by Zara Mustapha

A 27-year-old woman who is eight-months pregnant with her second child has been given an option by a Sudanese court to abandon her newly adopted Christian faith before Thursday and return to Islam or face a death sentence.

Mariam Yahya Ibrahim a doctor has been charged with apostasy and adultery for marrying a Christian man which is prohibited in the country especially for Muslim women, making the marriage void.

Ibrahim was arrested on February 14, 2014 with her 20-month-old son and thrown into women’s prison after she was turned in by a relative.

She was neither charged nor given a fair trial, the final ruling will be announced on Thursday. Ibrahim’s case was the first of its kind to be heard in Sudan.

Daily Mail reports:

Meriam is a Muslim by default because she was born in Sudan.

Thus, her marriage to a Christian is a criminal act.

On March 4th, Meriam was charged with adultery and apostasy.

The adultery charge came with a punishment of 100 lashes.

The apostasy charge came with a punishment of death. As it stands, Meriam will be put to death following the birth of her second child.

 

Uncertain future: Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has said he wants to adopt a ‘100 percent’ Islamic constitution now that the South has split off. The government says the new constitution will guarantee religious freedom, but many Christians are wary

Meriam’s husband, Daniel, is not allowed to care for their child, Martin, because he is a Christian. Therefore, Martin, almost two years old, is in prison with his mother. Daniel is not allowed to visit or see his son.

Young Sudanese university students have mounted a series of protests near Khartoum University in recent weeks asking for an end to human rights abuses, more freedoms and better social and economic conditions.

The authorities decided on Sunday to close the university indefinitely.

Western embassies and Sudanese activists sharply condemned the accusations and called on the Sudanese Islamist-led government to respect freedom of faith.

‘The details of this case expose the regime’s blatant interference in the personal life of Sudanese citizens,’ Sudan Change Now Movement, a youth group, said in a statement.

President Omar Hassan al-Bashir’s government is facing a huge economic and political challenge after the 2011 secession of South Sudan, which was Sudan’s main source of oil.

A decision by Bashir last year to cut subsidies and impose austerity measures prompted violent protests in which dozens were killed and hundreds were injured.