29 September 2011

Christian pastor facing execution in Iran after refusing to recant his faith

.... He was reportedly accused of questioning the compulsory Islamic education of children in Iran, and eventually charged with apostasy and evangelising Muslims. Apostasy is not a capital offence under Iranian law, but the sentence is based on fatwas by Iran's revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini.

While it should, of course, make no difference from a human rights perspective, it is interesting to note that the court in Rasht has ruled that Nadarkhani was never a practising Muslim, but has upheld the conviction on the basis of his Muslim ancestry. [New Humanist] Read more