Freed Iraqi pastor’s story one of faith and determination

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pastor-jamalA pastor imprisoned for his faith is released from an Iraqi jail after 21 months. CBN News has learned new information about what led to the release of Pastor Jamal. He’s free now, thanks in part to a bold step taken by a U.S. Ministry and a U.S. Lawmaker.

Terry Law, founder and president of World Compassion Terry Law Ministries of Tulsa, Ok., spoke to CBN News about how he and a U.S. senator, with God’s help, gained this pastor’s freedom.

Law said Pastor Jamal had received treatment for a brain tumor before his imprisonment, but he continued to suffer headaches in prison. That led Law to make a personal visit to northern Iraq with a letter from U.S. Senator James Inhofe, R-Okla., asking for Jamal’s release. The senator had sent it prior to Law’s trip but Iraqi official never saw it.

“When the government leaders actually saw the letter it had great impact…When we appealed for him, we did not do it on guilty or innocent, we did it purely on the basis that the man was probably going to die and on a humanitarian basis we pleaded with authorities there to turn him loose,” explained Law.

Law saw God’s hand in the situation to win Pastor Jamal’s release from the Iraqi prison.

“I had never done this before. I had never appealed for a man’s life and when I walked into this palatial building to meet with Minister of Interior Karim Sanjari. I had been praying. I wanted God’s wisdom,” Law continued.

“I felt we were offering the Kurdish government an opportunity to be shown around the world as a place of openness for the Gospel. When Karim Sanjari said I know of several hundred Muslims who have proselytized to Christianity, I couldn’t believe my ears. It was shocking and he said we are going to demand freedom of religion here in the future and again repeated that we are the American success story in Kurdistan,” he said.

Law also told CBN News he recently learned God has healed pastor Jamal.

“I found out a day and a half ago that in the European city where we took Jamal… they have given him an MRI, they have examined him from every direction and the incredible report is that he does not have a brain tumor…So, Jamal is not a sick man, he is a well man who has an open door to do what the Lord has for him in the future. It’s an unbelievable story.”

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