Naghmeh Abedini Under Attack From Christians and Muslims
Naghmeh Abedini, the wife of American pastor Saeed Abedini who's imprisoned in Iran, has said that she's been receiving personal attacks from people who accuse her of not being a good mother for traveling so much; for her lack of formal Bible education, and for the clothes she wears.
Abedini said, however, that her faith in God has grown despite all the trials, and despite her great worry over her husband's future.
"The last three years have been very intense not only because of Saeed's imprisonment, but also because of the attacks that have come from not only radical Muslims, but at times from those closest to me. I have been told many things of which some have been that I am not a good mom for traveling so much .. that how could I possibly share about Christ when I have not even been to a Bible School," Abedini wrote in a Facebook message on Sunday.
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"I have been criticized from what I wear to what I say to the way I parent. ... I use to break to pieces after each attack and criticism, but recently the Lord has been speaking to me through the life of Moses. That I should use the attacks to keep me humble," she continued.
Abedini reflected on the passages in Numbers 12 in the Bible that speak of Moses asking God to forgive those who cause such strife, and said that they have inspired her to have a "heart of compassion," instead of a "heart of bitterness."
Her husband is currently serving an eight year sentence in Iran after he was accused by Iranian authorities of endangering national security. Abedini and law groups, such as the American Center for Law and Justice, have said that the pastor is being punished for his Christian faith, however.
Abedini has been traveling across the country for speaking arrangements, and has shared her testimony before Congress and the U.N., urging world leaders to press Iran on its human rights record, and help free her husband.
The couple have two young children back at their home in Boise, Idaho.
In another Facebook post on Saturday, Abedini recalled the story about the two women who went to the Tomb of Jesus, as read in Mark 16, and said that much like those women, she is filled with worry about her husband.
"As I was reading, it struck me that these women were so worried about how they were going to roll away the stone. And yet when they reached there it was ALREADY ROLLED AWAY!!!" she wrote.
"The Lord spoke to my heart and showed the worries of the future that I am carrying with me ... worries of in what condition I will receive Saeed and how our marriage will look like and in what condition the kids will have their father."
She added that like the women who worried about the stone, people sometimes forget to put God in the formula.
"I have been a believer for almost 30 years, but only recently has the voice of my Shepherd been so clear and so different from all of the so many voices around me. I believe it is because of being in such a broken state and being so desperate for Him that we can be in a position to hear from the Lord," she said.
Abedini posts regular updates on Facebook about the campaign to free her husband, and back in September held a 21 day fast to raise awareness for the case.
