Conflictul din Orientul Mijlociu – O serata Strajerul – 7

Harta răspândirii Islamului

Hai să rezervăm câteva minute și viitorului. Ce se va întâmpla acolo? În mod clar, creștinii s-au aliat cu evreii în toată povestea asta și ca atare, creștinii sunt dușmanii declarați ai islamului, islam care nu poate fi neglijat, căci conține o populație destul de numeroasă…

Aproape 1 miliard!

… un teritoriu suficient de mare și care cuplând toată perspectiva lor, care-am povestit-o …

…una teocratică…

…sunt în stare de orice și ca atare, ei sunt o amenințare care nu poate fi neglijată din niciun punct de vedere. Pe lângă asta, ei sunt și-un popor militant, cum spuneai, nu numai cu armele, ci și sub raport misionar. Am mai povestit noi aici, Anglia este, realmente, terorizată de musulmani, Franța, de asemenea. Au existat, ați văzut, toate poveștile de violență din Franța, care realmente au întors lumea pe dos. Sunt oameni care trăiesc acolo, creștini sau nu, fie în Anglia, fie în Franța și care-și mărturisesc realmente frica de a trăi în acele zone dominate numeric de musulmani. Este interesant că istoria are consecințele ei: dacă Franța și-a alungat protestanții, acum are în locul lor musulmani și n-are decât să trăiască cu chestia asta.

Sigur!

Și așa mai departe. Deci noi creștinii suntem percepuți ca dușmani ai islamului De aceea, suntem vizați oriunde și peste tot în acțiunile lor, pentru că susținem Israelul. Deci un conflict aparent minor între două-trei milioane de oameni, de-o parte și tot așa de partea cealaltă, de fapt, se prelungește, se extinde la un conflict de proporții aproape mondiale, care acolo, local, se desfășoară în forma armelor și-a bombelor, iar la nivel mondial, sub forma ideologiilor, a politicilor economice, a influențelor ș.a.m.d. Dac-ar fi să discutăm în parametrii ăștia, lucrurile sunt mult mai grave. Noi stăm așa detașați, la distanță…

Așa credem noi.

…dar să vedem care ar putea fi viitorul și care ar putea fi în viitor impactul a ceea ce se întâmplă acolo, în Orientul Mijlociu.

Sigur!

Poate mai sunt întrebări sau comentarii.

(Un interlocutor din sală) …se povestea că în timpul califatului musulman, creștinii au dus-o de fapt foarte bine…

Da! Mai bine decât politeiștii, vreau să spun. Pentru asta însă au plătit un preț, au fost mai degrabă o populație de gradul al doilea, dar li s-a dat dreptul să trăiască, nu să moară, ca celorlalți. Eu aș duce lucrurile un pas mai în spate, aș zice, apariția islamului este, într-un fel, judecata lui Dumnezeu asupra unui creștinism decăzut. Uitați-vă. Islamul a triumfat în toate zonele în care a existat creștinism înainte. Dar creștinismul a decăzut, sub raport dogmatic, sub raport moral și chiar sub raport administrativ. Zona Orientului Apropiat și a Orientului Mijlociu este una în care creștinii au fost la un moment dat în istorie extrem de puternici. Discutăm aici mai ales despre Irak, unde biserica caldeeană (de persuasiune nestoriană, monofizită), care este acum o rămășiță, a avut o activitate misionară extraordinară, cu rezultate incredibile în perioada medievală timpurie (înainte de anul 1000). Biserica ortodoxă orientală a Siriei, numită și siriacă, a întărit rămășițele bisericii rezultate, conform tradiției, din lucrarea misionară a apostolului Toma, în zona Kerala, pe coasta Malabar, din sud-vestul Indiei. Acum, biserica aceea se numește Siro-Malabar, din pricina influenței puternice a bisericii siriace. Între India și Siria este-o distanță uriașă, mai mare decât distanța dintre București și Londra. Misionarii aceia au împânzit lumea asiatică, până în Siberia la nord, în Mongolia, în zona centrală, și în China, la răsărit. Dar, cu vremea, din pricina unor cauze complexe, credința creștină a decăzut acolo, s-a amestecat cu religiile locale, și rezultatul este că un creștinism decăzut a devenit solul fertil pentru apariția unei erezii, pentru că islamul nu este altceva decât o erezie creștină. Același lucru s-a întâmplat în tot nordul Africii, care-a fost creștin în primele secole ale bisericii, din Egipt până în Maroc. Iar astăzi, acel spațiu este islamic și islamul se întinde mereu, ca o pânză, înspre sudul Africii, până în Nigeria, și dincolo de ea.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide – This Week’s Prayer Diary: Focus on Iran

Despite so many positive words coming from the Iranian leadership over the last 18 months, and despite Iran being increasingly embraced by the international community, the situation for Christians and other religious minorities remains extremely alarming. There has been an ongoing spike in executions under the Rouhani presidency, as well as a continuation of Iran’s campaign against Persian Christians.This week, please: Thank God for the positive rhetoric coming from the Iranian leadership, but ask him to turn words into actions; Pray for Pastor Behnam Irani whose health has deteriorated significantly in the last few years while in prison; Thank God that two other imprisoned Iranian church leaders were released in December 2014; Pray for an end to the bringing of capital charges, such as moharebeh, or ‘enmity against God’ which have been increasingly used to target religious minorities; Ask God to comfort the family and friends of all those imprisoned unjustly in Iran because of their faith; Pray for access to justice for those facing trial on religious grounds, that their lawyers would be allowed access to their clients ahead of their hearings; Thank God that he is a God of justice, and pray that the Iranian Church would continue to grow and give him glory even in the midst of persecution.

Martin Luther King jr – The Prophet of Non-Violence for Georgia – 1

Martin Luther King jr

In 1964, US President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law. This act ended racial segregation in public places, theatres, churches, hotels and hospitals and granted whites and Afro-Americans equal rights to employment. This article is dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the adoption of this act and to the person who served as the beacon for the civil rights movement.

“King’s Men”

Our airplane took off from Tbilisi airport with a swoosh. The sky was clear. Looking out of the window, one could see the sun-scorched landscape below and patches of fluffy clouds above.

Haj Faigh Nabiyev, Namik Gajiyev and I were sitting on the one side of the aisle whilst Bishop Ilia Osepaishvili and Gela Guniava on the other. Our delegation was heading for Iran and Iraq. The airplane belonged to Iranian airlines.

Iranian Pastor Saeed Transferred From Solitary Confinement

Pastor Saeed Abedini, who was sentenced to eight years in prison in January for “actions against the national security of Iran,” has just been transferred from solitary confinement back to a cell on the regular ward. The American-Iranian husband and father of two young children had recently participated in a peaceful courtyard protest over the mistreatment of inmates in Evin Prison where he is currently being held. The protest reportedly angered prison officials, who subsequently put Pastor Saeed and nine other prisoners in solitary confinement. He had also signed a petition which criticized the lack of medical care for prisoners and the mistreatment of their families during visits.

Despite the good news of his transfer, there is still concern over Pastor Saeed’s health. He is reportedly suffering severe internal bleeding as a result of receiving regular beatings in prison, and there are concerns that his kidneys may not be functioning properly. Unfortunately, he has been refused medical treatment by prison authorities.

World Watch Monitor – U.S. authorities not hopeful Saeed Abedini will be released from Iranian prison

Summary

Colorado Springs, Jan. 28 (World Watch Monitor) — The wife of an American citizen sentenced to an Iranian prison for eight years expects she won’t hear from her husband until 2021, unless U.S. pressure is able to pry him free.

Naghmeh Shariat Panahi told World Watch Monitor that the last time she heard Saeed Abedini’s voice was Jan. 9, during a 3-minute cell phone call between Boise, Idaho and Tehran, Iran. Abedini’s family in Iran held two cell phones together — one linked to Panahi in America, the other to Abedeni in a holding cell — so the two could exchange words.

“He wanted to hear the kids’ voices,” Panahi said Tuesday from her Idaho home. The couple has a 6-year-old girl, Rebekkah, and a son, 4-year-old Jacob. After the 3 minutes were up, “we heard there will be no more phone calls,” she said.

Abedini, 32, was sentenced Sunday by a Revolutionary Court judge who concluded that Abedini’s work to establish Christian churches threatened Iran’s national security. A native of Iran and born Muslim, Abedini converted to Christianity in 2000 and spent several years establishing small “house churches.

World Watch Monitor: Iran says American tried to turn children against Islam

Summary

Colorado Springs, Jan. 20 (World Watch Monitor) — Iran on Monday accused an Idaho man of trying to entice young people to Christianity and away from the country’s official religion, Islam, the man’s American-based legal team says.

The trial of Saeed Abedini, 32, of Boise, began Monday in the Tehran courtroom of Abbas Pir-Abbassi, a Revolutionary Court judge notorious for harsh sentences. Abedini faces a lengthy prison sentence and possibly the death penalty for the alleged crime of attempting to undermine the Iranian government through the spread of Christianity.

The American Center for Law and Justice said prosecutors presented evidence that Abedini created “a network of Christian house churches” starting in 2000, the year he left Islam for Christianity.

“The regime alleged that Pastor Saeed intentionally sought to sway the minds of Iranian youth by turning the youth toward Christianity and against Islam, the official religion of Iran,” the center said in a prepared statement.

Abedini’s wife, Nagmeh, posted this account of Monday’s courtroom proceedings on the “Pray for Pastor Saeed Abedini” Facebook page:

Saeed was able to share from the Bible to the Judge and say that he was not a political person and had no political intentions, but he was a follower of His Lord Jesus Christ. There will be no more hearings and the formal charges and sentences will most likely be announced next week according to his lawyer in Iran.

There seemed to have been moments when the judge was moved by Saeed’s testimony. Please continue to pray for the Judge and Saeed’s release and his return back to our family.

Pastor Saeed’s Wife Speaks Out

U.S. demands release of American pastor from Iranian prison

Iranian pastor Saeed Abedini

Summary

Colorado Springs, Colo., Jan. 18 (World Watch Monitor) — Stepping up the urgency of American response, the White House on Friday called on Iran to release a jailed American pastor facing a trial that could send him to the gallows.

Saeed Abedini, a native of Iran and a naturalized American citizen, is expected to enter one of Iran’s revolutionary courts Monday to face accusations that he is a threat to national security. His lawyers say he faces a lengthy prison term and even the death penalty at the hands of one of Iran’s most notoriously severe judges.

On Friday, U.S. National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor issued a statement demanding Abedini’s release.

“We remain troubled by the case of U.S. citizen Saeed Abedini, who was arrested by Iranian officials more than three months ago on charges relating to his religious beliefs,” Vietor said in the statement. “We call upon Iranian authorities to release him immediately.”

It’s not known what precise charges Abedini will face, said Tiffany Barrans, international legal director for the American Center for Law and Justice, a Washington, D.C.-based attorney group that uses litigation to press for religious and speech freedom. But Barrans said it was Abedini’s background as an organizer of house churches in Iran that has angered the government, and for which he will be tried.

Earlier this week, 49 members of Congress sent letters to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urging the U.S. to apply diplomatic pressure on Iran to force Abedini’s release. The U.S. does not have diplomatic relations with Iran.

Please Pray for Imprisoned Iranian Christians

Dear Friends,

Greetings in the name of Jesus, Prince of Peace

In December we requested prayer for Saeed, an Iranian believer from a Muslim background who is currently detained in Tehran. Recall that Saeed has joint Iranian-US citizenship, and that his wife and children are in the US.

Saeed has been informed that he will face a hearing in a Revolutionary Court on Monday 21st January. The judge assigned has a reputation for having a hardline approach and imposing severe sentences. The charge Saeed faces is understood to be “actions against the national security of Iran.”

Recall that Saeed was detained on 28th July during a visit to Iran. He was held for one day before being allowed to return to his parents’ home in Tehran, but was informed that he would face charges relating to his Christian activities. In 2009 he had been warned about his activities with house fellowships, and so had focused on humanitarian activities during subsequent visits to Iran. On 26th September he was detained again following a raid on his parents’ home and has been held in custody since then, in solitary confinement for the first four weeks. On 17th December his lawyer was informed that Saeed would be prosecuted for national security offenses.

Israel and Iran: A love story?

When war between Israel and Iran seemed imminent, Israeli graphic designer Ronny Edry shared a poster on Facebook of himself and his daughter with a bold message: “Iranians … we [heart] you.” Other Israelis quickly created their own posters with the same message — and Iranians responded in kind. The simple act of communication inspired surprising Facebook communities like “Israel loves Iran,” “Iran loves Israel” and even “Palestine loves Israel.”

I love this!

God at Work in Iran

A recent article on Christianity Today website talks about the miraculous way in which Iranian Muslims are coming to faith in Christ. The article describes an Easter service in Eastern Germany in which seven such people were baptised. Here is the description of the event:

The group baptism happened at an unsettling time for European Christians. During Lent, radical Muslims handed out large numbers of Qur’ans on street corners and announced plans to distribute 25 million German-language copies of their holy book in order to win Germans to their faith. But on the night before Easter, some 150 worshipers filed silently into St. Mary’s Church in the Zehlendorf district of Berlin to witness conversions in the opposite direction.

Romney Defeats Netanyahu | Political Correction

Romney Defeats Netanyahu | Political Correction.

This article is really worth reading. Here is the beginning of it.

We have one person to thank for the fact that President Barack Obama successfully let Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu know ‘who’s the boss’ both at the AIPAC conference and at a meeting between the two at the White House on Monday.

Thank you, Mitt Romney.

Imagine if things had worked out the way Netanyahu wanted them to: Romney would have turned out to be an excellent candidate who crushed his opponents with dispatch. He would not only have the Republican nomination sewn up by now, but he would be the frontrunner to win in November (especially if the economy was trending down and not up).

Rumors of Imminent Execution of Iranian Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani Unconfirmed | Liveblog | Christianity Today

Rumors of Imminent Execution of Iranian Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani Unconfirmed | Liveblog | Christianity Today.

Lawyers for an Iranian pastor awaiting a final decision on his death sentence have not received communication from authorities that their client will be executed, despite reports that his death is imminent.

Rumors of an imminent execution of Yousef Nadarkhani were leaked this week after a source close to one of his lawyers contacted international media, informing them that a lower court had signed Nadarkhani’s execution papers and that his death sentence would be carried out soon, sources told Compass.

“The lawyer is waiting for confirmation, but he understood from a source that the execution was issued,” said Firouz Khandjani, a member of the council of the Church of Iran, Nadarkhani’s denomination. “Now we are trying to understand exactly what is happening. Because the information came from someone close to the lawyer, he took it seriously.”

Nadarkhani’s case had been sent to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei for a decision on his death sentence, but legally the lower court still has the authority to issue an execution order, Khandjani said. Khamenei may or may not make a decision, and if the court were to issue an execution order, Khameni would have the authority to block it, Khandjani said.

Though Nadarkhani’s lawyers have not received written confirmation of an execution order, Khandjani said he found it “worrying” that the government has repeatedly disregarded its own law and legal process in its treatment of Christians.

The Iranian government has executed prisoners without prior notice, sources told Compass, though it is not common.

Read the entire article at the link above.

Verdict Confirmed – Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani Condemned to Death in Iran

News agencies announce that the death sentence was copnfirmed for Iranian Pastor Youcef Youcef Nadarkhani.

Here are some links about this blatant human rights case:

Final Verdict for Pastor Youcef… Death

White House, State Department condemn Iran on pastor’s execution orders

US State Department – Execution Order for Iranian Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani

EU urges Iran to release pastor facing death sentence

Please pray for a miracle!

Execution Orders May Have Been Issued for Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani

According to contacts in Iran, the execution orders for Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani may have been issued. Pastor Youcef’s situation — an innocent man convicted and sentenced to death for becoming a Christian — has reportedly not been this dire since his story was first reported (for more on his case, click here).

Iran’s Assault on Religious Freedom May Worsen

December 30, 2011

Christians in Iran have faced a wave of arrests since the disputed presidential elections in June 2009. Persecution intensified as international pressure began to build over Iran’s secret nuclear enrichment program leading to sanctions in the following months. And now, when the United States is likely to announce more sanctions, the going may get even tougher for minorities in this Shi’a-majority nation.

Authorities began to arrest Christians and members of other minorities following protests, known as the Green Revolution, over Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s claimed victory in the 2009 elections that were believed to be rigged. President Ahmadinejad, in power since 2005, curtailed civil liberties, brutally attacked protesters, arrested hundreds and executed a few. Persecution of minorities was part of Iran’s attempt to tighten control over all aspects of people’s lives in the face of domestic insecurity. Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, who is facing death for apostasy, was also arrested from the city of Rasht in northern Gilan Province not too long after the protests.

Statul român cu funcţionari „creştini de două mii de ani (şi mai bine)” refuză azil unui creştin iranian condamnat la moarte. « Methoughts, mefeats and medefeats

Statul român cu funcţionari „creştini de două mii de ani (şi mai bine)” refuză azil unui creştin iranian condamnat la moarte. « Methoughts, mefeats and medefeats.

Va invit sa facem ceva impreuna pentru a indeparta aceasta rusine. Haideti sa scrie domnului Baconschi, premierului Boc si presedintelui Basescu in legatura cu aceasta problema.

Freedom for Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani

Pray for persecuted Christians in Iran, as well as for Muslim Iranians.

Muslims do not need our hate, but our love and prayers.

That, not disgraceful  Islamophobia, is Christ’s call to us.

Ehud Barak: Iranian Nuclear Program Not Really About Israel

The classic definition of a campaign gaffe is when a politician inadvertently speaks a truth that will hurt him politically. The first George Bush committed a gaffe when he said that the idea that cutting taxes would increase government revenue was “voodoo economics.” Similarly, it was a gaffe when Barack Obama said that insecure right-wingers “cling” to religion and guns. In other words, a gaffe is a politically inconvenient truth.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak gaffed big time this week. In fact, this gaffe is even more colossal than when he said back in 1999 that if he were a stateless young Palestinian, he would “have joined one of the terror organizations.”

Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani Refuses to Recant and Faces Execution

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, an Iranian pastor sentenced to death for apostasy in September 2010, refused to recant his faith during four court hearings held on September 25-28. He now faces an imminent verdict of the death sentence, which is expected to be issued within seven days. “They probably won’t kill him today, but they can do it whenever they want,” a source said. “Sometimes in Iran they call the family and deliver the body with the verdict.”

In July, the Supreme Court instructed the Revolutionary Tribunal of Gilan Province to review Youcef’s case to verify whether he was previously a practicing Muslim (for more information, click here). At the recent hearings, the court in Rasht ruled that Pastor Youcef was not a practicing Muslim before becoming a Christian but that he remains guilty of apostasy because of his Muslim ancestry.

Please pray for continued strength and grace for Pastor Youcef. Pray that all charges against him will be dropped. Pray that Pastor Youcef will rely on the Lord to give him the words to say when he stands before accusing authorities (Matthew 10:19). Pray that Iranian authorities will act justly in this case.

A source in Iran has shared that it is critical for foreign governments to negotiate and engage in diplomacy with Iranian authorities about Nadarkhani’s case, adding that Youcef’s predicament could be more hopeful if they intervened.

(Source, Voice of the Martyrs, Canada)

UPDATE

Here is a statement of the White House about this matter (source, HERE):

“Pastor Nadarkhani has done nothing more than maintain his devout faith, which is a universal right for all people,” Carney said. “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.”

70 Christians arrested in Iran during Christmas still in prison

Farshid Fahti

Elam Ministries Announcement

In the early morning hours after Christmas day, the Iranian government arrested 25 Christians in Tehran and other locations. They also planned to detain sixteen others, but were unable to locate them. There are also unconfirmed reports that the authorities have arrested over 50 other Christians. According to BBC Persian, the Governor of Tehran has vowed to arrest more evangelical Christians.

One of those detained was able to make a call to friends from an unknown location on the morning of the arrests, leaving this message –

“Unfortunately early this morning the authorities came to our homes. They arrested us and many other believers. I want to ask you to pray for us.We are sure God will never leave us or forsake us. God bless you. Sorry for giving you bad news over Christmas, but I believe God will do something for us.”

Nine Believers Arrested in Iran

Iranian State television reported the arrest of nine people on the charge of carrying out evangelism just outside of Hamedan, a well-informed Christian Network reported on Wednesday, September 15.

According to an Iranian State Television report monitored by the Farsi Christian News Network (FCNN) these nine Christians were cooperating with Christian-Zionist organizations.  The TV report labeled those arrested as “Christian Zionists” and “evangelicals”. However, it did not mention their relationship with Israel.

Iran – le mouvement de contestation à un tournant

Téhéran, le 27 décembre

Un régime “hors de contrôle”, “le début d’une nouvelle intifada”… Au lendemain des manifestations qui ont dégénéré à Téhéran et fait plusieurs morts, la presse internationale mesure l’ampleur de la contestation des autorités en place et y voit un véritable tournant pour le régime iranien.

Iran: The Nuclear Question

(Source: New York Times)

The Times’s David E. Sanger discusses the issues surrounding the discovery of the Iranian enrichment site near the holy city of Qum. See it HERE. Here is the link (fhanks to my friend John Schenk for this):

In memoriam Neda Agha Soltan – NEW UPDATE!

Tânăra iraniană Neda Agha Soltan a murit la 20 iunie 2009 la Teheran, pe când protesta paşnic împotriva măsluirii alegerilor din această ţară. A fost ucisă printr-un glonţ în inimă, de unul dintre lunetiştii aflaţi în slujba regimului criminal aflat la putere în Iran.

Uciderea Nadei a fost surprinsă de un prieten, pe telefonul mobil şi pusă imediat pe You.Tube, unde a fost vizionată deja de milioane de oameni.

21-23.11.08 – Trei zile de rugaciune si de post pentru Iran

Ca răspuns la un an de persecuţie şi la iminenta aprobare a unei legi care face ca sentinţa cu pedeapsa capitală să fie obligatorie pentru toţi bărbaţii musulmani care se întorc la Cristos şi care face ca toate femeile musulmane care se întorc la Cristos să primească închisoare pe viaţă, conducătorii bisericilor din Iran fac apel la rugăciune şi la post între 21 şi 23 noiembrie, 2008.
Ei ştiu că nu au influenţă asupra tribunalelor omeneşti, dar vor să-şi aducă pricina înaintea tribunalului ceresc.