A Marriage That Became a Death Sentence
Meriam Ibrahim grew up in Sudan. Her father was Muslim but abandoned the family when she was young. Her mother was an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian who raised Meriam in the faith. In 2011, Meriam married Daniel Wai, a Christian man with US citizenship. Under Sudanese interpretation of sharia law, because her father was Muslim, the government considered Meriam a Muslim too. Her marriage to a Christian was therefore classified as adultery. And her practice of Christianity was classified as apostasy.
In May 2014, a Sudanese court sentenced Meriam Ibrahim to 100 lashes for adultery and death by hanging for apostasy. She was eight months pregnant.
"I Am a Christian"
The judge gave her three days to recant. Three days to say she was Muslim, to save her own life, to walk free. Meriam's response was immediate and absolute.
"I am a Christian. I have always been a Christian. I will remain a Christian."
She was sent to Omdurman women's prison, where she gave birth to her daughter Maya while shackled to the floor. Her 20-month-old son Martin was imprisoned with her. The images that leaked out of that prison shocked the world: a woman in chains, holding a newborn, refusing to say the words that would set her free.
The World Responds
International pressure mounted fast. The European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, and human rights organizations around the world demanded her release. The Sudanese government eventually buckled. In June 2014, a higher court overturned her sentence. But even then, she was re-arrested at the airport while trying to leave. It took another intervention, this time from the Italian embassy, to get Meriam and her family out of Sudan.
She flew to Rome, met Pope Francis, and eventually settled in the United States with her husband and children.
What This Means for You
Meriam's story goes to a place most of us can barely imagine. Chained. Pregnant. Sentenced to die. A clear exit right in front of her: say the words and walk. She didn't say them. Not because she was fearless. Because she knew who she belonged to, and that identity ran deeper than survival. You probably won't face chains or a death sentence. But you will face moments where it costs something to say who you really are. Meriam already answered that question for herself. The question is whether you've answered it for yours.