September 23, 2007
A little more than 20 years ago, Dr. Daniel Shayesteh was sitting in an Iranian prison, waiting for his death. After his escape from capture a few years later, he crossed the border into Turkey.
It was there he met Iranian Christians and found Christ in a dream. Since then Shayesteh has been on a new journey that takes him to churches all over the world to share his story about how a dedicated follower of radical Islam became a devout Christian ...
He questioned why Muslims can build mosques in America, but churches are not allowed in Saudi Arabia. He also told the audience that non-Muslims are forbidden around Mecca because they might "contaminate" it. Then, he advised the audience to "wake up the politicians and teach them lessons. If you do not wake up, you will lose America," Shayesteh said ...
As a young child growing up in Iran, he studied the Quran and by age 9, he could recite the entire text in Arabic. From a young age, he said his religious education taught him to hate, and not feel sorry for anyone who did not practice Islam.
In an interview with Shayesteh, who lives in Australia and serves as director of "Exodus from Darkness," he said he was introduced to the world of radical Islam after he started attending college in Iran. While in Iran, he was a member of Hezbollah and helped overthrow the Shah of Iran during the revolution in 1979. Once the Ayatollah Khomeini took over the new government, the country was ruled under strict Islamic law.
During his talk, Shayesteh said after a couple years under the Ayatollah, he began to question the lack of freedom under the new government. Although anyone who argued against the Ayatollah set themselves up for death, he still formed his own political party.
The government was not pleased with his move, as Shayesteh explained in the interview, so one night he was kidnapped and taken to a prison and sentenced to death. Although his other associates were killed in prison, Shayesteh managed to escape from Iran to Turkey ...
In 1991, he moved to Australia and three years later, he began studying at Morling Bible College. He earned a diploma of Theology and Pastoral Ministry and is a national evangelist for the Christian and Missionary Alliance of Australia.
For more information about Shayesteh, visit his Web site at www.escapefromdarkness.org
www.ministryblue.com/exodus.html
About Daniel Shayesteh
Daniel Shayesteh was born in Iran near the Caspian sea. By age nine he was able to recite the entire Quran in Arabic. As a young man he was totally committed to Islam and was a member of Hezbollah in Iran. He inspired other good Muslims to hate and kill Americans and Jews ...Ex-Muslim preaches "dangers" of Islam Daniel Shayesteh
http://www.islam-watch.org/LeavingIslam/shayesteh.htm“Committed Muslims want [westerners] not to have knowledge of Islam,” he said in an interview. “Democracy is against the values of Islam. [Muslims] say that Allah is the ultimate value-maker; he already has a law and democratic law is not higher than Sharia, the law of Allah.” ...
Mr. Shayesteh taught business at the University of Technology at Sydney for eight years. Recently, however, he was fired when someone complained about his fervent Christianity.
Ultimately, the loss became an opportunity to begin a mission: teaching westerners the truth about Islam.
http://www.christiananswers.net/catalog/escape-dvd.htmlsanta clarita radio
Daniel Shayesteh’s story is a vivid, incredible journey that starts as a Muslim religious teacher, and continues on through the Iranian Revolution, a death sentence, a daring escape, and spiritual upheaval. Today, Mr. Shayesteh travels around the world telling his story, and KHTS AM-1220 sat down with him Sunday morning to listen.
It all began in Iran. Being one of twelve children, young Daniel was nominated by his parents to go into religious work. There, he studied the Qur’an, and was often called upon in his neighborhood to teach and read from the book that guides the Muslim faith.
Not long into his adulthood, he soon grew to empathize with many other in Iran who were protesting the government. Communists, atheists, students and Muslims alike were all looking for a change. “In the beginning, it started out in the Universities as an economic revolution,” remembers Shayesteh.
But one of the most prominent figures of the opposition was the man who would soon become Ayatollah Khomeini, and Shayesteh joined him in overthrowing the Iranian government. After the dust settled, Iran became a theocratic Islamic government.
