I knew God won’t abandon me – Sudan ‘apostasy’ woman A Sudanese woman who fled to Italy after being spared a death sentence for renouncing Islam has spoken for the first time after her dramatic escape. The woman, Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag, flew to Rome with her family after a month in the United States Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan. Meriam said of her ordeal, “I trusted God from the first instant. I knew he would not abandon me.” Of her meeting with the Pope in the Vatican, she said, “It was the peak in the faith that I have never abandoned.” Meriam was sentenced to death in Sudan for marrying Christian Daniel Wani, from Manchester, New Hampshire. She had a baby, Maya, in prison. Freed after huge international pressure and behind-the-scenes diplomacy, the woman, who escaped the death penalty for marrying a Christian, said she would start a new life in the United States “like a real family and trust in God as I always have done.” There was global condemnation when she was sentenced to death by hanging for apostasy by a Sudanese court. Meriam’s father is Muslim and according to Sudan’s version of Islamic law, she is also Muslim and cannot convert. She was raised by her Christian mother and says she has never been Muslim. Welcoming her at the airport, Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said, “Today is a day of celebration.” Meriam looked relieved as she arrived at Rome airport after which she met Pope Francis at his Santa Marta residence at the Vatican. “The Pope thanked her for her witness to faith,” Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi was quoted as saying. The meeting, which lasted half an hour, was intended to show “closeness and solidarity for all those who suffer for their faith,” he added. A senior Sudanese official told Reuters that the government in Khartoum had approved her departure in advance. Meriam’s lawyer, Mohamed Mostafa Nour told BBC Focus on Africa that she travelled on a Sudanese passport she received at the last minute.
Posted on: Sat, 26 Jul 2014 10:43:49 +0000