The Bahá’í International Community has joined the call for the release of Youcef Nadarkhani, a Christian pastor from Rasht, Iran. Pastor Nadarkhani, who is the father of two young children, leads a network of house churches. He was found guilty of apostasy – “turning his back on Islam” – and “converting Muslims to Christianity,” and sentenced to death in September 2010. Iran’s Supreme Court recently asked for a re-examination of the case to establish whether or not he had been a practising Muslim adult before he converted to Christianity. The court ruled he was not [...] Read more »
Bahá’ís hold Shahbaz Bhatti memorial
A representative of the Pakistani High Commission, joined by members of faith groups and civil society, attended, at the National Bahá’í Centre in London, a memorial prayer gathering for the assassinated Pakistani statesman Shahbaz Bhatti. Mr Bhatti, the Federal Minister for Minorities and himself a Christian, was murdered by Taliban extremists on 2 March 2011 in Islamabad. Prayers and readings were offered by attendees from the Christian, Muslim and Bahá’í sacred writings. Mr Siyyid Kiani, Minister of Community Welfare at the Pakistani High Commission to the United Kingdom, led the eulogies and remembrances for Mr [...] Read more »