Keeping Pastor Youcef in the News

By 

Jay Sekulow

|
February 24, 2012

2 min read

Middle East

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One of the most powerful tools we can use in dealing with Iran is publicity. At a time when Iran is flexing its political and military muscle around the globe, we know that they are hoping to keep the plight of Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani quiet.

Iran would prefer to act in private - without the world watching - moving forward to punish this young father of two for his Christian beliefs.

Through our sources in Iran, we have been told that an execution warrant may have been issued for his death. We also have confirmation that Pastor Youcef is still alive. As our work continues in this country and abroad on securing the release of Pastor Youcef, we know that when it comes to keeping Pastor Youcef alive, the more media coverage, the better.

I am pleased to report that in the past 24 hours, we have assisted in telling Pastor Youcef's story - and the grave danger he now faces - to numerous media outlets around the world including: FoxNews.com, MSNBC.com, the International Business Times with its global reach, and one of the most influential and well-read papers in the United Kingdom. In the Middle East, the Jerusalem Post has also picked up the story. We've also been able to share this important story with our friends in the Christian media on-air with television interviews and in print online, some as far away as Australia. We're even doing an interview with one of Brazil's top news programs, which reaches more than 30-million people a day.

We also know that this is the time to keep the pressure on Iran. Nearly 100,000 Americans have signed on to our petition in just a matter of days urging members of Congress to approve a resolution condemning Iran and demanding the immediate release of Pastor Youcef.

And, we are spreading the word in a very big way through social media. Our Twitter campaign is exploding. We are reaching nearly one-half million Twitter accounts daily, with nearly 2,000 people allowing us to tweet through their account. We're reaching 184 counties and territories around the world.

We are doing all that we can to keep attention - and pressure - on Iran. We continue to ask for your prayers. This is a critical time for Pastor Youcef and his family.