Her name is Neda, the face of unrestrained evil in Iran

The face of evil in Iran has a name. Neda. A beautiful young woman who died on the streets of Tehran, Iran, the victim of an Iranian thug on a motorcycle, a Basij, as the people call the hit men who carry out the will of the mullahs to keep the people in chains.

Allahpundit at Hot Air has the details.

Word on the street via one Iranian tweeter is that her name was Neda Agha Soltan. That’s also the name circulating on a few websites and now being attributed to her in a hastily arranged Wikipedia bio. The rumor — and it’s all rumor until some newspaper tracks down her family — is that she was 27 years old and a philosophy student. I hope to god this isn’t really her photo because the thought of her being so beautiful and dignified makes the murder somehow that much more obscene.

... this blogger is claiming that Neda was at the protest with her professor and several other students and that the fatal shot was fired by a Basij driving by on a motorcycle. No rhyme or reason; I wonder if he even aimed. The burial, reportedly, was today — and her memorial service was ordered canceled by the regime.

Uncle Jimbo at Blackfive is mad as hell and has a few choice words about the mullahs in Iran.

I have not had much hope that the nascent revolution in Iran would produce anything more than hundreds, perhaps thousands of nameless victims. The regime holds all the cards, the police, the Basij, the military, but the protesters now they have.......a martyr.

What a beautiful girl, and what a horrifying death. I will not embed the video, but go to Hot Air and watch it if you haven't. Go and watch the life leave her eyes, go and watch the blood from her shattered heart pour from her mouth, go and watch, just f**king go and watch the human face of this revolution.

The Mullahs had everything and then they did this. The one thing that will speak to all decent people, the ruthless and mindless slaughter of an innocent, especially in a culture so attuned to martyrdom. Iranian women have begun to chafe under the yoke of oppression and now this perfect example of the deadly wrongness of this. I am sick that she died, sick that she had to, sick that a power-mad, Islamic state killed her, sick that we legitimize that state, sick that she is one of so many victims of oppressive evil around the world.

But hopeful that martyrdom is powerful, hopeful that iconic images inspire, hopeful that her death can help topple the Mullahs. Persia deserves better than the backwards, uncivilized, barbaric bastards who currently govern it. Free Iran, for Neda.

Amen, Uncle Jimbo, amen. Pray for the people of Iran. Pray that Neda's death will spark a true revolution that will force the mullah's feet off the necks of the people of Iran.

Here's the awful, horrible video of Neda's last moment on earth, shortly after being shot.

Why do bad things happen to children?

I just received an email from a Bible Q&A reader who asked me a piercing question.

Why do bad things happen to children? My 13-year-old son has brain cancer. I'm not dealing with it very well. He has had the tumor removed and all the treatment. Now it is very tough to sit and wait to see if it will come back. He was a great athlete and now he can hardly walk because of the effects of the surgery. How do I deal with all of this?

Brian M.

And here's my reply that I wrote to Brian M.

Dear Brian,

I will certainly begin praying for your son and will ask others in my church and other Christian friends to help pray for him also. Lots of evil happens in this world for which we have no explanation, your son's brain cancer being a sad example. It certainly isn't his fault or yours.

And answering why is really impossible. The closest thought I can offer is something I heard from a minister once. He answered the question "Why do bad things happen to good people?" in what is sort of a typical Jewish way, by asking another question instead of giving an answer. Have you ever noticed in Scripture how when Jesus was asked a question, He often replied with a question?

Anyway, this minister said instead of seeking an answer to that unanswerable question, perhaps we should consider the question "Why do good things happen to bad people?" because we are all sinners and if the Lord gave us what we deserve, none of us would get mercy, we're all guilty.

So the amazing thing about God is that instead of giving us the judgment we so richly deserve, instead He gives us grace and mercy through the gift of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And by faith in him, we find our sins forgiven and our souls saved for eternal life. That does not change the nature of evil in this world, nor stop bad things from happening to "good" people, saved Christians. But it does give us the assurance that there is a life beyond this one and we will live in God's kingdom eternally there. I hope your son is saved and if so, even if the Lord does not choose to answer my prayers and yours to heal him, you can be assured you will see him perfectly healthy and happy one day in heaven. There his great athletic ability will not only be restored, but even improved to the point of perfection in a new perfect body that will never get sick and live forever.

I hope this feeble answer is some encouragement. Please keep me informed about your son and your struggles with this terrible situation. If there's anything I can do, write or call me anytime.

Yours in Christ,
John Myers

Please add Brian and his son to your prayers.