Save Meriam Ibrahim from Execution

           Mariam Yahia Ibrahim, a twentyseven-year-old Sudanese mother, who has just given birth to her second child, has been sentenced to be flogged because of who she chose to marry, and hanged for refusing to give up her Christian faith ("Sudanese Woman Facing Death").  

In 2011, Mariam married Daniel Wani, a Christian Man and citizen of the United States, who was trying to obtain a visa to bring her to the U.S.(Sherwood).  In August of 2013, people who claim to be Mariam’s relatives charged her with adultery ("Document - Sudan: Mother"). Adultery, as defined by Sudanese law, is when a man and a woman who were not in a lawful relationship have sexual intercourse ("The Penal Code, 1991" 39).  Although this couple is married, the accusers claimed that Mariam was Muslim and Daniel is Christian, and in Sudan, marriages between Muslim women and men of other religious are not considered valid ("Personal Status Laws"). Since the couple’s marriage is not recognized, Daniel does not have guardianship of his children and they are being detained with their mother (Karimi and Elbagir).

       Now, Mariam has told all parties involved in her case that she is, and has always been a Christian. Her father was Muslim, but he left when she was very young and she was raised by her mother, an Orthodox Christian from Ethiopia. Mariam provided the court with a marriage certificate showing that she and her husband were married in a Christian chapel and she even had her son, Martin, baptized as a Christian (Martin;Karimi and Elbagir). The alleged relatives who had accused Mariam then filed an apostasy charge against her saying that both her parents were Muslim and she had turned from Islam after disappearing for 45-Days last year (Elbagir). Additionally, under Sudanese law, if a child has a Muslim father they are automatically considered Muslims ("Personal Status Laws"). Therefore, the court could still convict Mariam of even If she never practiced Islam. The court also would not permit Christian witnesses to give testimony during Mariam’s trial (Karimi and Elbagir).  

On May 15, 2014, Mariam was convicted of both charges by a Sudanese Primary Court. In accordance with the Sudanese Criminal Code, Mariam has been sentenced to death by hanging for apostasy after receiving 100 lashes for adultery (Amnesty International). However, the sentences have been postponed for two years so that Mariam will have time to nurse her newborn daughter, Maya (Martin).

     Thankfully, Mariam’s legal team was able to make an appeal because the verdict contradicts the Sudanese Constitution which guarantees religious freedom ("Sudanese Woman Facing Death"). The verdict is also a violation of Sudan’s obligations to protect human rights under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR)("Banjul Charter").

International which is going to federal ministers of Sudan lobbying for the release of Mariam Ibrahim aswell as the removal of the laws adultery and apostasy in compliance with the ACHPR (Take Action). Another Initiative on Change.org allows petitioners to voice their own feelings about Mariam's case (links to both petitions are available in the sources section of this document) (Clarke). You can also write a letter to your Congressman asking him or her to ensure that the process of determining if Miriam and her children are eligible for U.S. citizenship is given priority. Besides these, simply letting others know about Mariam’s experience can help make a difference.

Persecution is a terrible thing and should never be allowed to occur regardless of who the victims are or what they've done.  No one has the authority to make others suffer the way Mariam and her family are suffering.  Spiritual matters are of the utmost importance and anyone who feels compelled to share their religious message with others should be at liberty to do so, but forcing religion on people bythreatening them does not change their hearts or do God any service.

       I find Mariam's commitment to God absolutely inspiring and I pray that he gives her and her family the strength to get through this hardship.

      We must recognize that Islam is not to be blamed for this injustice. Muslims too are speaking out against Mariam’s sentence.  Particularly, I would like to commend Mariam’s legal team and all of the protesters in Khartoum who have fought Mariam’s sentence despite the consequences it has meant for them. ("Sudanese Woman Facing Death"; Martin;"Is This the Grace") Many Muslims are even saying that,contrary to what the court of this case seems to think,the sentences are also condemned by the Quran  ("Sudan Death Penalty Reignites").