# Pastor arrested in Iran for preaching Christianity. He needs our help!



## Blackpearl1993 (Jan 29, 2013)

I was reading news reports this morning. Have any of you heard of Pastor Saeed? He had been preaching the Word of God in Iran. He was arrested and Iranian officials said he posed a security breach. He was given an Iranian attorney but he and his attorney were banned from the majority of the court proceedings about the case! He never had the chance to even defend himself against the charges!  He has been sentenced to 8 years in Evin prison, which the Iranian people call "hell on earth". Pastor Saeed's family has attempted to visit him in prison day after day and they have not been allowed to see him. Prison officials have told the family everything from "we don't know where he is" to "he's in protective custody". It is known that Pastor Saeed has been tortured and beaten. His family does not know the state of his health at this time. This man has a wife and 2 children. 

*Here's how you can help:
*
Pray, pray, pray

There is also an online petition that we can sign to get the White House to act in talking with Iranian officials to help get Pastor Saeed home.  I also know it is God and not our government who will free this man. However, I want to see this man's plight make national news just like Amanda Knox when she was accused of murder in Italy and just like Lisa Ling's sister who was prosecuted in a foreign country and held in prison. I want this man to have the support of his fellow American citizens and his brothers and sisters in Christ. Over 22,000 signatures must be collected by 2/10/13. So far, there are just over 2,000 signatures.

*Here's the link to sign the White House petition:


http://wh.gov/PeLD
*


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## MrsHaseeb (Jan 29, 2013)

I have never heard of him. I have been praying for the saints in other parts of the world because they are suffering for being Christians and we haven't had to suffer that kind of persecution for our faith... yet. It's coming. I will keep this pastor in my prayers.


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## Blackpearl1993 (Jan 30, 2013)

Bumpity, bump, bump


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## Laela (Jan 30, 2013)

I'm somewhat familiar with his story; I believe in praying for all Christians abroad going through persecution for their faith..   God knows best. Do you follow Dr. Perry Stone? His studies on  Persia and its role in Biblical prophecy comes to mind when I see what is going on there.


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## Shimmie (Jan 30, 2013)

Blackpearl1993 said:


> I was reading news reports this morning. Have any of you heard of Pastor Saeed? He had been preaching the Word of God in Iran. He was arrested and Iranian officials said he posed a security breach. He was given an Iranian attorney but he and his attorney were banned from the majority of the court proceedings about the case! He never had the chance to even defend himself against the charges!  He has been sentenced to 8 years in Evin prison, which the Iranian people call "hell on earth". Pastor Saeed's family has attempted to visit him in prison day after day and they have not been allowed to see him. Prison officials have told the family everything from "we don't know where he is" to "he's in protective custody". It is known that Pastor Saeed has been tortured and beaten. His family does not know the state of his health at this time. This man has a wife and 2 children.
> 
> *Here's how you can help:
> *
> ...



Thank you for gathering the hearts and the prayers of the Saints whose ferverent prayers availeth much.  In Jesus' Name... Amen.


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## Blackpearl1993 (Jan 30, 2013)

Laela said:


> I'm somewhat familiar with his story; I believe in praying for all Christians abroad going through persecution for their faith..   God knows best. Do you follow Dr. Perry Stone? His studies on  Persia and its role in Biblical prophecy comes to mind when I see what is going on there.



I am not familiar with Dr. Perry Stone. However, I am interested in checking out his work. Is there a specific book?


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## Blackpearl1993 (Jan 30, 2013)

--------------------------------------------


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## Laela (Feb 1, 2013)

Hi Blackpearl,

MY DH and I watch his series, Manna Fest on TV often; though, I've not read any of his books... Here's the link to his site, http://www.voe.org/prophecy-update/iran




Blackpearl1993 said:


> I am not familiar with Dr. Perry Stone. However, I am interested in checking out his work. Is there a specific book?


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## Laela (Feb 8, 2013)

I'm surprised only 2,920 siggies so far in that petition..ACLJ has one, too:

http://aclj.org/iran/save-american-pastor-iranian-abuse-imprisonment


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## Blackpearl1993 (Feb 9, 2013)

I am deeply saddened that there aren't more signatures. I am deeply saddened that I have seen very disparaging remarks about this poor man on other message boards (Not LHCF). However, I know my God. He needs no help from any state department to free Pastor Saeed. He is all powerful and Pastor Saeed will have peace and his freedom again. It has been prayed on and we have "touched" and agreed. It is already done, as I know that I know that I know that God heard our prayers.


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## MrsHaseeb (Feb 9, 2013)

Blackpearl1993 said:


> I am deeply saddened that there aren't more signatures. I am deeply saddened that I have seen very disparaging remarks about this poor man on other message boards (Not LHCF). However, I know my God. He needs no help from any state department to free Pastor Saeed. He is all powerful and Pastor Saeed will have peace and his freedom again. It has been prayed on and we have "touched" and agreed. It is already done, as I know that I know that I know that God heard our prayers.



I have been praying for him. Don't be discouraged, I pray that the grace of God will be with him until he is delivered from this situation.

Sent from my 4G HTC Thunderbolt using LHCF


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## EbonyHairedPrincess (Feb 9, 2013)

I just signed it.  It now has 257,400 signatures on it.  Do they know if he's okay?  I have not heard anything about this on the news  .


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## Blackpearl1993 (Feb 9, 2013)

EbonyHairedPrincess said:


> I just signed it.  It now has 257,400 signatures on it.  Do they know if he's okay?  I have not heard anything about this on the news  .



I keep looking for information, nut I have found nothing new. It's a shame that this is not on the news.


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## Laela (Feb 11, 2013)

OK..not too much a fan of Fox News...lol but here's the latest I can find: 
The pastor's allegedly feeling abandoned; I'm praying for him, but I believe so long as he has God with him, he's not abandoned! I'm saddened he's feeling this way, though, if that's the case.  




> _“It is no surprise that the Iranian prison guards are engaging in this kind of psychological abuse. We know that Pastor Saeed is undergoing physical beatings and torture. And we know there is growing concern about his health,” *Jordan Sekulow, executive director for ACLJ, told FoxNews.com*. “Now, a troubling report that the guards are trying to take away his hope -- by feeding him false information about his fate -- trying to convince him that no one cares -- that efforts to secure his freedom have ceased. This tactic is predictable, but also very tragic.”_



Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/0...s-have-dropped-efforts-for-his/#ixzz2KcwaaiLz


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## Iwanthealthyhair67 (Feb 11, 2014)

love Perry Stone


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## Iwanthealthyhair67 (Feb 11, 2014)

Update!

Naghmeh Abedini Grateful to Obama for Calling for Release of Her Husband

February 11, 2014 


Naghmeh Abedini, pastor Saeed Abedini's wife, joined Jordan Sekulow on 'Jay Sekulow Live!' Friday. (ACLJ)

Pastor Saeed’s wife, Naghmeh, joined Jordan Sekulow Friday on Jay Sekulow Live! to discuss President Obama’s remarks Thursday calling on Iran to specifically release her husband and where the fight for his freedom moves from here.



She says she is thankful to the president for elevating her husband’s plight and is hopeful that as momentum continues to build that Iran would grant her husband—a U.S. citizen—clemency and allow him to return home.

Click here to listen as she shares her emotional story from her heart, pray, and sign the petition for his freedom.

http://www.blackchristiannews.com/2...obama-for-calling-for-release-of-her-husband/


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## Laela (Feb 11, 2014)

Thank you for the update!


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## Shimmie (Feb 11, 2014)

Iwanthealthyhair67 said:


> Update!
> 
> Naghmeh Abedini Grateful to Obama for Calling for Release of Her Husband
> 
> ...


 
This is wonderful news... Praise God!


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## Iwanthealthyhair67 (Apr 4, 2014)

*UPDATE!*

Tuesday, April 1, 2014 

Naghmeh Abedini: Pastor Saeed ‘Doing Better’

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries 
   IRAN  (ANS) -- CBN News (www.CBNNews.com) is reporting that Pastor Saeed Abedini’s wife, Naghmeh, says he's doing better now that he’s getting some medical treatment.




Naghmeh and Saeed Abedini during happier times

 The American pastor has been jailed in Iran for 18 months.

He was recently transferred to an Iranian hospital to be treated for injuries he has suffered in Iran's deadliest prison Rajai Shahr, where he has been incarcerated after being moved from Evin Prison in Tehran. 

After time in the “murderer ward” he was sent to a “political prisoner” ward. 

His wife Naghmeh Abedini told Faith Radio (myfaithradio.com/tag/saeed-abedini), that her husband is finally being given decent meals and pain medication.

But she said he still needs surgery.

According to Jordan Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), Abedini had been shackled and refused medical treatment at a hospital, as Iranian guards forcibly banned visitors.

In early March, U.S. Abedini, who is affiliated with Calvary Chapel Boise, Idaho (www.ccboise.org), was moved from Rajai Shahr Prison to a private hospital in Iran. He was told he would receive further tests on his deteriorating medical condition and undergo surgery to address chronic pain in his stomach area – the result of numerous prison beatings.




Calvary Chapel Boise Pastor Bob Caldwell, left, prays with Naghmeh Abedini, center, and Tiffany Barrans, with the American Center for Law and Justice Thursday, Sept. 26, 2013 on the steps of the Capitol building in Boise, Idaho

 After worldwide protests against his brutal handling, Iran called the recent shackling of Abedini a “mistake.”

In February, President Obama raised the imprisonment of Pastor Abedini at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. and called on Iran to release him so he can return to his family.

President Obama said, “We pray for Pastor Saeed Abedini. He's been held in Iran for more than 18 months - sentenced to eight years in prison on charges relating to his Christian beliefs. And as we continue to work for his freedom today, again, we call on the Iranian government to release Pastor Abedini so he can return to the loving arms of his wife and children in Idaho.”

Pastor Saeed was visiting Iran, the land of his birth, to start an orphanage, when the Islamic regime arrested him and, in September 2012, he was sentenced to eight years in prison.

To watch the latest CBN video on Pastor Abedini, please go to www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/April/Pastor-Abedini-Doing-Better/

A spokesperson for ACLJ said, “Share his critical plight with everyone you know. It is time for this 33-year-old U.S. citizen to come home. It’s time for him to be reunited with his wife, Naghmeh, and their two children, Rebekka and Jacob.”

To sign their petition to free Saeed Abedini please go to beheardproject.com/saeed. Already some 221,762 concerned people have signed it.


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## MrsHaseeb (Apr 4, 2014)

Iwanthealthyhair67 said:


> UPDATE!
> 
> Tuesday, April 1, 2014
> 
> ...



Thanks for the update. I will continue to pray for him.


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## Iwanthealthyhair67 (May 19, 2014)

Update!


Naghmeh Abedini on Saeed's Imprisonment: God Counted Us Worthy Enough


Naghmeh Abedini speaking to the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission on Friday, March 15, 2013, in Washington, D.C.



By Stoyan Zaimov, Christian Post Reporter

April 8, 2014|3:42 pm

Naghmeh Abedini, the wife of pastor Saeed Abedini who is serving eight years in prison in Iran for his Christian faith, has said that God has chosen her family and her husband for the ordeal they are going through in order to reach people in despair.

"The Lord has counted our family worthy enough to send Saeed to a dark place that he would be able to share with people who are in complete despair," Abedini said in a testimony to persecution watchdog group International Christian Concern in its April 2014 magazine.

She told the watchdog that while in prison, her husband has seen "so many give their hearts to Christ."

The pastor, who was arrested in Iran in July 2012 while working on an orphanage project, was tried and sentenced to eight years in prison for "threatening the national security." 

The American Center for Law and Justice, which represents Naghmeh Abedini and the couple's two children in the U.S., and several other Christian organizations have led a campaign calling for his release, and have accused Iranian authorities of violating Abedini's human rights by refusing to give him the surgery that he needs. The pastor has suffered several beatings while in prison and last month was moved to a hospital to receive better care.

Naghmeh has spoken before Congress and the U.N., testifying about her husband's plight and calling on the international community to press the Islamic republic for his release, while trying to stay strong for her children at the same time.

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"This has been very hard, but spiritually it is the best time in my life. I wouldn't trade it for anything," she said.

"My new reality forced me out of my self-consumed life," she continued. "I realized I had a right to speak out for those who are being silenced, to speak for the Christians, for the Jews, for the Baha'i, and other fellow human beings who are being imprisoned simply because of their beliefs."

According to the interview with ICC, Pastor Abedini was formerly a fervent Muslim and hostile toward Christians. In 2000, however, he had a "radical conversion" and became an evangelist, establishing house churches throughout Iran. His house church activities were what led to his first detainment in 2009 during his visit back to Iran (after having lived in the United States for several years). The Iranian government pressured him to stop his church work. He was directed to do humanitarian work instead, according to Naghmeh Abedini.

So he began to build an orphanage. He was arrested in 2012 while working on the orphanage. The charges of "threatening national security" were related to his house church work as he was seen as "committing soft war," Naghmeh told ICC.

Recently, U.S. and German representatives drew attention to the pastor's case at the U.N. Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva.

"We take this opportunity to call once again for the release of dual U.S.-Iranian citizen Saeed Abedini, who is currently being held in Iran on charges related to his religious beliefs," said Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Paula Schriefer, who led the U.S. delegation.

"While Iran has begun to shift its rhetoric on human rights, the United States remains deeply concerned that Iran continues to suppress free expression and civil society, harass members of its ethnic and religious minority populations, and imprison human rights defenders and journalists for political purposes."

In a September 2013 interview with The Christian Post, Naghmeh spoke about her hopes for her husband's release.

"You know, my ultimate hope is in God. I can't think of the eight years – it just paralyzes me. God has given me continued hope to take it a day at a time. I know that with so many praying. I am grateful for all the people signing the petitions, ultimately the time Saeed is in that prison is not decided by the Iranian government. But it's appointed by God," Abedini shared with CP.

"I am very optimistic and hopeful that he will be freed soon. My prayer is that Jesus will be glorified from all of it, and people will know that it is God who has delivered Saeed. At this point there are no more options with the legal system in Iran – at this time, it has to be a miracle."


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## Iwanthealthyhair67 (May 19, 2014)

Saeed Abedini Fundraising Event for Family's New Home a Success, Organizers Say



By Alex Murashko, Christian Post Reporter

May 15, 2014|8:06 am

A fundraising event that featured the screening of a yet-to-be released political thriller hosted by the film's producer and a Southern California church to help purchase a home for the family of Pastor Saeed Abedini was called a success by organizers.

Daniel Lusko, writer and director of the film "Persecuted," partnered with Joshua Springs Calvary Chapel to host the movie event at a theater in the Palm Springs area. Saeed Abedini's wife, Naghmah, attended the screening. Organizers said the theater was sold out ($10 donations for tickets) in an hour and they could have sold out two more theater screenings.

"Events like we experienced last night with Naghmah Abadini are the reason this film exists, allowing the movie to benefit people around the world with real struggles," Lusko told The Christian Post. "I hope this film will not only aide in creating a movement of awareness that will lead to Pastor Saeed's freedom, but also a greater awakening that will bridge the gap between Americans and those suffering from persecution overseas."

Abedini, a U.S. citizen currently serving eight years in prison in Iran, was arrested in July 2012 while working on an orphanage project and was accused by Islamic authorities of "threatening national security."

Joshua Springs Calvary Chapel has been raising money to support the Abedini family, and had raised over $190,000 prior to the movie event. "Persecuted" debuts on July 18th on 600 screens.

During a 30-minute period of questions for Lusko, Naghmah Abadini, and Jerel Hagerman, who is the pastor of Joshua Springs Calvary Chapel, the imprisoned pastor's wife said her husband is currently in a hospital being treated for internal bleeding from beatings.

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"Naghmeh also is holding out hope that Saeed can be with her to buy the house. He's in a hospital pretty beat up, which could be the precursor to the Iranians setting him free," said Hagerman, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"Persecuted" is distributed by Millennium Entertainment and stars former "Law & Order" cast member Fred Thompson, Bruce Davison, Dean Stockwell, Raoul Trujillo and Fox News host Gretchen Carlson. Directed by Daniel Lusko, the movie features James Remar as a prominent Christian pastor who is framed for a crime he didn't commit after he refuses to publicly support a powerful U.S. senator.

"Movies come and go and filmmakers like me don't face much persecution. But men and women like the Abedinis face persecution and death every single day," Lusko said.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/s...lys-new-home-a-success-organizers-say-119762/


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## Shimmie (May 19, 2014)

Iwanthealthyhair67 said:


> Update!
> 
> 
> Naghmeh Abedini on Saeed's Imprisonment: God Counted Us Worthy Enough
> ...



 Healthy Hair (Welcome Back)    Missed you.

 This Pastor is reminding me of Joseph when in prison and also the Book of Acts...  He has an amazing faith and strength in the Lord.    God bless him and this is not cliche'.


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## Iwanthealthyhair67 (May 23, 2014)

not sure how long ago this was, but let continue to remember both him and his family in prayer



American Pastor Brutally beaten by Iranian authorities again

Hot Topics! / May 22, 2014 


Saeed Abedini2Saeed Abedini, the American pastor who who being held by Iranian authorities was brutally beaten and returned to prison without warning or reason given. The pastor had been in the hospital for several weeks recovering from previous beatings.

“The reason for the transfer is unclear and according to family members, one of the guards who was involved in the transfer mentioned the Iranian nuclear talks as a possible motive,” Jordan Sekulow, Executive Director of the American Center for Law and Justice said.

The nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran concluded last Friday without much headway reports Charisma News.

Saeed’s wife, Naghmeh Abedini, said she believes Iran is “keeping him to see how the negotiations go.”
“

Please join me in prayer and fasting,” Naghmeh wrote on social media. “Saeed is not doing well. He collapsed at the hospital after a severe beating. Without Jesus and your prayers I could not continue. Please keep Saeed and our family in your prayers.”


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## Shimmie (May 23, 2014)

Thank you Healthy Hair for keeping us posted.   I am praying for our dear family in Christ Jesus and for Pastor Saeed's soon and safe release.... 

 In Jesus' Name, Amen.


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## sugarbaybie (May 27, 2014)

Iwanthealthyhair67 I'm praying for him. So sad to see him go through so much. I'm praying God will soften the hearts of those who can loosen him and he will return home quickly and without harm. In Jesus' name. Amen.




Iwanthealthyhair67 said:


> not sure how long ago this was, but let continue to remember both him and his family in prayer
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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