A 27-year-old woman who is eight months pregnant was sentenced to death by courts in Sudan by refusing to convert to Islam after declaring her Christian faith.
Despite the pressure made by western Embassies in favor of freedom of religion, the young woman was condenmed to hang for the crime of apostasy in virtue of the Islamic Sharia law which forbids conversion to a religion other than Islam with the death penalty, a law that went into effect in 1983.
Twenty-seven-year-old Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag is the daughter of a Muslim father, and so courts consider her to be a Muslim too; her mother was an Ethiopian Orthodox who raised her daughter in Christianity since her husband abandoned them when Meriam was six ears old.
Besides the death penalty, the Sudan court accused Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag of adultery for marrying a Christian man, a marriage considered invalid by Sharia law, and was sentenced to 100 lashings.
The woman, who is currently eight months pregnant, assured that she is a Christian and that she never commited apostasy.
According to statements from her lawyer, the woman refused to deny her Christian faith, and after the date set by the court, Thursday, May 15 went by, the verdict was given and she was sentenced to hang.
The decision was condemned by international human rights groups and organizations. International observers have said that Sudan is one of the Muslim countries in which is hardest to practice the Christian faith.
Amnesty International has launched a campaign in favor of Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag, seeking to gather signatures to prevent the woman's execution. Through social networks, the organization has called for the international community to support the woman and save her life and the life of her unborn child.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
