ICC Note:
“[Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani’s] entire affair paints a poignant picture of the idea of freedom of religion in Iran, where minority communities of Zoroastrians, Jews and Christians are vulnerable to pressures of conversion, official retaliation and discriminatory practices in employment and education. Muslims who convert to any of these minority faiths can be executed for apostasy under Sharia law,” The International Business Times reports.
By Sanskrity Sinha
11/15/2011 Iran (International Business Times) – Youcef Nadarkhani, an Iranian Christian pastor who converted from Islam, faces the death penalty for his refusal to recant his Christian beliefs as ordered by the country’s Supreme Court. The Iranian government, whose decision has been condemned by governments and human rights organizations from across the world, has tried to reframe the charges, alleging that the pastor is now to be executed for rape and extortion.
Regardless of the government’s official position, the court’s verdict – “because Nadarkhani has Islamic ancestry, he therefore must recant his faith in Jesus Christ” – seems to indicate that renunciation of faith is the only ground for the pastor’s release and, consequently, the reason for his incarceration and impending execution.
The entire affair paints a poignant picture of the idea of freedom of religion in Iran, where minority communities of Zoroastrians, Jews and Christians are vulnerable to pressures of conversion, official retaliation and discriminatory practices in employment and education. Muslims who convert to any of these minority faiths can be executed for apostasy under Sharia law.
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