Woman to Die For Faith?

For John, BLUF:  Sharia can be a stern law, and seem unreasonable to us in the West.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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One of my friends here in Lowell sent me an EMail with this item, concerning Ms Meriam Ibrahim:

Meriam Ibrahim faces death. Martin, her American toddler, is imprisoned and sick.

He could lose his mother and be turned over to the very radical Islamists who hung her.

A judge in Sudan ordered Meriam to renounce her Christian faith or die.  She's refused, saying, "I will remain a Christian."

She's pregnant, and once her American baby is born, she'll be flogged and then executed.

Prayer and public pressure are Meriam and her American children's only hope.

Well, I do commend prayer for this situation, but another friend of mine, from down in Texas, with experience in that part of the world says that this is the time for quiet diplomacy.  That means we have to leave Sudan leader Omar al-Bashir with a way out.  He needs a way to accept, for example, the High Court overturning this ruling.

The fact is that this is the law of Sudan (and some other places).  And, this is not the first time this problem has popped up (and to date Sudan has not carried out such punishment).  The fact is people choose this path knowing what the law is.  Faith is a strong motivator.  My understanding is that the general population does not approve of this and perhaps we can expect there will be some internal pressure.  It will be interesting to see how this turns out.

By the way, her husband is an American Citizen and a resident of New Hampshire.

Our job, at this point is to pray, and to include a prayer that Secretary of State John Kerry, and his Department, is able to encourage quiet diplomacy to allow President Bashir to find a way to release this woman and her children and send them to the United States, even if it is New Hampshire.

But, I am aware that not all who read this blog pray.  What do they do?  I do not wish to belittle this point, as each of us must respond to Ms Ibrahim's fate as our conscience and understanding dictate.

Regards  —  Cliff