Islamic Republic of Iran: Three Christian women arrested without charges to go on trial
BY ROBERT SPENCER
Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, & research purposes.
These converts are getting off easy: Shi’ite Islam, like Sunni Islam, prescribes the death penalty for apostasy:
Shaykh al-Kulayni narrates a sahíh (correct) hadith from `Ammãr as-Sãbãti who said: I heard (Imam) Abu `Abdullãh (as-Sãdiq) (a.s.) saying, “A Muslim from among the Muslims who renounces Islam and rejects the prophethood of Muhammad and considers him untrue, then verily his blood is lawful (mubãh) for anyone who hears that from him, his wife is to be separated from him the day he became murtad, his wealth will be divided among his heirs, and his wife will observe the `idda of a widow (i.e., four months). The Imam is obliged to kill him, and not ask him to seek forgiveness.” (Furu al-Kãfi, vol. 7, p. 257)
“Three Christian women arrested without charges to go on trial in Iran,” AsiaNews, July 1, 2023 (thanks to Tom):
Tehran (AsiaNews) – Three Iranian women converts to Christianity will appear in court tomorrow on unknown charges, this according to Article 18, an NGO dedicated to religious freedom in Iran and advocating on behalf of its religious minorities, especially Christians.
Arrested last month, the three women were held incommunicado in Tehran’s Evin prison for 40 days. Indicting people without formal charges is not unusual in Iran, nor is taking Christians into custody only for meeting in private homes to pray.
Officers with the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence arrested Shilan Oraminejad, Razieh (Maral) Kohzady and Zahra (Yalda) Heidary at their respective homes in the early morning on 9 May.
Claiming to have search warrants, agents seized personal effects, including mobile phones, laptops, books and pamphlets “without giving any explanation,” Mehr Ministries report.
The three Christian women were taken to an unknown location. After 40 days incommunicado, they were able to call their families to tell them that they were in Evin prison, but were denied, again without explanation, legal counsel.
After meeting the women, relatives said that “they were not in a good physical condition,” Hamid Hatami, president of Mehr Ministries, told Voice of America Farsi. Since then, Shilan and Zahra have been released on bail pending trial, while Maral remains in custody, he added….