Meriam Ibrahim, the woman who was ordered a death sentence after she refused to renounce her Christian faith finally landed in Italy this Thursday. The joint effort by Italy and the US to expedite her passport and travel documents finally concluded on Wednesday. Accompanied by Vice Minister of Italy Foreign Affairs, Ibrahim and her family arrived in Rome on Thursday. They were greeted by the Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi at the Airport. Ibrahim is expected to travel to America in the near future. This caps an ordeal that began in February and attracted world wide outrage and protest.
As we reported before here, Ibrahim, whose father was Muslim but who was raised by her Orthodox Christian mother, was convicted of apostasy for marrying a Christian and refusing to renounce her Christian faith. After her conviction in May, Meriam was given three days to embrace Islam and save her life. This would have been an easy choice to make, but Meriam refused, declaring: “I am a Christian and I will remain a Christian.”
She was sentenced to death while eight months pregnant. In February she gave birth in prison with her legs chained. She seemed likely to become a modern day martyr as this courageous woman would rather endure death than deny Jesus. However, in a shocking turn of events- after her sentence sparked an international outcry and led to campaigns headed by Amnesty International calling for her release- Meriam was released from the Sudan prison only to be detained at the airport for allegedly falsifying travel documents. She was once again released and is currently in safety at the U.S. embassy in Sudan. We continue to pray for her safe return to the U.S.
Meriam Ibrahim has challenged us to be bold in our faith, although most of us will never get the chance to stand up for our faith like Ms. Ibrahim, her allegiance has caused many of us to ask ourselves the question, “Would I be this brave?” Sudanese Woman Refuses To Denounce Christian Faith in Face of Death Report By Rachel Greene
Meriam Ibrahim Finally Escapes Sudan