Naghmeh Abedini on Iran: ‘Silence in the face of evil’
Naghmeh Abedini, the wife of an American pastor, Saeed Abedini, imprisoned in Iran, spoke at CPAC this weekend, urging America to do more to free her husband.
“My question is, as I’m proud to see my husband stand up for his faith in the face of evil, how are we standing up as a country for him?,” Naghmeh Abedini asked. “What kind of message are we sending to the world when we continue to negotiate while Iran continues to abuse one of our own, an American pastor?”
Abedini, a former Iranian Muslim turned Christian, left Iran in 2005 and moved to the United States with his wife and two children to find religious freedom after facing conflict with authorities for planting house churches in the county. In 2012, he traveled back to Iran to build an orphanage and visit his parents when he was taken into custody.
Iranian courts ruled that he was a threat to the country’s national security and sentenced him to eight years in Evin Prison.
“While we’re speaking with Iran, Iran needs to know where we stand on religious freedom issues. If we don’t address what’s going on across the world – it will be something we will have to deal with here. And we’re seeing we’re losing our religious freedom here,” she said.
“When we don’t act, when we don’t speak, we’re doing the same things that the persecutors are doing. When we don’t speak in the face of evil we’re doing the evil ourselves.”
Naghmeh said America needs to turn from its current ways and repent, so God will heal the land.
“This nation is blessed because of our foundation on Jesus Christ. It is my prayer we will turn our eyes back to Jesus, and get back to our core value of religious freedom,” she said. “I ask you to partner with me and my family as we stand up for religious freedom across the globe. Educate yourself about religious persectuion, pray for the persecuted and continue to speak out.”
“It’s time to bring our American pastor home. He’s been there long enough.”
The Dispatch has been covering the Abedini case for years, interviewing Naghmeh twice – get more coverage, stories here
