“Forgive us our sins, and help us forgive those who’ve
sinned against us." ~ Matthew 6:12
Her son's killer stood on a chair blindfolded,
his hands tied behind his back and a hangman’s noose around his neck. Hundreds crowded outside the prison in a
northern Iranian town to watch the mother, Alinejad, exercise her right to kick
the chair out from under him to let him hang.
Her only son Abdollah (18) had been stabbed and killed in a
street brawl. He’d known his killer,
Balal. The two had played soccer
together. Years earlier, Alinejad’s
youngest son Amir was killed by a motorcycle that Balal was driving.
Under Sharia Law’s concept of an "an eye for an
eye," families of murder victims are often given the final word over
whether convicted killers live or die – a legal concept that has drawn sharp
criticism by international rights groups.
Iran executes more of its own people than any other country except China.
Seconds away from what would have been his final breath, a weeping
Balal begged for his life one last time. "Please forgive me," he shouted,
"if only for my mom and dad."
An angry Alinejad climbed up on the chair and shouted back. "Did you have mercy on us? Did you show mercy to my son?" she
demanded. "You have taken happiness
away from us. Why should I have mercy
toward you?" Then she slapped him
hard across the face.
Balal's fate then took an unexpected turn.
She forgave the convicted killer. Immediately she “felt the rage in my heart
vanish and the blood begin flowing through my body again.” Then bursting into tears, she removed the
noose from Balal’s neck. By lawful
declaration, he’d been pardoned from the death penalty but would still serve
the remainder of his prison sentence.
Some in the crowd applauded.
All appeared shocked.
Balal's own mother reached across the fence separating the
crowd from the execution site, and embraced Alinejad before reaching to kiss
her feet – a sign of respect and gratitude.
But Alinejad refused and instead gestured for the woman to
stand up. “After all, she was a mother
just like me," she recalled.
Weeks later, Alinejad has found a peace lost since her son's
death. "Losing two children is like
losing parts of your body. All these
years, I felt like my body was dead. Now
I feel very calm. I'm at peace; vengeance
has left my heart."
Alinejad's decision was widely publicized by the
semi-official news agency, hoping to encourage more victims' families to
consider choosing mercy over retribution.
Almighty Father, I believe that your son,
Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and
hears my prayer. Please become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my
heart from this day forward. Amen
