Campaign calls for Pastor Saeed Abedini’s release from Iranian prison

Campaign calls for Pastor Saeed Abedini’s release from Iranian prisonMore than 3,000 Christians used social media on November 21 to call for the release of a pastor, Saeed Abedini imprisoned in Iran, as part of a new campaign to support the pastor, a U.S. citizen and convert to Christianity. “This represents a tremendous outpouring of concern for Pastor Saeed,” said Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice. “It is clear that the power of social media is significant and that thousands of people want to send a message directly to the leadership in Iran: free Pastor Saeed – he is no threat to the security of Iran.”

Pastor Saeed Abedini

Pastor Saeed Abedini has been imprisoned in Iran since September 2012 charged with threatening national security. He has been sentenced to eight years in jail, although religious freedom advocates argue that his Christian faith is actually responsible for his arrest.

Raised a Muslim in Iran

He raised a Muslim in Iran, converted to Christianity in 2000 and became a United States citizen in the year 2010 after marrying a U.S citizen. He and his wife lived Idaho with their children. After his conversion, he worked with house churches in Iran. Although the churches are technically legal, he work drew objections from the Iranian government. He has worked solely with non-religious orphanages in the country. He was arrested during a trip to work with the orphanages.
During the Social Media campaign on November 21 asked supporters to send Twitter messages containing the hashtag "#SaveSaeed" to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, asking them to free Abedini. The media campaign is the latest initiative to support the imprisoned pastor. A petition calling for Abedini’s freedom has attracted more than 240,000 signatures and both U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry have also asked for his release, along with the U.S. Senate and members of the European Parliament.
Demonstrations of support for the pastor have been held throughout the United States. In addition, the House Foreign Affairs Committee approved a bipartisan resolution condemning Iran’s persecution of religious minorities and urging Abedini’s immediate release. The Senate unanimously passed a similar resolution Nov. 14. The U.S. and Iran are conducting talks in Geneva aimed at reining in Iran’s nuclear program and those backing Abedini hope the time is right for his freedom. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry have both spoken out for Abedini’s release.
More Missionaries News Updates

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

D G S Dhinakaran

Image
Dr.Duraisamy Geoffery Samuel Dhinakaran, was an Indian Evangelical Preacher and founder of the Jesus Calls Ministry, born on July 1, 1935 at Surandai in Tirunelveli District of Tamil Nadu, India. He attended St.John`s college, Palayamkottai and subsequently was awarded a Bachelor degree in Mathematics from Madras University in 1955. He had a very tough life being torn by the ailments of poverty and agony of unemployment. Unable to bear the agony of these problems, on February 11, 1955, Dr.D.G.S.Dhinakaran decided to put an end to his life. He started towards the nearest railway track in his village to throw himself before the speeding train when he was stopped by his uncle who introduced Jesus Christ. He experienced a sudden wave of divine peace and hope, flood his heart. His mind was transformed and he returned home enlightened. After this incident, things started happening in him supernaturally. There arose an unquenchable thirst in him to spend hours together poring over the lif
More +

India Celebrates World Sunday School Day

Image
The "World Sunday School" was founded with a great challenge to save and shape the children community after seeing thousands and thousands of street children who neither go to school nor to Church by Serampore trio (William Carey, Joshua Marshman, and William Ward) in India at 1803. Every year first Sunday of November, the "World Sunday School Day", was observed by the Churches. The day is being observed to commemorate the day and its significant change of effective effects towards this modern world especially to the children of the Sunday School in nurturing their shape in way of how a good Christian by birth should adapt to grow in the society through the foot-steps of Christianity's religion principles.
More +

Charles Mead

Image
Rev.Charles Mead was the Father of the South Travancore Mission, born on 1st October 1792 at Bristol, Gloucester, England. He was brought up by his uncle Rev.John Hunt at Wakefield, Yorkshire, attended Gosport Missionary School and ordained at Chichester on 6th March 1816. According to the London Mission Society’s report, Rev.Charles Mead was nominated for Travancore as Rev.Ringeltaube’s successor. He married Rev.Hunt’s daughter. He left from England on 20th April, 1816 for Travancore and arrived at Madras on 28th August 1816 along with Rev.Richard Knill, who known as the pastor of the church at St Petersburg. He was received by Rev.Loveless, who was the first England missionary of Madras. Rev.Mead was detained a considerable time at Rev.Loveless’s house at Madras by his wife's ill-health and he studied Tamil. There after he gave early intimation of his arrival to Col.Munro and consulted him on various subjects related to the mission affairs and solicited help. After one year back,
More +