BBC Ignores Iran Death Sentence for Christian

[thehighlandrebel]

An Iranian is under death sentence for converting to Christianity.

au.christiantoday.com/article/iranian-pastor-refuses-to-recant-faith-despite-death-sentence/12101.htm

Now consider the 'outrage' expressed all over the world concerning the threat of burning a few bits of paper from the koran and compare it to the silence over this.

No Obama outside the White House raging his displeasure.

No Elmer Fudd screeching in the House condemning it.

No Alex Salmond tub thumping in rage like he did over Pastor Jones.

What are we turning into as human beings?

If the execution goes ahead I'd expect George Galloway to be in the audience cheering the executioner and telling us the world will be better off with one less practitioner of 'Christian mumbo jumbo'

[Teddy Bear]

A Google search shows me this story is also being covered by The New Statesman, The Washington Post, and The National Review,. Surprise, surprise, nothing appears on the BBC website for this man. But then, as a recent poll of 413,000 people in this country found, only 69% of the population here are Christian, so one can hardly expect the BBC to think this story should interest them. After all, the BBC doesn't want to stir any anger against the Iranian regime.

Israel is the real enemy.

[thehighlandrebel]

Exactly, Teddy.

For days on end the b-bbc headlined on it's outrage and concern for the fate of a few bits of paper.

I wonder if they'll give the same air time and show the same concern for this mans life.

[Teddy Bear]

The BBC now have an article about this man, the only one they have run on the story, with this headline
Lawyer optimism for Iranian death-row Christian cleric

On the headline title they post on My Yahoo page for BBC news it shows as Optimism for death-row Christian

Now bearing in mind they haven't run any article on this before, what exactly would this headline convey to anybody seeing it for the first time?

Certainly the one on Yahoo automatically made me think of the recent fuss about the prisoner in the US who received the death penalty for murder, and that this was another case.

Reading the story, as the headline implies, the BBC are 'very optimistic' about the fate of this man, with the opening paragraph telling us The lawyer for an Iranian Christian cleric sentenced to death for apostasy says he is optimistic that his client will be acquitted. So no need for the public to worry.

This view, however is not shared by others, as the article below from UPI demonstrates. Even their headline is distinctly opposite to that of the BBC.
I've also purposefully left in the 'related articles' section in the story to see what other types of stories are omitted by the BBC in their 'World Coverage', as the only 'Related Stories' they point to in their version are;
Fears for Iran's jailed minority Bahai leaders 14 MAY 2011, US & CANADA
Iran country profile 16 AUGUST 2011, MIDDLE EAST

Pastor may face execution in Iran
Published: Sept. 29, 2011 at 12:47 PM

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TEHRAN, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Christian activists say an Iranian pastor faces execution after refusing to renounce his faith during a court hearing this week, a report said.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide said it fears Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani will be put to death despite reports that his sentence was annulled.

Nadarkhani was arrested in October 2009 while attempting to register his church and was found guilty of apostasy, or abandoning Islam, in September 2010. He was sentenced to death.

CSW said Iran's Supreme Court recently asked for a re-examination of his case to establish whether or not he had been a practicing Muslim adult before he converted to Christianity. However, the court ruled he wasn't a practicing Muslim, but is still guilty of apostasy because he has Muslim ancestry.
"We've had some reports that there has been a verbal announcement from the court in Iran that the sentence is annulled but we urge caution," a Christian Solidarity spokesman told Sky News. "It's been known that verbal announcements have been directly contradicted by later written statements. We are still calling for international pressure to be kept up."

Nardarkhani was born to Muslim parents but did not practice the faith. He converted to Christianity when he was 19.

This next article from International Business Times has more information and other disturbing elements to this story. Compare it to the BBC's output

Iranian Pastor Sentenced to Death: Nadarkhani Refuses to Convert

By Daniel D. Tovrov | September 29, 2011 10:35 AM EDT

Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who is facing the death penalty, again refused to convert to Islam to save his life.

Nadarkhani was arrested in 2009 for the crime of apostasy because he allegedly abandoned Islam for Christianity. As a pastor, Iranian clerics believe that Nadarkhani was preaching in order to convert Muslims.

Before his last hearing Wednesday, Nadarkhani had been given three previous chances to repent, and all three times he has refused. After his final refusal Wednesday, no verdict has been announced, but many expect that he could be put to death as soon as Friday.

The case has slowly garnered international attention, and there are a number of Christian rights groups advocating for his release.

U.S. House Speaker John Boehner also has spoken out against Iran. "While Iran's government claims to promote tolerance, it continues to imprison many of its people because of their faith. This goes beyond the law to an issue of fundamental respect for human dignity. I urge Iran's leaders to abandon this dark path, spare [Nadarkhani's] life, and grant him a full and unconditional release," said Boehner.

There were rumors on Wednesday night that Nadarkhani's execution sentence was to be waived after the final trial, but contradicting reports indicate that the news was incorrect.

"We've had some reports that there has been a verbal announcement from the court in Iran that the sentence is annulled but we urge caution," said Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a religious group campaigning for Nadarkhani's release.

"It's been known that verbal announcements have been directly contradicted by later written statements. We are still calling for international pressure to be kept up."

The American Center for Law and Justice said in a message titled "Troubling News" that the rumors were spread by the Iranian secret service in an attempt to get the media to stop reporting the story. ACLJ said Nadarkhani's lawyer Mohammad Ali Dadkhah called the center Wednesday to say the death sentence hasn't been overturned.

Even if the sentence were commuted, Nadarkhani could still face life in prison. And even if he were released, there would still be danger.

"In Iran about 18 years ago, they had released a pastor, but then came and assassinated him and his bishop later. We cannot stop the pressure," Pastor Firouz Sadegh-Khandjani, a Member of the Council of Elders for the Church of Iran, told the ACLJ.

Between June 2010 and January 2011, more than 200 people in Iran were arrested for their religious beliefs, according to Elam Ministries, a United Kingdom-based church with ties to Iran.

In August, a pastor named Haghnejad was arrested for the third time, according to Christian Solidarity. Police also confiscated 6,500 bibles, which Iran's social issues committee deemed were being used to deceive youths.

While no one has been hanged for the crime of apostasy in Iran for more than 20 years, the country has the second highest execution rate of any nation in the world. So far in 2011, there have been about 400 executions, a quarter of which occurred in September.

[Teddy Bear]

Despite recently 'upping the ante', making it look more and more like Nadarkhani will be executed, first by branding him a Zionist and a traitor, and the latest news is that rape and other violent acts have been added to his list of crimes.

The BBC however, feel they have done enough to address this story with their only article on the subject, which mentions nothing of these updates. Melanie Phillips has written in the Daily Mail wondering where the protests are about the actions of the Iranian court in this matter. Well certainly the BBC are doing their best not to stir any up.

Where are the protests over Pastor Nadarkhani?

The brutal regime in Iran continues to inflict appalling levels of barbarity upon its own citizens.

A Christian pastor, Youcef Nadarkhani, aged 35 and the father of two children, has been sentenced to death for apostasy, a crime for which he was jailed two years ago. But this savage punishment is far worse even than it seems. For Nadarkhani is deemed to have committed apostasy merely because he has Islamic ancestry. Whether he was ever actually a practising Muslim was not even established. The Washington Post reported:

‘The 11th branch of Iran’s Gilan Provincial Court has determined that Nadarkhani has Islamic ancestry and therefore must recant his faith in Jesus Christ. Iran’s supreme court had previously ruled that the trial court must determine if Youcef had been a Muslim before converting to Christianity.

‘However, the judges, acting like terrorists with a hostage, demanded that he recant his faith in Christ before even taking evidence. The judges stated that even though the judgment they have made is against the current Iranian and international laws, they have to uphold the previous decision of the 27th Branch of the Supreme Court in Qom.’

Now the Iranian authorities have claimed he is to be executed not for apostasy at all but for a slew of other crimes. As CNN reports:

‘Gholomali Rezvani, the deputy governor of Gilan province, where Nadarkhani was tried and convicted, accused Western media of twisting the real story, referring to him as a "rapist." A previous report from the news agency claimed he had committed several violent crimes, including repeated rape and extortion. "His crime is not, as some claim, converting others to Christianity," Rezvani told Fars. "He is guilty of security-related crimes."

‘In a translated Iranian Supreme Court brief from 2010, however, the charge of apostasy is the only charge leveled against Nadarkhani. "Mr. Youcef Nadarkhani, son of Byrom, 32-years old, married, born in Rasht in the state of Gilan is convicted of turning his back on Islam, the greatest religion the prophesy of Mohammad at the age of 19," reads the brief.’

‘... "No one is executed in Iran for their choice of religion," [Rezvani] added. "He is a Zionist and has committed security-related crimes."

‘

It is obvious that, faced with mounting outrage around the world – there have been protests from the White House, for example -- the Iranian regime has resorted to trumping up spurious accusations against a man they are persecuting on account of his Christian faith. By seeking to deny the verdict of apostasy that was handed down two years ago, they are trying to conceal above all that Pastor Nadarkhani has been imprisoned for two years and is sentenced to hang because of an Islamic religious precept.

In other words, this barbarism is yet another religious crime being perpetrated by the regime against an Iranian citizen for no reason other than he has transgressed the laws of Islam enforced by a fanatical regime of religious zealots.

Pastor Nadarkhani is but the latest victim of outrages against Christians and other faiths inside Iran. He has twice refused to recant his Christian belief; apparently he is to be asked to do so for a third time on Tuesday, and if he again refuses he could be hanged any time after that.

It is still possible to save this man’s life if enough protest is made. British political leaders should be making their voices heard very loudly against this barbarity by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Have you been hearing them? No, nor have I.

[thehighlandrebel]

It appears that it's not just Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani's life that's at stake under the Iranian regime.

www.jihadwatch.org/2011/10/christians-who-have-left-iran-receive-threatening-emails-ordering-them-to-repent.html

It seems that death threats have gone out to Christians who have already had to flee this country.

Surely our politicians and media cannot continue to bury their heads in the sand over this issue. ( I was going to mention that the UNCHR might step in and condemn this but that was a ridiculous thought.)

[Teddy Bear]

UNCHR ;D
Stepping In On a regime that is truly dangerous

That's a good one ;D

Flying Pigs?

[thehighlandrebel]

The fate awaiting Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani for refusing to renounce his Christian faith in this crime against humanity to be committed by George Galloways paymasters in the Satanic republic of Iran whilst the BBC completely ignores it and decides that going on and on day after day about a fekking Peruvian cat is more important.

[thehighlandrebel]

That particular link didn't last long on You Tube.
It's a pity because it highlighted the bravery of those people in Iran who go to their deaths with dignity for the crime of not denouncing their faith.
It also tells that the families of those executed for 'apostacy' are also murdered by the Iranian regime.

I'm noticing that videos highlighting the barbarity of George Galloways paymasters are removed almost as soon as they are posted.

This is not a deliberate act by You Tube but the way the terrorist regimes operate by orchestrating mass 'report unsuitable' attacks on those videos they don't want you to see.

This automatically removes the links.

That link actually brought a tear to my eye as it highlighted the brutality of Islam and the bravery of those who stand against it.

Shame on the bbc and the media in this country for pretending that this kind of thing doesn't happen.

[Teddy Bear]

Yeah I notice they're not so slow in reporting the actions of the Iranian regime when they're personally concerned.

I see the message on that You-Tube link about it being removed due to 'shocking and disgusting content. '
For me it's enough to know it goes on, I have no desire to watch the vile and sickening acts of this scum.
Which is why I posted the link to the film Uranium which deals with this and other related issues with this regime.
They won't get this video removed

[thehighlandrebel]

An Imam from Gaza has been sentenced to death in Tel Aviv for refusing to denounce Islam and the bbc maintains complete media silence on the matter.

Can you imagine that scenario?

Neither can I.

[thehighlandrebel]

Pastor Youcef Nardarkhani has now spent 1000 days in jail.

vinienco.com/2012/07/07/pastor-youcef-nardarkhani-1000-days-jail-court-date-video/

Yet nothing about him on our media and any response from our politicans.

[thehighlandrebel]

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani has finally been executed in Iran for the crime of being a Christian and refusing to denounce his Christian faith.

What a brave man. No doubt there will be wall to wall coverage about this on all BBC news channels.

[Teddy Bear]

I'm really sorry to hear that. What vile sick animals these Islamists truly are.

Since the only BBC article run on this man that I linked to above Lawyer optimism for Iranian death-row Christian cleric there has only been one more. It was run the day after the first, and only mentions his fate in passing. It's headlined Are Christians really being persecuted in the UK?

Within our own society - the BBC are truly sickening.

[thehighlandrebel]

Apparently he was severely tortured before his execution but he faced his death with great dignity.
I can see that from the photo.

I wish that I had but a fraction of that mans faith.