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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Iranian Moslems Debate With Iranian Christians About Religion |
| 2005-08-13 |
| From Compass Direct Eleven months after Iranian police arrested Hamid Pourmand for converting to Christianity, authorities at Tehranâs Evin Prison continue to pressure the former Muslim to return to Islam. Pourmand, now 48, remains incarcerated with other prisoners of conscience in the political ward at Evin, where he faces at least two more years in jail for his conversion. According to the former army colonelâs family, Pourmand has not been subjected to any physical mistreatment since late May, when he was acquitted of apostasy charges before an Islamic court in the southern port city of Bandar-i Bushehr. But he remains under verbal pressure from Tehran prison officials to recant his Christian faith. The lay pastor is serving a three-year military court sentence for âdeceiving the Iranian armed forcesâ by allegedly concealing his conversion to Christianity 25 years ago. Iranian law forbids non-Muslims from holding positions as officers over Muslims in the armed forces. .... Since January of this year various religious and other advocacy groups have begun a wave of letter-writing campaigns to protest Pourmandâs imprisonment to Iranian government officials. In apparent response to diplomatic inquiries from the European Union and various United Nations agencies, the jailed Christian is now receiving letters and cards addressed to him at Evin Prison. .... Pourmand was arrested last September when Iranian security police raided a church conference he was attending near Tehran. A career army officer, he was also serving as lay pastor for the Assemblies of God congregation in Bandar-i Bushehr. After five months under interrogation in strict solitary confinement, Pourmand was tried in February before a military tribunal and found guilty, despite documented proof of his innocence. He was dishonorably discharged from the military, with his salary and all pension benefits cancelled. In a subsequent Islamic court trial on charges of apostasy and proselytizing on May 28, the judge acquitted Pourmand in a single hearing. Conviction of apostasy carries the death penalty under Iranâs strict interpretation of Islamic law. .... |
| Posted by:Mike Sylwester |
| #2 shows how insecure the reliogous authorities of Islam are: scared that someone will start the mass exodus from the civilizational jail cell the Imams and Mullahs and Princelings have condemned the pious to |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-08-13 14:24 |
| #1 "NO WAR FOR OIL!!!" |
| Posted by: macofromoc 2005-08-13 13:20 |