Naghmeh Abedini Tells Christians: My Family Found Jesus as Muslim Immigrants to America
Naghmeh Abedini, the wife of formerly imprisoned American Pastor Saeed, says she and her family came to America as Muslim immigrants before converting to Christianity after witnessing the love of Jesus Christ exhibited by those who helped her.
"I was a Muslim immigrant. I left a devastating war between Iran and Iraq. America gave me the freedom to choose Jesus as my Lord and Savior. When we came to America more than 30 years ago I was treated with love and acceptance by the Christians. I could see the tender heart of Jesus toward foreigners and the lost through the Christians that surrounded us," Abedini wrote in a Facebook post.
"I have parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins and my 95 year old grandmother who all came to America as Muslim immigrants and found Jesus here."
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She added that most of her relatives in America have completed high levels of education and have high positions in major companies, and some continue to identiy as Muslims.
"Others have their own small businesses Including my uncle and my dad who have started small businesses here in Boise that now employ close to a 100 people many of who are refugees from all over the world. This is the America I know and love," she added. "The America that was founded on Christian values of love, Grace and compassion."
Abedini spoke out against Christian persecution throughout her campaign to free her husband while he was held as a hostage in an Iranian prison because of his faith. She has pleaded before the U.S. Congress and the United Nations for world leaders to do more to help persecuted people in need.
She also reached out out to fellow Christians on social media with Gospel messages, such as calling on people not to judge others but admit their own weaknesses.
"How much do we boast that our lives and families are not as perfect as they appear? We have to remember that Jesus shines through our weakness. The world will know who Jesus is through our weakness and His strength that shines through our weakness and brokenness," she wrote in a post in December 2015.
The topic of Muslim immigration to the U.S. has been a contentious one throughout the U.S. presidential election, with presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump again calling on a temporary ban on such immigration in the wake of the Orlando nightclub massacre earlier this month, where a gunman who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State terror group killed 49 people.
"I called for a ban after (the) San Bernardino (attack, in which 14 people were killed by a man of Pakistani descent who also was born in the U.S. and his wife, who entered on a fiancée visa) and was met with great scorn and anger but now, many are saying I was right to do so," Trump said in a speech from New Hampshire following the shooting.
"The ban will be lifted when we as a nation are in a position to properly and perfectly screen those people coming into our country," he added.
In her latest post, Abedini clarified that she is not trying to imply anything about illegal immigration in her comments.
"I am not a politician and not well informed about what is the best way to protect America and Americans. I leave that to the experts. This is not a political statement. Simply saying we have a chance to love those who are here and show them the love of Jesus," she added.
