- News Briefs
- According to the article, the Iranian government convicted the person known as Nadarkhani because he changed religion. He was to face death because of his religious beliefs but the government accused him of extortion. The government also accused him of rape in order to cover up the main reason for his death. The story of Nadarkhani’s death brought much attention to the rest of the world after reaching the highest levels of the Iranian government. One of the supreme leaders known as Ali Khamenei issued a statement concerning the death of the young man (Merica, 2011). When most of the Christian men received about the news of Nadarkhani’s, they developed tension creating bad blood towards the Muslim community. This was a possible cause of war in Iran.
- According to an attorney of the accused Mr. Mohammad Dadkhar differed with claims that Nadarkhani was an extortionist neither he was a rapist. By the time of the release of this news, the attorney stated that his client was still alive. The attorney included in his statement that the court requested the highest religious leader in Iran for the input of Mr. Nadarkhani. The first accusation that the court accused Nadarkhani of is apostasy. This was back in November 2010 and he appealed until the case reached the Iranian Supreme Court. According to the attorney, the Supreme Court is responsible for changing the accusation employed to his client. This was after he declined to change his beliefs during the appeal trial that took place in Gilan province. The attorney argued that the quran fail to give a clear judgment on how to apply punishment on the issue concerning apostasy. The comments made by different parties concerning the issue of apostasy stirred peace especially on the minds of Christian believers.
- A report by Fars’ news agency released on 30 October 2011 indicated that the charges employed to Nadarkhani had nothing to do with his religious beliefs. The government accused Nadarkhani of being a crime and a threat to security issues of the country. Gholomali Rezvanii who is a governor of Gilan province said that the accused is a crime and his accusations relate to the security issues of the country. However, according to the news obtained by CNN, the charge of apostasy was the only charge listed upon Nadarkhani. The brief indicated on the charge sheet stated that the accused had confessed to be a Christian and no longer a Muslim.
- After attending, many court hearings together with his attorney and a judge, Nadarkhani found himself to be on the wrong side of the law of Iran according to article 8 of Tahrir olvaileh. Many people including various governments were against the final decision of the court. Scholars argued that although the hadith sayings of prophet Mohamed focus more on apostasy as being one of the worst sins, execution was no the right court decision for Nadarkhani. Most of the scholars in Islam refer to some of the punishments employed by the Iranian courts as wrong. They argue that if a person does not intend to try to change the minds of the public, beliefs and working against the Islamic laws, the court ought to set person free. The Shia Muslims are very strict towards the issue of breaking Islamic laws.
- Different governments issued various statements concerning the decision of the court. They argued that Nadarkhani was morally right and devoted to his faith as a Christian. According to a statement released by the White House spokesperson, the Iranian government shows how the authority has the power to violate the human rights. The Iran government had created tension between the Christian world and the Muslim community. The decision of the court could easily cause war from both the religious groups.
- Reference
- Bos, J. S. (2011, October 07). Supreme Court Dismisses Reports on Nadarkhani's Case. Tehran: Fars News Agency.
- Retrived from: http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=9007130274
- Merica, D. (2011, October 10). Lawyer: Iranian Supreme Leader to weigh in on pastors execution. London. Washington: CNN.
- Retrived from: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/10/lawyer-iranian-supreme-leader-to-weigh-in-on-pastor%E2%80%99s-execution/?hpt=hp_c1
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