The ordeal of Meriam Ibrahim began when she married Daniel Wani, a Christian from South Sudan. Although Meriam was brought up and raised as a Christian by her mother, her father was a Muslim and according to Sudanese law, children belong to the faith of their father. It was then reported that one of Meriam’s relatives turned her in, with the belief that by marrying a Christian, she was committing adultery. On 15 May 2014, Meriam was sentenced to death for allegedly committing apostasy from Islam – the abandonment of her Islam faith and converting to a different religion. Although Meriam insisted that she had always been a Christian, the prosecution were adamant on the fact that Meriam should have continued to follow the Islamic faith of her absent father. The prosecution and the judge demanded that Meriam abandon her Christian faith and follow her father’s faith of Islam.
Under Sharia law, the individual charged with apostasy has three days to renounce their religion. Meriam, however, refused to renounce her Christian faith. Meriam was arrested and charged with adultery, which constituted a 100 lashes. Since she then refused to renounce her faith in Christianity, she was then sentenced to death.
At the time of being sentenced to death, Meriam was eight months pregnant and ended up delivering her baby girl in jail while chained around her ankles. What was happening to Meriam soon started to seep into the outside world and before long, an outcry was occurring nationally and internationally to condemn the Sudanese court’s actions against Meriam. Students in Sudan protested for Meriam’s release and Amnesty International launched a high profile case which attracted millions from around the globe to scrutinise the Sudanese Government. Many saw this as a distortion of the Muslim faith and students from Khartoum University (Sudan) took a stand and called for the freedom of religious choice.
After a great deal of national and international pressure, Meriam was released and her charge was lifted. Just a day after her release she was detained again on assumptions that she was using false travel documents, however she was released the day after. After receiving a last minute Sudanese passport, Meriam and her family flew to meet Pope Francis on Thursday the 24th of July 2014 at the Vatican. The meeting was held to celebrate her release and to show solidarity to all who suffer as a consequence for what they believe in.
Although Meriam has been released, just two weeks ago her father’s family “filed a lawsuit trying to have her marriage annulled, on the basis that a Muslim woman is not allowed to marry a non-Muslim.” This unfortunate event highlights a greater picture of worldwide oppression that many women still face for marrying into another faith. Often this results in family disputes, disapprovals and an abandonment of all family ties – it is a struggle still alive and burning today.
Meriam’s choice should be respected and we must carry on fighting for religious freedom for all. Meriam’s choice of faith should not have been assumed based on her father’s faith. Luckily many are aware of the universal struggles that are faced by women and organisations and people around the world carry on undertaking terrific work to combat these discriminations through campaigning, protests and petitions, which have the power to bring an international standstill on issues like Meriam’s religious freedom.
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