Naghmeh Abedini: My American Pastor Husband Imprisoned in Iran, Religious Freedom Ignored as Obama Admin Negotiates With Iran

By: American Decency Staff

Religious freedom is not being addressed in the Obama administration's negotiations with Iran over its nuclear capability, complained Naghmeh Abedini, an Iranian-American whose husband, Saeed Abedini, is imprisoned in Iran because of his Christian faith.

"What kind of message are we sending to the world when we continue to negotiate while Iran continues to abuse one of our own, an American pastor?" she asked. "What is our message to the world on religious freedom issues?"

Paraphrasing Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor who died for his faith at the hands of the Nazis, she added, "silence in the face of evil is evil in itself."

Abedini was speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, a yearly gathering of conservatives from across the country, near Washington, D.C.

"I'm proud to see my husband stand up for his faith in the face of evil," she said. "As he stands up for his faith, how are we, as his country, standing up for him? I'm heartbroken that we continue to negotiate with Iran as they are holding one of our own, an American pastor, captive."

Even though her husband, who converted from Islam to Christianity, suffered beatings and solitary confinement, he will not deny his faith, Abedini explained.

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