Iranian Family Converted to Orthodoxy in Islamabad

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IRANIAN FAMILY CONVERTED TO

ORTHODOXY IN ISLAMABAD

Islamabad, February 24, 2013

A family from Iran accepted Orthodoxy. Ayub is a fearless lionhearted man, bold ,educated and strong in faith. Fr. Adrian met his family in Islamabad and he wasexcited him by their faith and lives. His wife Teresa and children Francis and Mariaare well educated in their faith.

Fr. Cyril Amer (Mission Administrator) and Father Joseph visited capital city ofPakistan Islamabad and welcomed Iranian family into orthodoxy. They lead the

Chairsmation of Iranian Family in Islamabad. St. Michael the Archangel orthodoxmission has planned to start mission work in capital city of Pakistan sooner or later.



Russian Orthodox Church of Pakistan (ROCOR- Moscow Patriarchate)



Iranian Prison Transfer Endangers Pastor's

Life, Supporters Warn

Iranian authorities have reportedly transferred imprisoned U.S.citizen Saeed Abedini to a dangerous prison, prompting concern from

human rights groups.

Catholic News Agency

12.11.2013

Iranian authorities have reportedly transferred imprisoned U.S. citizen Saeed Abedini to a

dangerous prison, prompting concern from human rights groups and calls for U.S. leaders to

secure the Christian pastor’s safety.

“Pastor Saeed is now in one of the most dangerous wards of Rajai Shahr Prison – where

violent prisoners are held, those who are imprisoned for murder and rape,” Jordan Sekulow of

the American Center for Law and Justice said Nov. 4.

“The transfer to this prison is a deeply disturbing development and can only be viewed as

a move that puts Pastor Saeed’s life directly at risk,” he added. “This new and extremely

dangerous development requires the full attention and focus of President Obama. He must

speak out now – directly and forcefully – to save Pastor Saeed’s life.”

Abedini was imprisoned in September 2012 on charges of threatening national security, buthuman rights groups contend that his Christian faith is the real motive for his eight-year

sentence.

He was raised Muslim in Iran and converted to Christianity in 2000. He married a U.S.

citizen and became a U.S. citizen himself in 2010.

After his conversion, Abedini worked with house churches throughout Iran until 2009.

Although the churches are technically legal, the government raised objections to his work.

Since 2009, the pastor has worked only with non-religious orphanages in the country. He was

arrested during a trip to visit these orphanages last fall.

Family members confirmed that the pastor was recently moved from Tehran’s Evin Prison to

Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj.

In 2005, Dutch diplomat Loes Bijnen described the prison as a place of “severe punishment”

where “nuisance” political prisoners are sent. He said these prisoners have to share cells with

dangerous criminals who “don’t hesitate to attack their cell mates.”

“They have nothing to lose: many of them are condemned to death anyway. Murders or

unexplained deaths are a regular occurrence,” he said.

Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Virginia) said he was “deeply troubled” by the transfer of the pastor.



“With this development – a development without explanation or notice – Pastor Abedini’s

life is further endangered,” he said Nov. 6 in a statement. “Time is of the essence. President

Obama and Secretary Kerry must again engage at the highest levels and press in clear and

unequivocal terms for the immediate and unconditional release of this innocent man.”

“Tehran brutally represses its own people, especially religious minorities includingChristians and Baha’is. America always has an obligation to stand with those whose voices

have been silenced wherever they may be,” said the congressman, who has written a report

on religious freedom in the Middle East and south central Asia.

During a phone call with Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani in September 2013, U.S. President

Barack Obama reportedly urged the pastor’s release.

Pastor Abedini’s wife, Naghmeh Abedini, voiced deep concern.

“The news of Saeed’s transfer to this prison is most difficult to bear. I am devastated and I do

not know what to tell my children. I am more concerned now about his safety than at anyother time during his imprisonment,” she told the American Center for Law and Justice Nov.

5.

“He is truly defenseless in this prison – defenseless from the abuse and violence of other

prisoners, defenseless from a radical government that continues to violate his rights.”

His wife said she is strengthened by her prayers and grateful for the support for her

husband and their family.

The American Center for Law and Justice, which is representing the pastor's wife, is calling

for continued prayers, as well as efforts to raise awareness of Abedini's plight through social

media and an online petition.

Originally published by Catholic News Agency on 10 November 2013.

sources: Catholic News Agency

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/iranian-prison-transfer-endangers-pastors-life-supporters-warn/





IRAQI CHRISTIAN LEADERS APPEAL FORCROSS-FAITH UNITY

By Sharmila Devi

Assyrian Patriarch Mar Ada inaugurates St. Peter and St. Paul's Church in Duhok,May 2012. Photo: zowaa.org

Two Christian leaders appealed for unity within and across the different faiths andethnicities of Iraq at an event celebrating the Christians of Kurdistan in London last

week.

“We don’t have a stable government in Baghdad and it doesn’t treat us well,” saidSaadi Al Malih, director of Syriac culture and art at the culture ministry of theautonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

“But sometimes we have our inside problems and we are not fighting together,” he

told Rudaw.

Malih and Father Najeeb Michaeel, a Dominican priest who works and teaches inMosul, both spoke at the Royal Geographical Society about the history of Iraq’sChristian community as well as the current challenges and dangers they face.

Father Najeeb helped to found the Digital Centre of Eastern Manuscripts in Mosul in1990 that has digitized and preserved some 6,000 manuscripts and parchmentdocuments, including a New Testament dated 942 A.D.

“We don’t need money for eating and drinking but support for intellectual freedom,”

he told Rudaw.



“We do not want to divide Iraq into small units and we do not want to separatepeoples or different tribes and religions because we all have the same history orshared history in Iraq, which goes back to thousands of years,” he said in his speech.

Before the two men spoke, there was a performance by Rayia Mato, a deaconess of

the Syrian Orthodox Church, who has sung at many events in England and abroadand who studied at the University of Mosul.

An exhibition of photographs of Kurdistan in the 1940s, by Anthony Kersting, wason display along with archive images from the Dominican community of Erbil, theKurdish capital.

Benam Al-Agzeer, a deacon in the Syriac Catholic church who was granted asylum inBritain in 2003, was present with examples of his calligraphy, in which he depicts

verses from the Koran and Bible.

There was also a mini fashion show of costumes from the Museum of Syriac Heritagein Ankawa, a Christian district of Erbil.

Both speakers stressed that they wanted to play an inclusive role in the future ofKurdistan, where Christians make up 5 per cent of the estimated five millionpopulation.

“I would like to emphasize that Christians in Iraq do not want only to live inKurdistan just because they are persecuted everywhere else, or just to live in peaceand comfort,” said Father Najeeb, whose first language was neo-Syriac. “But alsothey want to contribute to the development and construction of this region of Iraq.”

Malih pointed to the success of the teaching of the Syriac language as one of themajor achievements of his department.

After being questioned in detail by a member of the audience who said he wished forsimilar developments in teaching in his native Italy, Malih explained how theystarted teaching the language in Kurdish schools starting with the first grade andprogressing year-by-year to reach all 11 classes.

“There was a lot of enthusiasm because it was something new and for a long timeunder Saddam Hussein there was very little Syriac teaching. We’ve built something

we never had since the fall of Babylon in 538 BC,” he said. “We have 10,000students. There is a boom in our language that we never had in Iraq.”

He praised the fact that Kurdish Christian MPs were guaranteed representation inthe KRG parliament under a quota system. “Some are active, some are not so active,”he said, lamenting the splintering of the political process. “We have 13 politicalparties for this small nation.”

Father Najeeb recalled that when he was studying in France, he was asked when he“converted” to Christianity. He replied by saying 2,000 years ago. Christianity was

one of the main religions of Mesopotamia until the Arab Muslim conquests of the



mid- to late 7th century.

“Over the centuries, Christians in the Middle East translated the most important books in philosophy, theology, astronomy and logic from Greek and Assyrian into A rabic,” he said. “Through them, these sciences arrived in Spain in the Middle Ages

and then to Europe.”

Both speakers denied that the persecution of Iraqi Christians approached that of Armenians, who suffered what most scholars call a genocide under the Ottomans in1915.

“Saddam Hussein killed dozens of people but not like the massacres of 1915. Now, when Iraqis are being killed in Baghdad, people start to remember the millions killedin Turkey,” said Malih.

“People are defending themselves and are now closer to the church. I remember

when Ainkawa had only one church full of old people. Now, there are seven or eightchurches full of young people,” he said.

Asked about views held by extreme Muslims who believe converts who leave Islamshould be killed. Father Najeeb denied that Christians were seeking converts.

“Our mission is to help everyone. We don’t want all Kurdistan to be Christian, because we respect each other,” he said. “We prefer to be Christians than to beterrorists and kill people.”

05 / 11 / 2013

Iranian Family Converted to Orthodoxy in Islamabad

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