More than 37,000 people have signed onto a petition urging the Obama administration to demand that Sudan release a young Christian mother who faces a death sentence for marrying an American Christian.
The “Act in the case of Meriam Ibrahim in Sudan and her baby and toddler in prison” petition on whitehouse.gov asks for the president to “pressure the Sudanese government to release Meriam and her children so she can escape execution and possible death of her children and be rejoined with her husband in the U.S.”
A Sudanese court convicted Ms. Ibrahim, 27, of apostasy for marrying a non-Muslim and sentenced to death by hanging. Her husband, Daniel Wani, is Christian and a U.S. citizen.
Sudan enforces Sharia law, which prohibits Muslim women from marrying non-Muslim men and requires women to follow their father’s religion. Ms. Ibrahim’s father was Muslim, but he left the family when she was very young. Ms. Ibrahim was raised by her Orthodox Christian mother.
The couple have an 18-month-old son, Martin, and as of last week, a newborn daughter, who was delivered in the prison.
“While Meriam awaits execution for the “crime” of converting to Christianity, her children are forced to be at her side in a prison that a 2008 U.N. document reported as having an infant mortality rate of one per day in the summer,” the petition states. “No innocent child should be in this situation.”
Her lawyers have filed an appeal.
The petition needs 100,000 total signatures for an official response from the White House. The petition can be viewed here.
• Meredith Somers can be reached at msomers@washingtontimes.com.
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