Freedom of Religion

Call of Duty
By Jason Garrison

British legal expert Gladstone considers the Constitution “The most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose of man.” Within this document America offers her citizens due process, trial by jury, Habeas Corpus, and numerous other positive liberties. These freedoms, however, are not guaranteed in every nation.

Iran made headlines this week for infringing upon such freedoms. A country whose constitution boasts that “Christian Iranians . . . are free to perform their religious rites and ceremonies and to act according to their own canon in matters of personal affairs and religious education,” issued the final verdict condemning Iranian Youcef Nadarkhani to death for converting to Christianity.

Youcef converted to Christianity when he was 19. He acted as pastor of a Protestant Evangelical house church until his arrest in 2006. Youcef Nadarkhani is married and has two sons ages nine and seven.

Sources close to Youcef and his family report that he can be executed at any time without prior warning, as death sentences in Iran may be carried out immediately or dragged out for years.

This order cannot be appealed.

Jordan Sekulow—the executive director of The American Center for Law and Justice—believes 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.”

This is more than an infringement on Biblical principles; it is an infringement on human rights.

Not only should you be aware of this incredible injustice, but you should act.

Twitter, Facebook, and multiple other forms of social media are partnering to inform and call the masses to action. According to Fox News, 400,000 people in 157 countries have tweeted about Youcef. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, members of Congress, and the European Union have all spoken out against Iran.

Legal organizations such as the ACLJ are circulating petitions that advocate the fair treatment of Youcef and this is where you can help. Below is a link to a petition to free Pastor Youcef. 

Please sign the petition and please pray for Pastor Youcef.

SIGN THE PETITION NOW