Mariam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag

According to Islamic fiqh, marriage between a Muslim woman and non-Muslim man is invalid. Because her biological father was a Muslim, Ibrahim is considered a Muslim, so that even though she was raised as a Christian and embraces that faith, her marriage to a Christian man was considered void by the court. She was therefore also sentenced to receive 100 lashes for adultery, in spite of the sexual relations having been only with her husband, with the flogging to be administered some time in advance of being hanged. Moreover, her 20-month-old son was also imprisoned, and was initially denied all contact with his father, who would never have been permitted to raise him. Three of the boy's four grandparents – both his paternal grandparents, and his maternal grandmother – were Christian from birth, as were his parents – but the authorities have stated that as the absentee maternal grandfather that he never met was a Muslim, he therefore could not legally be raised by his Christian father. In response, Meriam Ibrahim said that she has always been a Christian and never committed apostasy. Her half-brother, Al Samani Al Hadi Mohamed Abdullah, admitted he had instigated the charges against her and maintained she should be executed. Meriam Ibrahim's husband and her lawyers have alleged that her half-brother and half-sister had turned her in because they wanted to take over Meriam Ibrahim's successful businesses, which included a hair salon, agricultural land and a general convenience store in a shopping mall. ==Prison and family conditions==

Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag was held in Omdurman Federal Women's Prison with Martin Wani, her 20-month-old son. Visitors were Initially not allowed; when her husband finally saw Meriam Ibrahim, she was shackled and had swollen legs. Muslim scholars visited her daily reciting the Koran and trying to pressure her to convert. Speaking at a conference organised by Aid to the Church in Need, in Rome, October 2025, Mariam Ibrahim described her ordeal, saying "I spent Christmas 2013 in prison. I discovered I was pregnant just before being jailed. That first night in the cell I was terrified and could only pray. My mother had passed away, my father’s family rejected me, and the media called me ‘unclean’, ‘infidel’ and ‘deserving of death’.” She described how she managed to pray and read the Bible while in prison: “I had to cut its pages and hide them in my hair so I could read them in the bathroom. That was the only place I could open it without being discovered. I still carry that prison Bible with me everywhere I go.” Vital medical treatment was refused, and Meriam Ibrahim was denied transfer to a hospital even though she was 8 months into a difficult pregnancy. Even during childbirth, her legs were kept shackled to the floor and there were fears the baby girl might be permanently disabled due to this. The shackles were removed after the birth. Mohamed Jar Elnabi, a lawyer representing Meriam Ibrahim, said police and the judge prevented her husband, Wani, going into the court. Elnabi said Wani requires the use of a wheelchair due to muscular dystrophy and "totally depends on her for all details of his life, he cannot live without her". Speaking about the couple's son Martin Wani, Elnabi said, "The couple's son is having a difficult time in prison. He is very affected from being trapped inside a prison from such a young age, he is always getting sick due to lack of hygiene and bugs." Reports that Meriam Ibrahim may be freed were subsequently officially denied. However, on 24 June 2014, Meriam Ibrahim was released on the order of a Sudanese appeal court. The following day, as she and her family were to board a plane to the United States, she and her family were arrested and taken from the airport to Khartoum for questioning. Following their release, the family spent a month in the U.S. embassy in Khartoum. ==Defense lawyers==

Meriam was represented by five lawyers: Mohaned Mustafa Elnour, Osman Mobarak Musa, Thabit Elzobair Suliman, Elshareef Ali Mohammed, Mohamed Abdunabi. The case has also been taken to the African Commission on people's Human Rights. ==Reactions==

The United Kingdom government described the sentence as "barbaric" and a UK minister was "truly appalled", noting that Sudan breached international human rights obligations. The United States government was "deeply disturbed" and also called on Sudan to meet its obligations under international human rights law. A joint statement from embassies of Britain, Canada, the Netherlands, and the United States before sentencing also expressed "deep concern", urging "justice and compassion". Daniel Wani, Mariam's husband, has expressed disappointment at a lack of U.S. resoluteness, at the consulate level: "Considering I am an American citizen, I am disappointed with the American Embassy's position from the beginning of the whole case." The lengthy public silence of both President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry on their case drew widespread criticism. Kerry broke this silence on 12 June, after bipartisan lobbying. Christian groups have been campaigning for Meriam Ibrahim but Islamic extremists also lobbied according to prominent newspaper editor Khalid Tigani. The Information Minister of Sudan, Ahmed Bilal Osman, appeared to comment on the court case prior to the appeal, when he said: "It's not only Sudan. In Saudi Arabia, in all the Muslim countries, it is not allowed at all for a Muslim to change his religion." Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a British-based group working for religious freedom, said Ms. Ishag's case is the latest amongst "a series of repressive acts" against religious minorities in Sudan. World Council of Churches general secretary, Dr Olav Fykse Tveit considers the sentence unjust and reminds president Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese constitution guarantees all citizens the "right to the freedom of religious creed and worship". British Conservative MP Liam Fox said: "Religious tolerance is something that the UK should be promoting at every opportunity. We need to ask ourselves whether it is acceptable to be giving taxpayers' money in aid to states which allow treatment such as that handed out to Meriam Ibrahim." In May 2014, the embassies of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands issued a joint statement expressing "deep concern" about the case, urging Sudan to respect the right to freedom of religion. The European Union called for revocation of the "inhuman verdict" and John Kerry urged Sudan to repeal laws banning Muslims from joining other faiths. Amnesty International's Deputy Regional Director Sarah Jackson said: "Today's ruling is a small step to redressing the injustice done to Meriam." The Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, mentioned Ibrahim's case in his speech at the European Parliament. ==Wider problems==

Some have argued that this case may serve as a distraction against complaints the Sudanese people make about their government. Mohamed Ghilan claims, "The punishment has little to do with religion and serves as a political distraction. This is a ploy by the Sudanese regime to appear as 'defenders of Islam' to mitigate their corruption". Sudan has been noted by the Corruption Perceptions index as being one of the world's most corrupt. However execution is widely prescribed as an appropriate punishment for women and men leaving Islam in Saudi Arabia and in online Islamic websites, commonly citing an quotation of Muhammed considered well-attested by Sunnis, "Whoever renounces his religion, kill him." It has, for example, been a view commonly held by young Muslims in the UK, as well as Meriam's own family. ==Departure from Sudan==

After Meriam and her family took refuge in the US Embassy, the Italian government offered help to speed up the process of getting U.S. passports, given its good relation with Sudan, and vice-minister for foreign affairs Lapo Pistelli flew to the Sudanese capital to that end. Two weeks later vice-minister Pistelli accompanied the family back to Italy on a government plane which took off from Khartoum, and they were welcomed in Rome by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini. Later in that day, Meriam and her family met the Pontiff at his residence of Casa Santa Marta in Vatican City for about half an hour, during which she thanked the Catholic Church for their support and prayers, while the Pope thanked her and her family for their "courageous and constant witness of faith". ==Post-immigration==

The family lived in New Hampshire in the United States for 25 months and moved to Virginia, where they live now. Meriam Ibrahim is advocating for other victims of religious persecution and women who face gender-based violence and domestic abuse. She is the co-founder and director of Global Mobilization at Tahrir Alnisa foundation. ==See also==