Wearing sneakers and a black winter jacket, a smiling Saeed Abedini stepped off a private jet in North Carolina Thursday afternoon (Jan. 21), and was greeted by his parents and sister as well as the Rev. Franklin Graham.
Abedini spent more than three years in an Iranian prison and was
released last week along with four other prisoners. His wife, Naghmeh
Abedini, flew to a U.S. military hospital in Germany to greet him upon
his return and described him as being in “very good condition.”
“Please pray for us as we will be spending weeks or possibly months
healing as a family and going through counseling,” Naghmeh Abedini said.
She also asked for prayers “that we can heal and move forward united as
a family.”
Naghmeh Abedini shocked supporters in November when she said her husband abused her and was addicted to porn.
The Iranian-American pastor will spend some time at the Billy Graham
Training Center, known as The Cove, a retreat center for pastors nestled
in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville.
“None of us in America can begin to understand or appreciate what
Saeed has endured after being imprisoned in Iran because of his
Christian faith,” Franklin Graham, head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic
Association and son of the famed preacher, said in a statement. “We
want to provide him a quiet place to rest and visit with family.”
Abedini will spend a few days with his parents before his wife and
children join him Monday, Naghmeh Abedini said. And, she added, their
son Jacob might even get his birthday wish to spend his 8th birthday in
March at a Disney theme park with his dad.
The release of Abedini
was welcomed by those who had prayed for the freedom of the jailed
pastor, many of whom had voiced their support for him on social media
with the hashtag #SaveSaeed since his imprisonment in 2012.
“Today was like my first day, you know, of my life. I thought I was
born again — being born again again,” Abedini told attorney Jay Sekulow
in a phone call posted on the American Center for Law and Justice
website.
But celebratory tweets from Republican presidential candidates — who
had previously criticized President Obama for not doing enough to gain
Abedini’s release — were swiftly followed by criticisms of the nuclear
deal that appears to have facilitated the prisoner swap.
“In Iran deal we get four prisoners. They get $150 billion, 7 most
wanted and many off watch list. This will create great incentive for
others!” Donald Trump tweeted.
But Naghmeh Abedini did tweet: “I just had a wonderful call w/ @BarackObama @POTUS
! Our family is so thankful for all the hard work and support in
bringing Saeed home.” She also has expressed gratitude to others for
their efforts, including Franklin Graham and lawyers at the American
Center for Law and Justice.
Robert George, chairman of the U.S. Commission on International
Religious Freedom, said its members “rejoice” in Abedini’s release but
believe religious freedom should be given more attention than it has
been in any administration, not just the Obama White House.
“The lengthy unjust imprisonment of pastor Saeed Abedini in Iran
poignantly reminds us that people around the world are suffering for
their religious beliefs, actions or religious freedom advocacy,” George
said.
For Michael Wear, who worked on faith outreach for the White House
during Obama’s first term and is now a strategist on faith and politics,
it recalls the politics surrounding the case of Iranian pastor Youcef
Nadarkhani. Nadarkhani had been sentenced to death for “apostasy” in the
Islamic Republic after converting to Christianity and was later
released.
“It was almost the exact same thing — the same type of suggestions
that the president wasn’t dong all he could, even though he probably
was,” Wear said.
Obama spoke about Abedini at last year’s National Prayer Breakfast, saying “we’re doing everything we can to bring him home.”
Wear acknowledged that the pastor was helped by the prayers and
advocacy of people across the United States, including critics of the
president.
Still, he said, “To be an effective advocate is not just to critique
elected officials when they do something wrong, but applaud them when
they accomplish something and do something right.”
Emily McFarlan Miller is an RNS correspondent
Courtesy: Religion News Service
Photo: Pastor Saeed Abedini steps off a private jet in Asheville,
N.C., Thursday (Jan. 21), and is greeted by his mother and sister.
Abedini was jailed for three years in Iran. He will spend time resting
at the Billy Graham Training Center.
Photo courtesy: Samaritan's Purse
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