Woman in Sudan sentenced to death for being Christian
Convicted of apostasy for allegedly converting from Islam to Christianity.
This horrific story comes on the heels of a 2014 Pew Research Center report that indicated Christians were the religious group most likely to be persecuted worldwide.
CNN reported yesterday that Meriam Yehya Ibrahim, a 27 year old Christian Sudanese woman was convicted of apostasy and sentenced to death by a court in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. Ibrahim, who is married, was also convicted of “adultery.”
According to the rights group Amnesty International, she was convicted of adultery because her marriage to a Christian man was considered void under Sharia law. She was sentenced to 100 lashes for the second crime.
The story is an example of the extreme religious intolerance Christians are facing in many countries throughout the world, although Sudan’s basic human rights violations have been noted by the State Department to be particularly egregious.
According to CNN, a human rights group called Christian Solidarity Worldwide revealed that Ibrahim was born to a Muslim father, and an orthodox mother. Ibrahim’s father left when she was 6 and, accordingly, she was raised by her mother as a Christian. Despite her being raised Christian, she was seen by the court as Muslim due to the fact that her father was Muslim. The court then found her guilty of apostasy, a crime apparently sufficient for the court to hand down the death penalty under Sharia law.
The country imposes Sharia law on Muslims and non-Muslims alike and punishes acts of “indecency” and “immorality” by floggings and amputations, the commission said.
“Conversion from Islam is a crime punishable by death, suspected converts to Christianity face societal pressures, and government security personnel intimidate and sometimes torture those suspected of conversion,” the commission, whose members are appointed by the president, said in its report.
While Ibrahim’s plight might already seem as bad as it could be, it gets worse. She is 8-months pregnant and currently sits in custody with her 20-month old son, according to Amnesty International.
Ibrahim’s pregnancy, however, may have bought some time for international groups to intervene on her behalf.
In past cases involving pregnant or nursing women, the Sudanese government waited until the mother weaned her child before executing any sentence, said Christian Solidarity Worldwide spokeswoman Kiri Kankhwende.
Amnesty International has issued a statement calling for her immediate release.
“Amnesty International believes that Meriam is a prisoner of conscience, convicted solely because of her religious beliefs and identity, and must be released immediately and unconditionally. The right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, which includes the freedom to hold beliefs, is far-reaching and profound; it encompasses freedom of thought on all matters, personal conviction and the commitment to religion or belief.”
For now, Ibrahim remains in custody.
(Featured Image Source: YouTube)
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Comments
Not a whimper in the news about this.
Yet if a prominent Christian makes a comment about homosexuality being wrong it’s national news for a week.
Just checked, and yeah it is being covered. To name a few…
CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/15/world/africa/sudan-christian-woman-apostasy/
NBC: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/pregnant-christian-woman-sudan-sentenced-death-apostasy-n105961
The heck with the media! Why are you letting this happen to one of your own? Why aren’t Christians screaming at their representatives, holding mass rallies, demanding military action? Enough pressure and this will be stopped without a shot fired.
My bad, down vote a miss of the REPLY button.
The answer to your question lies in the Sermon on the Mount.
Here’s one instance of capital punishment the media will not be chomping at the bit to talk about.
“No one should think or say the judge is a Muslim since no true Muslim would render such a barbaric sentence. He is a ‘religious extremist.’ Sincerely yours, the Thought Police”
I suppose you are trying to be sarcastic, but there are several other examples of converts being sentenced to death by practitioners of the “religion of peace”. This along with that Nigerian whack job who really believes Allah told him to sell those 200 school girls is going to have the thought police working overtime. There comes a point when it become apparent that the so-called “Islamic extremists” are actually the Muslim mainstream.
“Sorry, but no true believer of Islam would ever do any thing bad. To say or think otherwise is Islamaphobia. The judge apparently practices some other religion, of which he is an extremist. Please think and act accordingly. Yours, the Thought Police”
Only a few links but sufficent to show the John Kerrys and Sandra Flukes of the world that there are ‘other’ more pressing issues than what’s posted on their talking points list:
China:
http://www.christianpersecution.info/news/china-police-burning-bibles-and-beating-christians-in-yunan-province/
Africa, Eritrea:
http://www.christianpersecution.info/index.php?view=12906
Africa, Nigeria:
http://www.christianpersecution.info/index.php?view=12742
Europe, Hungary:
http://www.christianpersecution.info/index.php?view=12890
Middle East:
http://www.christianpersecution.info/index.php?view=12839
Israel:
http://www.christianpersecution.info/index.php?view=12678
According to the reasoning of the court in Sudan, this woman is an apostate who should be put to death. I remember that somebody pointed out that the current President of the United States is also an apostate by the same reasoning, and therefore subject to attack by Muslims. In some places, such people are considered outlaws, and can be killed by anybody. The MSM, including the Washington Post, went nuts over the “conspiracy theorists.”
At that time, the rumor in the Middle East was that BO was “really Muslim” and that his embrace of Christianity was “takiyya” or a tactical lie told to unbelievers. The Washinton Post, of course, had this information available but did not print it.
The difference between this woman and Obama is that she is serious about her Christianity. They know Obama is engaging in taqqiyah because the ring he wears as a wedding ring allegedly has an inscription containing his commitment to Islam. Besides, everything he has done has been to benefit Islam and offend Christians. Muslims are allowed to pretend to belong to a religion in order to advance the cause of Islam.
One of these days once he is far enough out of office, Obama will come clean and proclaim his true religion. As far as I can see it has just been one lie after another with Obama.
He already did when he said and did not correct until prompted: “my Muslim faith.”
You mean Communism?
and this is why muslims consider obama to be one no matter how he lies to say otherwise.
father was one, suspect mother may have said she was one to play the rebel.
In Islamic law it doesn’t matter whether the mother was Muslim. If the father was Muslim, so is the child.
Prayers for this woman ascending. We are warned that persecution will come. Sister, stand fast in the liberty wherein Christ has made you free.
Amen. Stay strong, Dr. Ibrahim, and know that millions of Christians, and other people of faith, all over the world are raising their voices in prayer for you and your children. May God bless and protect you, and surround you with His light and love.
So what can we do to help about this (besides prayers)? I am not inclined to go the prog way and post a selfie while holding a hashtag sign.
Huh? All of the world’s great armies are in Christian countries, and you ask what you can do? Learn from us Jews, for God’s sake! Scream at your Congressman. Hold mass rallies. Enough pressure and a few world leaders will stop this with a phone call.
I don’t know if we can choose a path other than prayer. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake,… I lift up mine eyes to the hills; from whence cometh my help? My help cometh from the Lord.
Well, “the law is the law,” even in Ethiopia, so I can’t see the legal positivists faulting the court about this.
I still say “the law is the law” is the lawyers’ exact translation of “Befehl ist Befehl”
My answer to Juba is simply that I do not recall the US “Turning the other cheek” after 9/11 and inviting OBL to attack again. Fighting back for oneself and not for one’s co-religionist is nothing but cowardice and hypocrisy. I do not mean this as an attack but as encouragement. I have to say that God does not look favorably on those who stand idly by on the blood of their neighbors(*).
(*) Leviticus, a few versus away from “love your neighbor as yourself”.