Saeed Abedini, who spent four years tortured in an Iranian prison, went on a rampage against former friend Franklin Graham on Facebook recently.
“As number one face of persecuted church in the world today, I have this hard responsibility to speak about the serious problems that I see to help church of God even if I lose everything,” Abedini begins his Facebook post.
Graham campaigned for the persecuted pastor’s release with Abedini’s wife, Naghmeh, while Abedini was in prison.
Mark DeMoss, a spokesperson for Graham, says Graham did whatever he could to draw attention to the plight of this pastor, including speaking personally to then-President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin about his situation and urging Christians around the world to pray for his release.
After Saeed’s release, Graham offered the family room at the Billy Graham Training Center in North Carolina so the couple could work on their broken marriage.
Abedini refused. That’s when he says Graham stepped away:
A week after I got released and Franklin Graham welcomed me home (because of the huge international media attention on me he badly wanted to be involve) he knew I don’t have any place to go but he left me alone in Boise until I was forced to call him to ask money to rent a place.
When all cameras and social media attention were gone in my life, all the famous pastors and lawyers were gone too, and just a week after my freedom, I saw myself so alone with my family while still news were talking about me.
During the whole last 1/5 year, I asked Franklin Graham to help me to find a job to pay my bills but he didn’t and he always gave me the worse and lowest he could. Until today, still I couldn’t find a job, and myself financially stable yet, all these that I have been witness stumbled me by knowing his relationship and financial situation and his shows on media as a close friend to me.
When I asked Franklin to help me to meet Trump who I supported successfully a lot . he said there is no need and then I found his doughtier [sic] preached for Trump in Inauguration and I told myself this people use your opportunities but they don’t share theirs with you. Heartbreaking.
I saw and felt myself and churches in a very dangerous world.
DeMoss, Graham’s spokesperson, says Graham is no longer in communication with either Abedini or his wife.
“It is unfortunate that Graham’s efforts to secure his release from an Iranian prison and provide transportation of him from Germany to America, his financial assistance to Saeed and Naghmeh (while he never raised money from others for Saeed or Nahgmeh, his ministry did provide funds to help Naghmeh travel and raise awareness for her husband’s case, and to help her care for her two children and herself while her husband was unable to work and provide for them), his provision of marital counseling at no cost to them and various offers of employment for Saeed have now been met with a bitter Facebook post about him and his ministry, Samaritan’s Purse,” DeMoss says.
Abedini demands Graham repent for his wealth and not helping Abedini.
DeMoss says Graham will not respond to either Abedini or Naghmeh but still requests prayer on their behalf. {eoa}
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