Formerly imprisoned Iranian-American pastor Saeed Abedini has accused Franklin Graham and other Christian leaders of taking advantage of those who are persecuted for their faith.
Last month in a Facebook post, Abedini accused Graham of exploiting his situation to obtain attention for himself. Recently, while Franklin Graham spoke at a Christian persecution summit in Washington D.C., Abedini again accused the famous evangelist and other Christian leaders of using the issue of Christian persecution for their own gain.
The persecution summit includes 600 persecuted Christians and 130 Christian leaders from around the world, including Graham. Hello Christian reports that Abedini believes these Christian leaders don’t truly understand what Christian persecution is like. He also accused them of intentionally not inviting him to the summit.
"While I was in prison, they spoke about me on their TV and radio shows. They held prayer vigils in my name in DC and all around the country. And yes, they asked you to donate because of my horrible plight," Abedini posted to Facebook. "And while they tugged at your heart strings to donate, (for which I remain so grateful) I remained in prison, and they remained in their mansions. And their jets. Earning millions off the backs of people like me."
"But once I got released, the story was over. Literally just like that. No one wanted to meet with me,” he continued. "I said before and I repeat again, These people don't have any understanding of a persecuted life."
Abedini and his wife, Naghmeh, have gone through marital troubles since Abedini’s return. The couple has since separated. Before Abedini was released, Naghmeh also revealed that he was abusive in their marriage, which claims he has denied.
Photo courtesy: Flickr.com
Publication date: May 12, 2017
