Politically Unstable: Sentenced to death in Iran for believing in Jesus

Washington Times Commentary Editor Kelly Sadler interviews Marziyeh Amirizadeh, an author who was imprisoned in Iran and sentenced to death for converting to Christianity.

[SADLER] She is an Iranian-American, was born in Iran, is the author of several wonderful books, one a love journey with God. She actually was imprisoned in Iran. I’d just love for you to tell our audience your story, how you made it to America. But most importantly, your story, why you were imprisoned, and tell us about the Iranian regime. 

[AMIRIZADEH] You mentioned my first book is “Captive in Iran,” which is only about my imprisonment and I wrote it with my friend. In 2009, we both were in prison and we were sentenced to death by hanging just because of believing in Jesus. And that book is the stories of us and many other Iranian women who were oppressed by the regime and the regime ruined their lives. And also we share lots of stories, how many times Jesus made miracles among prisoners. 

And the second book is a love journey with God, which is my whole story from my childhood. I tried to write that book to explain how it is like living in an Islamic country, especially as a woman under the harsh rules of Islam and how Islam affects the life of a woman. And also, I shared my whole journey with Jesus, which I gave my heart to Jesus in 1999. And it’s a long journey that it has started with dreams and miracles and visions that God gave me. I shared a lot of those stories in my book in details, “A Love Journey with God,” that both of books are available on my website: marzisjourney.com.

[SADLER] So you were born Muslim, correct? So could you tell us about your upbringing, and what led you to Jesus Christ, and then ultimately led to what you were imprisoned for?

[AMIRIZADEH] In a country like Iran, a Muslim country like Iran, there is no religious freedom. There is no freedom of opinion. And as soon as you’re born there, the next day you will be a Muslim. That’s not your choice. Because when you go, as soon as you go to school, to a university or get a job, there are all these documents that you need to fill out and you need to take that I am a Muslim. 

So for me and many Iranian people like me are just nominal Muslims. For example, at home, we never practiced Islamic rules. And it started exactly at the age of seven, when you go to school, they force you to follow the Islamic rules. For example, at my home, my parents never taught me about hate, never taught me about Islamic rules, practicing Islamic rules. But when I went to the school, for example, every day, they forced children to stand in line and to say “death to America” and “death to Israel.” Which, as a child, like someone like me and many other children, they had no idea. Where is America? Where is Israel? Why we should say that? 

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