CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 3, 2013 – Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh—once imprisoned in the infamous Evin Prison and sentenced to death in 2009 for spreading Christianity in their predominately Muslim native country of Iran—will visit the Billy Graham Library to sign copies of their book, “Captive in Iran,” on Friday, Oct. 11, from 1-2:30 p.m. in an event open to the public
“It is a tremendous opportunity for us to host Maryam and Marziyeh and allow them to share how God not only freed them from captivity, but saved them from a human-imposed death sentence,” said Tom Phillips, vice president of the Billy Graham Library. “The Lord met their needs as they placed their trust in Him alone.”
In 259 days—just over eight months—spent in prison where beatings, torture, terrible conditions and executions are routine, Rostampour and Amirizadeh birthed renewed faith out of tumultuous circumstances. Their experience is documented in their memoir, “Captive in Iran.”
“We got arrested because of our faith in Christ and evangelizing Christianity,” said Rostampour, “The government tried to silence us by keeping us in prison, but we had more opportunities to share the message of Jesus with prisoners and even some guards.”
In a country where the government reports 99 percent of the population is Muslim, those who are perceived to jeopardize the security of the country can be imprisoned without question. One of the most notorious prisons in the world houses these defectors—some journalists, intellectuals and housewives who reside alongside murderers, rapists and thieves. Evin Prison in Tehran, Iran, is known to many as “hell on earth.”
In a recent letter to Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani, Billy Graham called for the release of American Pastor Saeed Abedini. Abedini has served one year or his eight year sentence in Evin Prison for his Christian faith. In his statement, Graham stresses, “the need for greater understanding and peace among the nations of the world.”
About the Billy Graham Library
The Billy Graham Library opened in 2007 and has since had more than 760,000 visitors from around the world. The Library is open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to the Library is free. For more information on the Library and upcoming events, or to schedule a group tour, please visit www.billygrahamlibrary.org.
Media Contact:
Lisa Moseley
(704) 401-2116
lmoseley@bgea.org