#605 (8/9) ""Abandoned For Christ;" "Q&A on Embassy Closings and Terrorist Threats"

PRAISES AND PRAYER REQUESTS/PETIION:

"Congress to Investigate Planned Parenthood Abortion Business"

The Government Accountability Office’s (GAO), a Congressional agency, has indicated it will conduct an investigation of the Planned Parenthood abortion, business, which was recently busted for millions of dollars of Medicaid fraud in Texas. The abortion giant has engaged in at least $12.5 million in fraud over multiple states — that has become public knowledge so far  .http://www.lifenews.com/2013/08/06/congress-to-investigate-planned-parenthood-[PRAY that this industry that destroys hundreds of thousands of lives of lives every year AND receives almost 1/2 billion dollars in taxpayer money while non-profits that ONLY help women and their unborn get none, that they will finally be FULLY investigated.]

“Abandoned” For Christ" - 

Graham Calls On White House To Support Abedini - By Dr. Tom Askew, Aug. 8, http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/opinion

Franklin Graham is the latest to join the chorus of voices calling for U.S. State Department and White House officials to take a more vocal role in protesting the Iranian imprisonment of American pastor Saeed Abedini. September 26 will mark the one year anniversary of Abedini’s imprisonment for allegedly “endangering the national security” of Iran.

Graham pointed out that, in contrast to Iranian accusations, “Pastor Saeed was in Iran trying to help children. With the permission of Iran’s government, he was working to build an orphanage. But his humanitarian mission led to an arrest on bogus charges and nearly a year of inhumane treatment, simply because he loves Jesus Christ.”

Looking back

In his early 20’s, Saeed Abedini converted from Islam to Christianity. Under a then more tolerant government, he was instrumental in establishing over 100 house churches in his native Iran, where Christians are not allowed to worship openly. In 2002, Abedini met and married his Iranian-American wife Naghmeh and three years later the couple moved to the U.S. after a crackdown on the Iranian house church movement. In 2008, Saeed was ordained a minister, and in 2010 he became a U.S. citizen. Abedini has returned to Iran several times to visit his family and eventually became involved in the efforts to establish an orphanage in his homeland.

When he was arrested in the summer of 2012, it was speculated that Abedini might be given the death penalty, but when his case finally came to trial this past January, he was sentenced to eight years in prison. Since being incarcerated, Abedini has been beaten on several occasions, severely enough to cause a nagging intestinal problem for which he was twice denied medical treatment.

Abedini finally received medical care long after the January statement of Secretary of State John Kerry, which called on Iranian authorities to “respect Mr. Abedini’s human rights and release him.” Kerry went on to assure those watching that, “The Department of State is in close contact with the Abedini family and is actively engaged in this case.”

Current status

Naghmeh Abedini has stated she feels “abandoned” by the U.S. government, as President Obama continues to remain silent on the issue. She does, however, express thanks to the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) for their ongoing support, and believes they are ultimately responsible for Saeed’s release from solitary confinement in June, 2013. Attorneys for the group met with State Department officials in March after expressing their concern that the agency had not issued one press release in support of the imprisoned American. Then, on June 3, the Obama administration provided a statement saying they were “deeply concerned about U.S. citizen Saeed Abedini who has been sentenced to eight years in prison in Iran on charges related to his religious beliefs.”

Behind the scenes, more than 600,000 people around the world have signed a petition sponsored by ACLJ in support of pastor Abedini. A concerted movement this past May brought together Christians from many nations to set aside Pentecost to pray for Abedini. On June 13, demonstrations were held at Iranian embassies in at least six countries to protest Abedini’s treatment. And, on July 29, Arizona Republican Representative Trent Franks spoke on the floor of the House to urge other Congressmen to join him in “adopting” Pastor Abedini through the bipartisan Defending Freedoms Project.

Saeed’s response…and yours

Through his family living in Iran, Pastor Abedini has been made aware of these efforts on his behalf, and is grateful. “I heard that the persecution, my arrest and imprisonment has united churches from different denominations, from different cities and countries. That the churches have united together in prayer to put one request (my freedom) on one day (Pentecost) before God,” he wrote in a letter.

The story of Saeed Abedini, the jihad against Syrian Christians, the attacks on Coptic Christians in Egypt, and the ongoing desecration of churches in Nigeria and India should cause every American to reflect on the blessings of freedom still enjoyed in this nation.

Pray this week:

• For comfort and peace for Saeed’s wife and children here in the U.S.
• For a strong witness and testimony from Pastor Abedini in the prison where God has placed him
• For Christians around the world who are being persecuted for their faith in Christ
• BOLDly (Beside Our Leaders Daily) for leadership from the White House and State Department in defending the freedoms of Abedini and other Americans
• Go to SaveSaeed.org to sign a petition over 600,000 others asking for his immediate release.

Dr. Tom Askew has been an educator in both public and private schools for 40 years, in Hong Kong, Germany, Georgia, and Arizona. He is currently doing educational consulting and instruction for Christian schools in Arizona.

"Q&A on Embassy Closings and Terrorist Threats," - by James Carafano, August 7, 2013

James Carafano, Heritage’s vice president for foreign and defense policy and the E. W. Richardson Fellow, sat down with us to answer some frequently asked questions about the recent terrorist threats, embassy closures, and National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance programs.

Q. Is the threat against U.S. embassies credible?

 A. Yes. Embassies and U.S. officials overseas have long been a favored al-Qaeda target, going back to the bombings at two American embassies in Africa before 9/11. It’s an al-Qaeda practice to come back to proven tactics. The successful assault on the U.S. compound in Benghazi demonstrated the attention an attack can attract. That strike allowed al-Qaeda to proclaim it was back in business in North Africa.

Q. What does the uncovering of this plot tell us about U.S. foreign intelligence surveillance programs like PRISM?

A. Not much. Foreign intelligence is obviously important in combating transnational terrorism. It is a concern to see government officials “leaking” or “sharing” information with journalists on the sources and methods used to track terrorists. This might compromise the effectiveness of these procedures. On the other hand, such disclosures don’t get at the real issue: Is our government running these programs in accordance with the law? That answer can come only from appropriate and conscientious oversight from Congress. They wrote the laws under which these programs operate. It’s their responsibility to assess whether the Administration is doing its job right.

Q. What does this latest plot tell us about the Obama Administration’s counterterrorism strategy?

A. It’s hard to reconcile the latest threat with the Administration’s rosy assessments of its progress in taking on al-Qaeda. The Administration doesn’t acknowledge that it’s facing a global Islamist insurgency. Rather, the Administration seems preoccupied with scaling back its counterterrorism programs to “prove” that it’s winning. U.S. strategy has, in practice, helped give al-Qaeda an opportunity at a second life.

Q. Did the Administration take appropriate action in shutting down the embassies?

A. Perhaps; the U.S. should not put our personnel needlessly at risk. On the other hand, this is not a sustainable strategy. America’s interests can’t be defended from a foxhole or hiding behind a sandbag. Only a proactive strategy will keep these threats from popping up at will. This Administration has become increasingly risk-averse when it comes to protecting U.S. interests overseas. The lesson it seems to have learned from Benghazi is to do as little as possible. Al-Qaeda and the world interpret Obama’s policies as a leader and a nation in retreat.

Q. Where do we go from here?

A. Our President has failed to craft a responsible, prudent course that finds a middle ground between the extreme caricatures of foreign policy—isolationism and invading every country we don’t like. Without a strong and focused approach to national security that provides for a strong national defense, a proactive strategy to combat a global Islamist insurgency, and a confident foreign policy that puts safeguarding U.S. interests first, this latest threat will just be one of many more warnings that we are losing ground.

[bold and itallics emphasis mine]
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Article printed from The Foundry: Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation: http://blog.heritage.org; URL to article: http://blog.heritage.org/2013/08/07/qa-on-embassy-closings-and-terrorist-threats/