An Execution in Tehran

Wednesday, 28th September 2011

It really is quite incredible. Last week, a convicted murderer, Troy Davis, was finally executed in the United States, and it seemed as though the entire British (and EU) Establishment arose to denounce the barbarism. Even Pope Benedict XVI appealed for clemency.

Yet today, Iran is scheduled to hang a Christian pastor for 'apostasy', and the collective silence from our scurvy politicians, trappist churchmen and hypocritical media is positively deafening.

Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani was found guilty two years ago of 'apostasy', even though he was never a practising Muslim. His guilt was determined because he 'has Muslim ancestry' (which is a kind of convenient catch-all in a place like Iran), and he was sentenced to death. That sentence may be suspended if he renounce his faith. This week, in court, he has twice refused to recant. A third refusal today will result in his execution.

[...] But this story does not involve 'apartheid Israel' or the 'barbaric United States'. It is simply about one Christian in Iran who wants to worship God in spirit and in truth, in accordance with the Gospel of Christ. The British media won't care much for that. So thank God for the blogs who can point you in the direction of the Iranian Embassy (or via here). Please make your protests known. Perhaps a word of support from the Foreign Secretary? Or is he too busy condemning Israel? The Prime Minister? Too preoccupied with planning? The Archbishop of Canterbury, perhaps? O, forget it.

As I say, all of this is accurate. But little of it is surprising, though not perhaps for some of the reasons some might think.

It is not Pastor Nadarkhani's faith that has prevented his looming execution from becoming a cause celebre. No, it is the nature of the Iranian regime. There is less of an outcry about this act of barbarism because, alas, it is just the kind of barbarism we expect from Iran. We ask, or perhaps hope, for better things from the United States (and Israel too) because we recognise them as civilised countries.

There is a double-standard but it flatters the United States (and Israel). We hold no such hope for the Iranian regime and, though protests are worthy and necessary things, we do not expect that the awful Iranians might listen to any protests. That does not mean we should not protest and Cranmer is correct to note the Foreign Secretary's apparent silence.

I dare say there are exceptions to this and that there really are people who think the US and Israel no better or not much different from Iran. But there is no need to waste too much time on souls as poor as those. Nevertheless, in case anyone is in any doubt: the government of Iran is in every respect a vile regime and the execution of Pastor Nadarkhani can only confirm that. We should protest and the press should do more to expose the true nature of the Iranian state but any failure to do so does not mean it is wrong to be appalled by the manner in which Georgia or Texas executes people either. Iran (and China) are worse but just being better than Iran and China is not much of an accolade.

But, yes, you should email the Iranian embassy here or here.

Filed under: Americana (462 more articles) , Death penalty (9 more articles) , Iran (135 more articles) , Israel (100 more articles)

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Baron

September 28th, 2011 11:53pm Report this comment

What does the silence tell you, Alex, ha.

Baron has dispatched an e-mail, doesn’t have much hope it will do any good. You should feel proud raising the issue, lambasting the hypocrisy of those who shouted when a murderer got executed, keep silent when a barbaric regime executes a man of religion who has done nobody any harm. Sickening.

Ian Walker

September 29th, 2011 8:22am Report this comment

So one side thinks that their imaginary friend gives them the right to kill whoever they don't like?

And the other side thinks that sticking up for their imaginary friend is worth dying for?

More evidence, as if it were needed, that religious faith is a mental illness.

Noa.

September 29th, 2011 9:10am Report this comment

Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Alex.
My appeal duly dispatched to the Iranian ambassador, along no doubt with that of every English, Scottish and Welsh Minister, MP & MEP, together with Church representatives.

Yam Yam

September 29th, 2011 1:44pm Report this comment

Ian Walker - people don't normally offer up their lives for friends who are imaginary. So perhaps Pastor Narbarkhani's has discovered a friend who is very real indeed.

Skipjack

September 29th, 2011 7:14pm Report this comment

You could expect "better" from the United States, but you might want to reconsider expecting better from Georgia.

Also I think of some interest to those who understand the separation of powers in the US federal system is that the United States, properly speaking, has only executed three people in the past 35 years when the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.

One of them was Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber. All three were executed in George W. Bush's first term.

Peter From Maidstone

September 30th, 2011 5:46pm Report this comment

Yam Yam, I agree with you. God is certainly more real than anything else. Only someone who doesn't know God would think differently.

Beefeater

October 3rd, 2011 7:13am Report this comment

How about being appalled by execution for murder, but really, really horrified by execution for apostasy ?

The trouble with venting maximum outrage for our lesser evils is that there is nothing to spare for their greater ones - all too easily excused in terms of having higher "expectations" of us than them. It is unseemly conspicuous moral consumption by epicures of righteousness.

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