards real-life power structures. Shit, that was all the rave back in the medieval ages.

[Simon_Jester]

I was just explaining Bakustras position.

Yeah, well, I disagree with it anyway. It's silly to be picking on Fox with all this vitriol when at worst what they did was make Iran look marginally more murderous than they really are by quoting some random alarmist idiot.

[bobalot]

How is ethnically cleansing a religous group (the impression that Fox gave) "marginally" worse than killing a single Apostate? Surely it's objectively far worse.

[Simon_Jester]

How is ethnically cleansing a religous group (the impression that Fox gave) "marginally" worse than killing a single Apostate? Surely it's objectively far worse.

They didn't give that impression in any real sense. They have one quote that can be interpreted that way if you want to, but which does not, in point of fact, say that Iran is killing an entire religious group, as opposed to some members of the group.

Which is true- they are killing some members of the group.

Damn it, I don't enjoy sticking up for Fox News, but why the hell is it that when we have a choice between picking nits and calling them monsters in a Fox article, versus condemning an actual religious-motivated killing in another country, people are automatically scrambling to find a way to say "FOX LIED!" as if this is somehow what's at issue here?