Saeed Abedini abused his wife Naghmeh for years according to new reports.

[link to www.ocregister.com]

Naghmeh Abedini rapidly rose to religious freedom superstardom in Christian circles in recent years.

The Boise, Idaho, resident toured the country relentlessly, advocating for release of her husband, Saeed Abedini, an Iranian-American pastor imprisoned in an Iranian jail cell.

Along the way, she became the face of the burgeoning religious freedom movement.

Among her high-profile allies: the American Center for Law and Justice, a prominent Christian legal firm; Republican presidential candidates Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio; and the Rev. Franklin Graham.

President Barack Obama even visited with Naghmeh last year, promising to work for her husband’s release.

Now that her husband has returned the United States, the mother of two may be facing an even bigger challenge. She’s trying to rebuild her life after suffering from years of what she says was abuse in her marriage to Saeed.

And Naghmeh will likely have to do so without the help of her high-profile friends, some of whom have distanced themselves from her. She also may face of suspicion from many of her former faith-based supporters, domestic abuse experts say.



I say that this is very true. I have tried to go to churches for help with abuse in my relationship and of course, the first thing they try to do is get you to forgive. I even have a secular counselor who is doing the same thing. In this way, we are seeing that he is getting off scott free and the abuse is kept under the table so that he doesn't have to admit to what he was doing. He can just keep doing it quietly and no one will believe me. You want to talk about gaslighting. Holy crap.