My predictions:

1. This will be the most important thing you read today.
2. Most of you are not likely to do anything about it.

I’m pretty confident about #1.  I’m really hoping I’m wrong about #2.

Here is my question.  If your spouse was being held in a foreign country, regularly beaten, in horrible conditions, deprived of essential medication, and at constant risk of death due to disease, malnutrition, or murder, would you be sufficiently motivated to advocate for his/her release? What if it was your close friend’s spouse, or a neighbor, or a co-worker?

Saeed Abedini has been imprisoned in Iran for 18 months, unable to see his wife or children, and with no end in sight. Our government has ignored multiple opportunities to fight for his freedom.

What is he in prison for, you ask?  Well, admittedly it was shockingly audacious behavior . . . .  You see, in July 2012, Saeed made his ninth trip to Iran since 2009 to (1) visit his family, and (2) continue his work to build an orphanage in the city of Rasht.  Scandalous, isn’t it? Oh, and he happens to be a Christian, and it turns out Iran isn’t big on “religious freedom.”

Please don’t just read this post.  Please do something about it. Here are a few ideas:

1. Sign the petition for Saeed: http://beheardproject.com/saeed
2. Tell other people about Saeed and link to the petition.
3. Change your Facebook or Twitter profile picture to this one:

I know what you are thinking.  That third request is pretty extreme.  After all, I’m talking about your profile picture.  I know you like to reserve it for pictures of your kids, or your favorite football team, or your latest selfie, or a giraffe because you got some riddle wrong.  But maybe, just maybe, you could use it to advocate for the life of a man who hasn’t seen his kids in 18 months.

If it was YOUR spouse, would you?