10th February, 2015
Campaigners seeking the release of US pastor Saeed Abedini from an Iranian prison have welcomed US President Barack Obama’s comments that the government was doing "everything we can to bring him home".
Jordan Sekulow, of the American Center for Law and Justice, said in a statement published on the ACLJ’s website that the group was "thankful" for the president’s "public acknowledgement of Pastor Saeed”s ‘captivity’ and the hardship endured each and every day by Pastor Saeed”s wife and children" during a speech at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC, last Thursday.
"And we are thankful for President Obama”s public commitment to ‘bring him home’." he said. Mr Sekulow also said Mr Obama’s comments that at last year’s breakfast they had prayed for American Kenneth Bae – then imprisoned in North Korea and now free – was "an encouraging reminder from the President of the United States about the power of prayer and his commitment to defending religious freedom".
The President, who recently met with Pastor Saeed”s wife, Naghmeh, and their two young children, also described how he had received an "extraordinary letter" from the pastor – imprisoned in Iran since 2012 – "in which he described his captivity and expressed his gratitude for my visit with his family and thanked us all for standing in solidarity with him during his captivity".
President Obama went on: "And Pastor Abedini wrote: ‘Nothing is more valuable to the Body of Christ than to see how the Lord is in control and moves ahead of countries and leadership through united prayer.’ And he closed his letter by describing himself as ‘Prisoner for Christ who is proud to be part of this great nation, the United States of America that cares for religious freedom across the world’."
Writing on the ACLJ’s website, Mr Sekulow added that while the group was encouraged that President Obama had "personally highlighted Pastor Saeed”s plight", there must be no nuclear deal with Iran until the pastor and and other imprisoned Americans are returned home.
~ http://beheardproject.com/saeed#sign
– DAVID ADAMS
