BosNewsLife and DAVID ADAMS report…
BosNewsLife (with DAVID ADAMS)
A Sudanese mother who was spared a death sentence for refusing to renounce Christianity has been flown to Italy after more than a month in the US embassy in Khartoum, Italian officials confirmed yesterday.
Meriam Ibrahim, 27, and her family flew on an Italian government plane, accompanied by Italian minister Lapo Pistelli.
The mother-of-two, who is married with an American citizen, arrived in Rome amid mounting international pressure on Sudan to let her go.
Among her first meetings after landing in Italy was one with Pope Francis. A Vatican spokesman reportedly said the pope thanked her and her family for their “courageous demonstration of constancy of faith”.
Her release was welcomed by human rights and persecuted church advocates around the world. Dr David Curry, president of Open Doors in the US, said news of her release was “an answer to many prayers worldwide”.
“The challenge remaining is to eliminate violence and persecution against individuals for their faith. Women of Sudan and elsewhere should have the freedom to read the Bible if they so choose and decide for themselves what they believe. Thankfully, Meriam now has that freedom but sadly the rest of Sudan’s female population does not.”
Ibrahim gave birth to her second child while shackled in a Sudanese prison, after her death sentence by hanging was overturned. The court also overruled the 100 lashes she was about to receive for embracing Christianity and marrying a Christian.
Yet, authorities prevented her from leaving and detained Ibrahim for a second time. She eventually sought refuge in the US Embassy in Khartoum, the capital.
Officials defending Sudan’s policies have pointed out that her father is Muslim and according to the country’s strict version of Islamic law she is also Muslim and cannot convert.
However Ibrahim made clear she wanted to remain faithful to Jesus Christ, who she accepted as Lord and Savior, said her husband Daniel Wani, who became a US citizen and tried to bring her to America.
She reportedly told sheiks visiting her in Khartoum’s Omdurman Federal Women’s Prison: “I’m pretty sure I’m not going to change my mind.”
While rights activists welcome her release, they say the case underscores a wider crackdown on minority Christians in the heavily Islamic nation.
Sudan’s Islamist President Omar Bashir has warned that he wants to implement Islam more strictly, after the heavily Christian southern region broke away to become South Sudan, the world’s youngest country.
