“The MOA ‘security officer”…then told the pastors that they were ‘not permitted to discuss religion in the Mall’, and demanded that they stop, or they would be escorted out of the Mall immediately, or they ‘would be arrested for soliciting and Illegal trespass’, for ignoring HIS order to cease.”

“Not permitted to discuss religion in the Mall.” The police at the Mall of America, and the Bloomington police, know who is in charge in Minnesota today, and act accordingly. This is not the first example of Sharia enforcement in areas of the U.S. that are heavily populated by Muslims; nor will it be the last.

“VIDEO: Pastor, Ex-Muslim Arrested, Handcuffed to a Metal Chair, Denied Attorney, Water and Men’s Room Access for Hours at the Mall of America. [Part1],” Third Rail Talk, August 29, 2018 (thanks to Mr. Smith)

…ThirdRailTalk.com interviewed California based Pastor Ramin Parsa on August 27th and discovered that while visiting Minnesota last week for his three day visit, and congregation presentation earlier on Saturday, Pastor Parsa was invited by his host to visit the Mall of America, for an enjoyable stroll and coffee, and for his first time in one of Minnesota’s most renowned iconic attractions.

While at the Mall, Pastor Parsa struck up a mutually enjoyable conversation with a couple of young Somali women, who appeared to be delighted to visit with he and his local host pastor.

Hearing his Iranian accent, that they were intrigued. As a result, they asked him where he was from, and hearing that he was born and raised in Iran, and into the Muslim community there, they inquired as to whether he was a practicing Muslim. He replied, no, and indicated that he had converted to Christianity years ago and paid a dear price (torture, and even hard-core and harsh interrogations, and ministry harassment) for his commitment to the Christian church, and the teachings of Jesus Christ …All due to his Christian conversion, he further replied to the interested women.

The young Somali women wanted to know more, and asked him additional questions, and appeared to be enjoying the conversation.

One Somali woman however, who was initially listening to the exchange from a distance, approached the group conversation, objected loudly, and chastised Pastor Parsa, the other pastor, as well as the Somali women, and demanded of the women, that they “not listen to this man”, and directed Pastor Parsa harshly to leave the Somali women alone. Pastor simply suggested to the clearly distraught Somali woman, that the two women were simply asking questions respectfully, and asking for some answers from him, which he was pleased to provide.

In their own language, they began to fight verbally amongst themselves, until the hostile female Somali intruder to the conversation departed—temporarily that is.

Per their request, Pastor Parsa continued to share more of his interesting life story and to explain to them why he has left Islam and why he is now a Christian Pastor, and some cursory details relating to his ministry. The conversation and exchange continued to be mutually pleasant and was apparently pleasing for the two women, and well the two pastors, as well as the fourteen-year-old son of the Minnesota based pastor.

The obviously angry Somali woman who was nearby still, overheard more of the conversation and left the area to falsely report this gathering and discussion to the nearby Mall of America Security officer, as a threat, and as “harassment”. The two Somali women engaged in the conversation with Pastor Parsa and his Minnesota host, actually spoke up in defense of Pastor Parsa, and indicated clearly to the Mall officer, that “they were just talking”.

The MOA “security officer” ignored the plea of the two Somali women, in defense of the pastors, and then told the pastors that they were “not permitted to discuss religion in the Mall”, and demanded that they stop, or they would be escorted out of the Mall immediately, or they “would be arrested for soliciting and Illegal trespass”, for ignoring HIS order to cease.

The three visitors to the Mall for a pleasant evening of conversation and fellowship, said their goodbye’s [sic], thanked the young ladies for the time spent, and left for a nearby coffee shop, where they ordered their beverages, and sat down at tables for more private conversation, before they were to take their tour of the Mall and the shopping they had intended—as normal “visitors and consumers” at our Mall of America.

While they took part in their intended pleasant post presentation (scheduled Saturday afternoon church and congregation seminar) discussion over coffee, they took notice of the “security officer” continuing to stand outside of the Starbucks Coffee location. The Somali women were nowhere in sight.

As an aside, but an important footnote, because Pastor Parsa’s presentation at the church was widely publicized, there were repeated threats and implied threats, directed toward the church, and Pastor Parsa himself prior to the event that Saturday.

When they exited the café, they were met by the original “security officer”, and now, accompanied by two more so-called MOA “security officers”, who had obviously been called to the scene, in spite of the fact, that the two Pastors had already complied with the “security officers” request to “break it up”, and stop (in their words—“soliciting”), long after the original exchange between all parties had ended completely.

In short, whatever perceived infraction of the unwritten “MOA rules of conduct” by visitors or patrons of the MALL, which might have been troubling the “security officer”, the entire situation was over by at least a half hour or longer, per an exit initiated by the Pastor(s) and the fourteen year-old young man, and son of the Minnesota pastor, having left the scene as instructed.

The “security officers” were simply laying in wait for the threesome to exit Starbucks café, and to continue their extra-legal assault upon this visiting guest to Minnesota, and Christian Pastor.

“Security” (for whom?) now demanded that Pastor Parsa leave the MOA “immediately” or be arrested. Naturally, he responded by asking a respectful question as to “Why now”? “What have I done now?

He inquired as to what he had done this time to warrant such treatment and referenced all of the above in his defense. By his own admission to me, he was stunned, and expressed his astonishment in his own low-key Christian pastor manner.

Please keep in mind that this soft-spoken young man, during his short life on earth, had already been “tortured”, “abused” and “harassed”, in a similar totalitarian and fascist fashion, in his home country of Iran, as well as in Turkey. This is an important fact to know about this good, decent, Christian man..

Frankly readers, I would not have done as well under the same circumstances. This is not the old Soviet Union—and KGB, Castro’s Cuba, or the Hugo Chavez controlled Venezuela either. This is still the United States of America, and we actually do have a Bill of Rights, even on “private property” like the Mall of America.

There is also a prickly little thing called “due process”, but I will get to that a bit later on in my commentary.

As a reward for his righteously questioning the—now—THREE “MOA “security officers”, clearly picking a fight with this visitor to Minnesota, they handcuffed Pastor Parsa behind his back, and hauled him of to, what I can only describe as “MOA Jail”, while passers-by, who were witnessing this outrage, and mostly children chanting and pointing at him in a humiliating fashion, and loudly exclaiming that “he is being arrested because he is a Christian”.

Again, This is not the old Soviet Union—and KGB, Castro’s Cuba, or the Hugo Chavez controlled Venezuela either. This is still the United States of America, and we actually do have a Bill of Rights, even on “private property” like the Mall of America.

He was literally, delivered to an interrogation room (much like per his experience in Turkey and Iran) in the sub-basement of the MOA—handcuffed to a steel chair—which was bolted to the floor—for the next two-plus hours of his life, and detained him for hours while he was harassed.

He was denied the water he requested until the end of the ordeal, when Bloomington MN PD was expected to arrive—denied his requested restroom break until the end, and Bloomington MN PD was expected to arrive—being badgered by officers, attempting to barter “water for a demanded photograph of him”, (which he refused)—denied a phone call—denied a requested attorney—denied a request for his “Miranda rights” to be read to him (This also happened when he requested his rights to be read to him by the Bloomington PD as well later)—continually denied him the right to know, per his repeated request, to know what he had actually done to violate any “law” or written MOA security policy, and for hours before they actually called the Bloomington MN Police Department personnel, for them to in turn, take him into custody again, for “booking and processing”.

For proper emphasis, he was taken to a room where MOA Security handcuffed him to a metal chair for over 2 hours. They repeatedly kept trying to take his picture as he kept refusing to allow his picture to be taken.

When he asked for water, they refused to give him water and tried to get him to agree to have his picture taken in exchange for water.

He asked to go to the bathroom, and even that was denied to him as well. He asked if he can use his phone to call his friends and get a lawyer, but MOA Security wouldn’t allow that either.

Finally the conceded and let him have some water. They tried to take a picture of him against his will and he covered his face.

If you think this is bad, please strap on your Minnesota citizen, and United States citizen seat-belt, and wait for it..

At some point a Bloomington Police Officer came to the Mall and took pastor Parsa, handcuffed him once again from behind, and placed Pastor Parsa into his BPD police cruiser.

He was then taken to the Bloomington Police Department, booked, given a citation—to appear “personally” back in front of a Hennepin County Judge Minnesota—sometime into the future, and released on a $78 bail.

According to pastor Parsa, the BPD officer never inquired as to what was the reason for the arrest in the first place (a copy of the complete report will be requested shortly).

The Mall of America has banned pastor Parsa for 6 months from its premises, including the hotels, and he is now awaiting a court date, and again, to appear personally in front of a Minnesota Court soon.

This also would suggest, that Pastor Parsa is due to return back to Minnesota, from his California Home (and Church), at his own time and expense, in order to have appear before a Minnesota Judge, and explain the inexplicable to an individual he has never met, and a set of circumstances, which Rod Serling, Stephen King, Tom Clancy, nor Alfred Hitchcock could conger up.

Pastor Parsa was charged with “Criminal Trespassing” trespassing as per Bloomington City Code Sections 12.07-12.12

Upon hearing this story we were shell shocked, embarrassed for our State of Minnesota and its good people here, and horrified!

Having verified every detail of this story—possible to verify without ALL MOA surveillance tapes (to be requested shortly—and per legal action) we went to the Mall of America immediately to film a segment about the detention of pastor Parsa.

Our production crew arrived at different times and we were likewise, threatened with arrest SEPARATELY in two different areas of the MOA, for—

For simply knocking on the door of the “MOA security office” (supposedly a “restricted area” not marked as such—and per the directions provided by an on-sight Bloomington Minnesota plain clothes police officer—and another MOA employee), only to ask a few respectful questions for our “investigative report”, and for doing absolutely nothing else. For setting up a camera tripod outside of Starbuck’s café, just to secure a few video images, of the “scene of the crime” as it were. Their “security officer” claim? “Per MOA rules, “You are not allowed to take photographs in the MOA”

Item number 2, in particular, should come as a big surprise to every patron, shopper, and out-of-town visitor especially, to the Mall of America; armed with a cell phone—and cameras, and routinely taking photographs, and creating videos—and still pictures constantly throughout the entire Mall, and amusement park area, each and every day of the week—seven days per week—and each of the 365 days per year, when the Mall is open for business. ..I guess the rules—ALL OF THEIR RULES, only apply to a “special group of people”, and not everyone these days in Minnesota.

When 1,000 Somali’s, entered the MOA, unexpectedly—and unannounced in advance—and “Rampaged throughout the MOA” one fine September day, in 2016, and running and screaming throughout to corridors of the Mall; and scaring the hell out of all Mall patrons, the shop managers, restaurant personnel, and forcing terrorized patrons to run and hide in the shops, as “security gates” were slammed shut for protection—that was OK with MOA “security”.. Bloomington, MN PD and MOA “security” were completely surprised and caugtht off guard. ..“10 were arrested for fighting and refusing to cooperate with police”—but that was OK?

No one was issued a “criminal trespassing citation”, as is true of Pastor Parsa! No one! Do you see where we are going with this, good citizens?…