Ramadan Bombathon in Iran

The global "Ramadan Bombathon" continues, this time in Iran, where jihadis attacked the Iranian parliament and the mausoleum of the Ayatollah Khomeini.

Pastor Saeed Abedini Has Been Freed by Iran

Christian pastor Saeed Abedini (along with several others) has been freed as part of a prisoner exchange with Iran.

CNN—Iran has freed four prisoners from the United States, including Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, Iran's semi-official FARS news agency reported Saturday, citing Tehran's prosecutor.

According to FARS, Iran freed Rezaian, Marine veteran Amir Hekmati and Christian pastor Saeed Abedini, who had been held on various charges. FARS identified the fourth prisoner freed as Nosratollah Khosrawi. Details of Khosrawi's case were not immediately known.

The release is part of a prisoner swap deal in which the United States reportedly freed seven Iranian-Americans held on charges related to sanctions against Iran, FARS said. The news agency had previously said the U.S. was to release six prisoners.

"Based on an approval of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) and the general interests of the Islamic Republic, four Iranian prisoners with dual-nationality were freed today within the framework of a prisoner swap deal," FARS quoted the office of the Tehran prosecutor as saying. (Continue Reading.)

Ayatollah Khamenei Boasts about Destruction of Israel, Calls America "Satan"

As the Obama Administration continues to push its farcical Iran nuclear deal through Congress, Iranian leaders continue to openly proclaim that they will use the deal to annihilate their Western enemies. Feeling safe yet?

Huffington Post UK—For uncensored outbursts, the Twitter feed of Iranian leader Ayatollah Khamenei rivals that of Donald Trump or Katie Hopkins. On Wednesday, the supreme leader’s official account posted a series of missives, including one that said Israel would not survive 25 years.

The tweets followed a speech given at a mosque in Tehran on Wednesday in which Khamenei reiterated America's standing as the “Great Satan,” and that negotiations with Washington would not extend beyond the current nuclear deal.

In quotes that appeared on his official website, Khamenei said: “Some Zionists have said that regarding the result of the nuclear deal they (Israelis) have been relieved of concerns about Iran for 25 years. But we tell them that you will not see the coming 25 years and God willing there will not be something named the Zionist regime in the region.”

Wednesday’s outburst is part of a long-standing rhetorical barrage against Israel, with Iran’s Mullahs oft-alluding to an end to the Jewish state. However, Khamenei’s latest rant comes at a delicate time for President Barack Obama, who is trying to pass the Iran nuclear deal through Congress in the face of strident Republican opposition, as well as pushback from some pro-Israel lobby groups.

On the issue of a more permanent rapprochement with Washington, the supreme leader said: “We approved talks with the United States about the nuclear issue specifically. We have not allowed talks with the US in other fields and we will not negotiate with them.”

He added: “The Iranian nation ousted the Satan. We should not let it back through the window,' he said, referring to the 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled the US-backed shah.” (Source)

Tens of Thousands of Iranian Muslims Protest Charlie Hebdo Cartoons

People are being slaughtered around the world in the name of Allah. But it's good to see so many Muslims who realize that cartoons are much more important.

Agence France-Presse—Tens of thousands took to the streets in cities across Iran after Friday prayers to condemn French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo for publishing a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad.

The biggest demonstrations were in cities other than Tehran, with state television showing large crowds angered at the depiction of the prophet.

The image was published one week after 12 people were killed by Islamist gunmen at the magazine's Paris offices because of earlier such cartoons.

"Death to France, death to Israel, death to Britain, death to Charlie Hebdo," the crowds chanted in southern cities such as Qom and Isfahan, carrying flags and placards in reverence to the prophet. (Continue Reading.)

For more on the Charlie Hebdo cartoons, watch this:

Iran Executes Reyhaneh Jabbari for Killing Rapist

Reyhaneh Jabbari stabbed a man who was trying to rape her. The man later died. Since Jabbari couldn't produce the four male witnesses required by Sharia for accusations of rape, she was sentenced to death by hanging. After briefly postponing the execution, Iran hanged her today.

Reyhaneh Jabbari at her trial

(CNN)—An Iranian woman convicted of murder—in a killing that human rights groups called self-defense against a rapist—was hanged Saturday, state news agency IRNA reported.

Reyhaneh Jabbari, 26, was sentenced to death for the 2007 killing of Morteza Abdolali Sarbandi, a former employee of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security.

The United Nations has said she never received a fair trial. The U.S. State Department also said there were concerns about the trial.

"There were serious concerns with the fairness of the trial and the circumstances surrounding this case, including reports of confessions made under severe duress," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Saturday.

"We condemn this morning's execution in Iran of Reyhaneh Jabbari, an Iranian woman convicted of killing a man she said she stabbed in self-defense during a sexual assault," Psaki said.

Jabbari's execution was originally scheduled for September 30, but was postponed. Amnesty International said the delay may have been in response to the public outcry against the execution.

Jabbari was convicted of murder after "a flawed investigation and unfair trial," according to Amnesty International.

The United Nations has said Sarbandi hired Jabbari—then a 19-year-old interior designer—to work on his office. She stabbed him after he sexually assaulted her, it said.

Jabbari was held in solitary confinement without access to her lawyer and family for two months, Amnesty International said in a statement. She was tortured during that time, the group said. (Continue Reading.)

Iran Executes Mohsen Amir-Aslani for Reinterpreting Qur'an

As Iranian President Hassan Rouhani lectures Western leaders on human rights, and as Western leaders continue to defend and promote Islam, Iran is executing people for reinterpreting stories in the Qur'an. 

The pattern runs as follows. (1) Iranian authorities arrest a person on charges of heresy, blasphemy, apostasy, or spreading corruption. (2) If there is no public outcry from Western nations, the person is executed on these charges. (3) If there is a public outcry, Iranian prosecutors add additional charges that can't be proven. (4) As soon as Western nations get bored and are no longer paying attention, the person is executed.

The Guardian—A 37-year-old man has been executed in Iran after being found guilty of heresy and insulting prophet Jonah, according to human rights activists.

Mohsen Amir-Aslani was arrested nine years ago for his activities which the authorities deemed were heretical. He was engaged in psychotherapy but also led sessions reading and reciting the Qur’an and providing his own interpretations of the Islamic holy book, his family said.

Amir-Aslani was hanged last week for making “innovations in the religion” and “spreading corruption on earth”, but human rights activists said he was a prisoner of conscience who was put to death because of his religious beliefs. He had interpreted Jonah’s story in the Qur’an as a symbolic tale.

Iran’s judiciary, which was responsible for the handling of his case, has since denied that Amir-Aslani’s execution was linked to his religious beliefs.

Instead, the authorities allege that he had illicit sexual relationships with a number of people who participated in his sessions and the type of activities he was involved in did not follow an official interpretation of the religion. It was not clear if Amir-Aslani had official permission to conduct his sessions.

“Mohsen held sessions in his own house dedicated to reciting the Qur’an and interpreting it. He had his own understandings [of the religion] and had published his views in the form of a booklet and made it available to his fans,” an unnamed source told the New York-based group, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran (ICHRI).

According to the source, Iran’s ministry of intelligence was behind Amir-Aslani’s arrest. “He was initially held for making innovations in Islam and providing his own interpretations of the Qur’an but later he was accused of insulting prophet Jonah and also faced accusations of having sex outside marriage,” the source said. “They alleged that he had sexual relationships with a group of the people who participated in his classes.”

Iran’s judiciary has presented little evidence in public relating to the allegations of illicit sexual activities. The judge who presided over his case, Abolghassem Salavati, is known in Iran for leading numerous unfair trials, including many that resulted in execution.

Amir-Aslani’s wife, Leila, told the opposition website Roozonline that she was hoping a high court would strike down his conviction but his sentence was eventually upheld. She told Roozonline that his conviction stemmed from his religious views and no evidence was presented to back up the charges related to his alleged sexual activities.

Iranian authorities are sensitive towards those practising Islam in ways not conforming to the official line. In recent years, several members of Iran’s Gonabadi dervishes religious minority have been arrested and are currently serving lengthy prison terms. (Continue Reading.)

Rayhaneh Jabbari Set to Be Executed in Iran for Defending Herself against Rapist

In order to accuse a man of rape, Sharia requires a rape victim to produce four male witnesses. Since Rayhaneh Jabbari could not produce these witnesses, she was sentenced to death for killing a man who tried to rape her.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is at the United Nations General Assembly, lecturing the world on human rights.

Rayhaneh Jabbari

Fox News—An Iranian woman sentenced to death for killing a man who tried to rape her told her mother goodbye and prepared to die, even as the Islamic republic’s president was meeting with world leaders at the United Nations.

Rayhaneh Jabbari, 26, is set to be executed Tuesday, according to reports from Iran. On Monday, her mother, Shole Paravan, recounted on her Facebook page an emotional farewell call her daughter made when a sympathetic guard loaned her a cellphone before she was taken to Rajaiy Shahr Prison to be hanged.

“I am currently handcuffed and there is a car waiting outside to take me for the execution of the sentence,” Jabbari told her mother, whose recounting in Farsi was translated by FoxNews.com. “Goodbye, dear Mum. All of my pains will finish early tomorrow morning. I’m sorry I cannot lessen your pain. Be patient. We believe in life after death. I’ll see you in the next world and I will never leave you again because being separated from you is the most difficult thing to do in the world.”

The distraught mother wrote that she called the prison to ask what she could do and was told to come Tuesday to collect her daughter’s body.

In April, a court postponed Jabbari’s execution in the face of heavy international outcry, including an international petition with nearly 200,000 signatures. But the grim news that the sentence will soon be carried out came as Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, trying to put a moderate face on the regime.

Supporters of Rouhani hoped his election last year would usher in a more tolerant era than the one of his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, particularly regarding human rights. But advocacy groups say the number of executions and violations have increased.

“This abhorrent execution must not be allowed to take place, particularly when there are serious doubts about the circumstances of the killing,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Middle East and North Africa deputy director at Amnesty International. “Instead of continuing to execute people, authorities in Iran should reform their judicial system, which dangerously relies on processes which fail to meet international law and standards for fair trial.”

Jabbari, who worked as a decorator, was convicted of the 2007 fatal stabbing of Morteza Abdolali Sarbandi, a former employee of the Iranian Intelligence Ministry. Jabbari, who was 19 at the time, has long maintained Sarbandi drugged her and tried to rape her after the two met at a café and she agreed to go to his office to discuss a business deal.

Sarbandi took Jabbari to a rundown building in a remote location, according to her supporters. Once there, he offered her a fruit drink which forensic tests conducted by the police determined contained a date-rape drug, according to human rights advocates.

Jabbari allegedly stabbed Sarbandi in the shoulder with a small pocket knife and fled, while Sarbandi bled to death. (Continue Reading.)

For more on women in Islam, watch this:

Iranian "Happy" Dancers Sentenced to 91 Lashes and Jail

While the world is focused on the atrocities being committed by ISIS, human rights abuses continue unchecked in other Muslim countries.

Several months ago, some Iranians made their own music video for Pharrell Williams's "Happy":

When the Iranian authorities found out about the video, they moved into action and arrested the dancers. Following an international outcry, the dancers were released, and the world went back to sleep. But the dancers still had to go to court, where they were convicted and sentenced to lashes and jail time. The sentences have apparently been suspended.

Fox News—Iran's latest crackdown on freedom includes lashes and prison for seven young adults who posted a video of themselves dancing to the American pop hit "Happy" and a death sentence for a blogger accused of insulting Prophet Muhammad.

The seven men and women were arrested in May, but then released after self-professed "moderate" President Hassan Rouhani tweeted that the regime should lighten up. But the group was forced nonetheless to apologize on television and endure a trial in which they were convicted and each sentenced to 91 lashes. One was given a full year in prison while the others got six months, although their attorney told Iranwire.com the sentences were suspended.

“A suspended sentence becomes null and void after a certain period of time,” attorney Farshid Rofugaran said. For the Happy Group, that period will be three years. “When it’s a suspended sentence, the verdict is not carried out, but if during this period a similar offense is committed, then the accused is subject to legal punishment and the suspended sentence will then be carried out as well.”

The video was part of a global campaign launched by pop star Pharrell Williams and was viewed by more than 100,000 people on YouTube. The six who appeared on the video and a man who shot the footage apologized and said they had been tricked into doing it. After the confession, they were released on bail.

“We can accept the verdict or appeal,” said Rofugaran, adding that his clients are not banned from leaving the country. (Continue Reading.)

To his credit, Pharrell spoke out in defense of the Iranian dancers:

Iranian Blogger Soheil Arabi Sentenced to Death for Insulting Muhammad on Facebook

Soheil Arabi, an Iranian blogger, has been sentenced to death for "insulting the prophet" on Facebook. Meanwhile, politicians and the media continue to praise Islam.

Soheil Arabi

Iran—A blogger found guilty of insulting the Prophet Mohammad in his postings on Facebook has been sentenced to death. An informed source told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that the blogger, Soheil Arabi, will be able to appeal the decision until September 20, 2014.

Agents from the Revolutionary Guards Corps’ (IRGC) Sarallah Base arrested Soheil Arabi, 30, and his wife in November 2013. Arabi’s wife was released a few hours later, but he was kept in solitary confinement for two months inside IRGC’s Ward 2-A at Evin Prison, before he was transferred to Evin’s General Ward 350. Branch 76 of the Tehran Criminal Court, under Judge Khorasani, found Arabi guilty of “sabb al-nabi” (insulting the Prophet), on August 30, 2014.

“The way he was arrested was illegal. It is not clear how the agents were able to enter their home at that time in the morning. All the doors were locked and family members were asleep. Agents entered his home and bedroom. He and his wife were arrested and some of their photographs and personal belongings were taken after their home was searched,” said the source.

“Soheil had eight Facebook pages under different names, and he was charged with insulting the Imams and the Prophet because of the contents of those pages. He has accepted his charges, but throughout the trial, he stated that he wrote the material without thinking and in poor psychological condition,” the source told the Campaign. (Continue Reading.)

Iran: Pastor Behnam Irani Faces Death Sentence for "Spreading Corruption on Earth"

The Qur'an lays out a variety of penalties for the vague crime of "spreading corruption in the land":

Qur’an 5:33—The only reward of those who make war upon Allah and His messenger and strive after corruption in the land will be that they will be killed or crucified, or have their hands and feet on alternate sides cut off, or will be expelled out of the land. Such will be their degradation in the world, and in the Hereafter theirs will be an awful doom.

Clearly, spreading a non-Islamic religion qualifies as "spreading corruption," so it's no surprise that Iranian pastor Behnam Irani faces death for preaching Christianity.

Of course, politicians and the media, who constantly tell us that Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance, won't bother to tell the Iranian government that it's somehow misunderstanding Muhammad's teachings.

FoxNews—An Iranian Christian pastor already imprisoned for his faith now faces the death penalty after being hit with a bizarre new charge called "spreading corruption on Earth."

Supporters fear the worst for Pastor Behnam Irani, who was sentenced to six years in prison in 2011 for his Christian activities, including leading a 300-member evangelical congregation in Karaj, a city less than 15 miles outside the capital, Tehran. He is now being held in solitary confinement and suffering numerous health problems, including internal bleeding, according to advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide.

CSW Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas old the website BosNewsLife.com that his group is "deeply concerned by the new charges against Pastor Irani" especially the charge of spreading corruption on Earth."

"The charges leveled against Pastor Irani and other Christians are tantamount to an indictment of Christianity itself and mark a renewed escalation in Iran's campaign against Persian Christians under the Rouhani presidency," Thomas said in a statement.

In recent months, Irani faced brutal interrogation sessions at the hands of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security, which threatened him with additional charges.

Iranian President Hasan Rouhani, who ran for office as a moderate a year ago, has since presided over a brutal crackdown on Iran's Christian community. Rouhani and the religious mullahs he answers to have been particularly concerned about the spread of Christianity and conversion into its Muslim population. (Continue Reading.)

Islamic State (ISIS) Jihadists Held in Iran Threatening Pastor Saeed Abedini

Notice the mentality in Iran. A Christian pastor deserves the same treatment as Sunni jihadists who kill Shias.

(Reuters) - The Idaho wife of an Iranian-American Christian pastor imprisoned in Iran for nearly two years said on Thursday her husband has received death threats from Islamic State militants held in the same detention center.

Saeed Abedini, 34, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was sentenced to eight years in prison by an Iranian court last year for undermining national security by setting up home-based Christian churches in his native country from 2000 to 2005.

His wife, Naghmeh Abedini, of Boise, Idaho, said threats to his life from lack of healthcare and nutritious food were compounded this week when cell mates told him Sunni Muslim prisoners who have aligned themselves with the Islamic State, formerly known as ISIS, have targeted him for death. It was not clear if the detained militants were Iraqis or Iranians.

Abedini relayed the information to his mother, who visited him this week at Rajai Shahr prison, west of the Iranian capital of Tehran, the pastor's wife told Reuters.

"He's already under threat because he is a convert to Christianity. Now we understand that ISIS members in the prison have said he is their number one target," she said.

The insurgent group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as ISIL or ISIS, is an al Qaeda offshoot that shortened its name recently to Islamic State.

Fighting against the governments of Iraq and Syria, it wants to recreate a medieval-style caliphate from the Mediterranean to the Gulf and deems Shi'ite Muslims to be heretics deserving death.

The pastor is in the same ward but a separate section from the Islamic State adherents, his wife said, adding that he is afraid to leave his cell and join the general prison population in the yard for exercise. (Continue Reading.)

Dear President Obama: Please Help Bring Our Daddy Home (a Message from the Children of Jailed Pastor Saeed Abedini)

Pastor Saeed Abedini

Jacob and Rebekka, children of jailed pastor Saeed Abedini (a former Muslim), are begging President Obama to finally do something to bring their father home from Iran. Abedini has been held in Iran's notorious Evin Prison since 2012. He was convicted of undermining state security by "creating a network of Christian house churches" and "attempting to sway Iranian youth away from Islam." This man should be given a medal for heroism, not sentenced to prison.

While President Obama has time to praise Islam in Cairo and to condemn a YouTube video about Muhammad, he doesn't seem to have the time to protect the basic human rights of Americans abroad. We all know that President Obama won't do anything until his apathy becomes an embarrassment to his party, so be sure to pass this video on. If the public outcry increases, the Obama Administration may be compelled to act.

Muslim Blogger Yahya Snow Praises Iran for Misogyny and Abuse of Women

In 2009, the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development released its Report on Gender Equality and Social Institutions. The organization rated countries around the world based on their level of discrimination against women. When it comes to treatment of women, the Islamic Republic of Iran ranked among the most oppressive countries in the world.

Not surprisingly, Islamic extremist blogger Yahya Snow praises Iran for its treatment of women, going so far as to say that America needs to be more like Iran.

Notice that the excerpt Yahya posts doesn't simply promote modesty, but the government enforcement of veils for women. In other words, women who don't comply with an Islamic dress code are to be punished by the government, according to Yahya.

And Yahya says that America needs to be more like Iran.

Iranian Christians Flee to Germany

Christians are being viciously persecuted in Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, Nigeria, Egypt, Syria, etc. But even though Muhammad commanded his followers to abuse Christians, politicians and the media continue to assure us that the persecution of Christians across the Muslim world has nothing to do with Islam.

FoxNews—Iranian-born Muslims who converted to Christianity are breathing new spiritual life into communities across Germany, where they are fleeing to in increasing numbers to escape persecution back home.

Men and women, who have been sentenced to the lash or worse for apostasy - converting from Islam - are forming a thriving community of Christian ex-pats in German cities and towns. The Iranian immigrants seek asylum, or simply pay up to $30,000 to enter the country illegally with a fake passport, a new name and plans to start their lives over in new churches.

“The growing number of Iranian Christians fleeing their homeland to come to Germany should alarm us that Iran's regime is getting more and more radicalized and repressive - on a daily basis,” Saba Farzan, a German-Iranian expert on human rights, told FoxNews.com.

A telling example of Iran’s heavy-handed crackdown on Christians is the case of a 40-something Iranian woman named Afsaneh. A spiritual display brought down the full force of Tehran's hard-line regime.

“I was so excited about Christmas that I put up a tree in my home and work," Afsaneh told The Guardian.

However, she along with her cousin would pay a steep price for their embrace of the Christian faith in the Sharia-dominated Islamic Republic. Iranian authorities imprisoned both converts and imposed more than 70 lashes on Afsaneh and her cousin for merely practicing Christianity.

After securing refuge in Germany, Afsaneh said she resents her homeland's lack of freedom.

“I want Iran to have respect for my perspective, about what religion I choose,” she said. “Not just to tell me that I have to be a Muslim.” (Continue Reading.)

Imprisoned Pastor Saeed Abedini Sends Easter Message from Hospital in Iran

Pastor Saeed Abedini is currently serving an eight year prison sentence in Iran for evangelism. He wrote the following Easter message from a hospital in Tehran.

Crucifying the resurrected “self” with Christ and resurrects our death faith with Christ.

Happy Resurrection Day.

On the Eve of Good Friday and Easter I was praying from my hospital room for my fellow Christians in the world. What the Holy Spirit revealed to me in prayer was that there are many dead faiths in the midst of Christians today. That Christians all over the world are not able to fully reach their spiritual potential that has been given to them as a gift by God so that in reaching that potential, the curtain can be removed and the Glory of God would be revealed.

Some times we want to experience the Glory and resurrection with Jesus without experiencing death with Him. We do not realize that unless we pass through the path of death with Christ, we are not able to experience resurrection with Christ.

We want to have a good and successful marriage, career, education and family life (which is also God’s desire and plan for our life). But we forget that in order to experience the Resurrection and Glory of Christ we first have to experience death with Christ and to die to ourselves and selfish desires.

Jesus said to His Disciples: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (Matthew 16:24)

This means that we should not do things that we like to do (that God does not want us to do) and to do things that we do not like to do (but God wants us to do) so that He may be glorified.

So in addition to spending our days and night in doing the works of faith as described above, we should also transform our death faiths into living and active faiths through the resurrection of Christ which is an active and constructive love that is effective.

In conclusion, let us resurrect our Dead faiths to living faiths by first dying to our selfish “resurrected” self and experiencing the cross of Jesus. Then we are able to experience the Glorious resurrection with Christ.

A Glorious life with Christ starts only after a painful death (to self) with Christ.

We will start with Christ.

Pastor Saeed Abedini
Prisoner in the Darkness in Iran, but free for the Kingdom and Light

President of Iran Declares: America Surrendered

If there's one word that describes the foreign policy of the Obama Administration, it's "surrender." Muslim leaders are now taking advantage of the cowardice in the White House.

But maybe if we keep giving people like Rouhani whatever they want, they will eventually start loving us. That's the theory, right?

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani

FoxNews—Iranian President Hassan Rouhani boasted on Twitter that the United States and other world powers effectively "surrendered" to Tehran with the newly struck nuclear deal.

"Our relationship w/ the world is based on Iranian nation's interests. In #Geneva agreement world powers surrendered to Iranian nation's will," a tweet from the Iranian leader's account said on Tuesday.

The brash statement, which is sure to rile those in Congress pressing for additional sanctions, comes just days after all sides of the negotiations announced the details for implementing the six-month deal. The agreement calls for Iran to start eliminating its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, limit its overall enrichment capability and open up its nuclear sites to more inspections. In exchange, the United States and other states will provide sanctions relief.

President Obama, in a written statement announcing the latest arrangement, stressed that the sanctions relief is "modest." He said the six-month deal represents "concrete progress" toward a long-term agreement.

However, Rouhani's latest statement could fuel concern in Congress that Iran feels less pressure now to both comply with the deal and pursue a comprehensive agreement. Dozens of U.S. senators are pushing for a new bill that would trigger additional sanctions if Iran fails to meet its obligations -- but Obama and the rest of his team are vigorously fighting the legislation, warning that it could derail nuclear talks.

"I very much appreciate Congress' critical role in imposing the sanctions that brought Iran to the table, but I feel just as strongly that now is not the time to impose additional sanctions that could threaten the entire negotiating process," Secretary of State John Kerry said in a written statement.

"Now is not the time for politics. Now is the time for statesmanship, for the good of our country, the region, and the world." (Continue Reading.)

Iran Continues Crackdown on Christian Churches and Pastors

It's open season on Christians in the Muslim world. Meanwhile, Muslim groups like CAIR and ISNA continue to complain about "Islamophobia" in the West (where "Islamophobia" usually means that some people quote Muslim sources as they criticize the teachings of Muhammad).

FoxNews—Government agents shut down Iran’s largest Persian-language Pentecostal church Monday, just one week after one of its pastors was arrested and hauled away midway through a worship service.

The closing of Central Assemblies of God church in Tehran is the latest case of the Islamic Republic’s leadership cracking down on Christians ahead of the June 14 presidential election to replace President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Leaders appear especially wary of groups deemed dangerous to their power base, including growing Christian churches, according to Iranian Christians and rights groups who spoke to BosNewsLife, a news agency that specializes in the plight of Christians in Middle Eastern nations.

"These incidents appear to be an attempt to stop worship services from being conducted in Farsi, the language of the majority of Iranians," George Wood, general superintendent of the AoG in the U.S., told the service. "Services are allowed in Armenian, a minority language that most Iranians do not speak or even understand."

On May 21, authorities grabbed Pastor Robert Asserian while services were under way. They have not told parishioners where he is being held.

"Before going to the church, authorities raided Pastor Asserian’s home, where they confiscated a computer and several books,” Wood said. “Then, they found Pastor Asserian at the church leading the prayer service, immediately arrested him and announced the church’s imminent closure."

Christian groups fear a further erosion of what little tolerance of religious diversity has existed in Iran. Some estimates place the number of Iranian Christians, many of them converts from Islam, at about 100,000, in a nation of 75 million. (Continue Reading.)

Iran Launches Bible-Burning Campaign

This was back in August, and the world barely noticed that Iran launched a Bible-burning campaign. Why didn't anyone notice? Perhaps because Christians didn't begin indiscriminately slaughtering Muslims in response to these burnings.

However, there is a religion whose adherents tend to slaughter people over burned books. The difference is striking, especially since we know that all religions are equal.

IRAN--Iranian authorities began to systematically seize and destroy Bibles after a Shiite cleric issued an urgent warning about the spread of Christianity.

Authorities in northwestern Iran seized 6,500 Bibles, according to the Iranian Christian news organization Mohabat News, which quotes an official as saying of the seizure that “all religions are strengthening their power to confront Islam; otherwise, what does this huge number of Bibles mean?” The agency has reported several other recent incidents of Bibles and other Christian literature being seized and sometimes publicly burned.

Mohabat reports that the government-connected cleric, Ayatollah Hadi Jahangosha, warned of “the spread of Christianity among our youth,” pointing to burgeoning satellite programming, literature, and religious articles promoting the Western tradition.

“Everyone in society should feel responsibility in this matter and play his or her role in spreading of pure Islam and fight false and distorted cultures,” the news agency quotes him as saying. (Source)

Douglas Murray: Israel and Nuclear Iran

Absolutely brilliant.