In the modern world, it seems absurd that you could be put to death for your faith, right? Such a barbaric practice took place in the Middle Ages, but surely not now. Yet that is exactly what is happening right now in Rasht, Iran. A 34-year-old Christian pastor by the name of Yousef Nadarkhani may be facing death by hanging if he does not renounce his faith.

He was arrested in October 2009 while registering his church in an attempt to offer an alternative to the Islamic educative monopoly present in Iran. Nadarkhani wanted the option to have his two boys educated without the state’s mandatory instruction in Islam. For challenging the government’s absolute control, Nadarkhani was imprisoned.

More recently, in September 2010, Nadarkhani’s original charge of protesting was changed to those of evangelization of Muslims and also apostasy, a turning from the faith. Both are crimes punishable by death in Iran if so decreed by a religious fatwa. While fatwas, unlike the constitution of Iran, are not binding, the courts may draw on them when making a decision, as they did in Nadarkhani’s case. The claim of apostasy arose because of Nadarkhani’s Muslim parentage and his later conversion to Christianity at the age of nineteen. The 11th branch of Iran’s Gilan Provincial Court states that because of his Muslim parentage, he was a member of the Islamic faith before he turned to Christianity, and is accordingly guilty of the crime of apostasy.

Last week, the court gave Nadarkhani a chance to renounce his faith in Jesus Christ, and in doing so, spare his own life. Nadarkhani refused. He was offered two subsequent chances later in the week, on Sept. 27 and 28.  On both occasions, he remained unyielding. The court has given Nadarkhani the three chances it had said it would, and now is prepared to carry out the death sentence by hanging as early as today. I hope things will have turned out for the better by the time this article is read.

Nadarkhani’s odds are not as bad as they sound, however. His intrepid lawyer, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, is challenging the court relentlessly, stating that the death penalty for the crime of apostasy is outrageously unconstitutional. Furthermore, Nadarkhani’s plight has gained a broad global following almost overnight. If he were to be executed, it would be the first execution for apostasy in Iran in more than twenty years.

The severity and blatant injustice of the case has stirred the global community to come out in force, demanding Nadarkhani’s unconditional release. U.S. Speaker of the House John Boehner has been active in calling this out as a violation of religious freedom. The White House itself issued a message as well, calling on Iran to “demonstrate a commitment to basic, universal human rights, including freedom of religion.”

And that is really what this whole story boils down to: a basic, universal human right to practice what you believe, free of fear or outside control. Here at the University, this freedom should be held especially dear because it was, in part, a product of the same mind that conceived these Grounds on which we walk. Here in this sheltered environment, surrounded by diversity, it is hard to imagine a place such as Iran, where such primitive, barbaric practices still exist. And it is this very subtleness of freedom that makes it so great.

But not everyone has the luxury to live under the mantle of liberty. Around the world are people who are denied what most would view as universal rights. Such suppression of freedom is abhorrent. There is neither a single religion, nor a single country, to blame for this curtailing of basic freedoms. The faces of those who seek to abolish liberty are many and various, but each should be met with the same outrage, resolve and determination to set things right. People, regardless of race, faith, gender and nationality are entitled to believe what they want to believe without government restrictions.

But what can your everyday student here at the University do? More than you might think.

The global outcry that has begun to sway the Iranian judges in the case of Nadarkhani came from ordinary people, who saw such blatant injustice and immediately rebelled against it. When I first read about the trial, I got a strong sense that I had to do what I could to change the direction in which this story was headed.

Now you can fold this paper up and never think another thought about it. But if this story captures your attention as it did mine, then I encourage you to find a way to get involved in the movement against this infringement upon human freedom. I am not saying you have to go grab the classic torch and pitchfork and run around yelling incoherent slogans. Just spread the word and let people know what is going on right now in Iran. There are also plenty of Facebook pages to like; even as I write this, the number of Tweets and Facebook followers of Nadarkhani’s case is climbing. Publicity through any medium can send a powerful message.

If you are ready, if you feel the same sense of obligation that I do to help protect the basic rights enjoyed by millions around the world, and if you are finished reading, then you can hand this paper to the person sitting next to you.