Please pray for and help Meriam Ibrahim

Dear Community members,

From the beginning, Catholics have always done all they could to aid and comfort those who were prisoners for their faith. All those who suffer for Christ need our prayers, but some cases demand that we be doers of the Word. On Sunday I spoke of the case of Miriam Ibrahim. For those of you who weren't there, she is  the 27-year-old physician who is in prison in Kartoum, Sudan, condemned to death for her faith. She is in a jail cell with her 18 month old son and is eight and a half months pregnant with a second child. Her legs are shackled, swollen, and bleeding.  About three years ago, she married an American citizen, Daniel Wani, who holds dual citizenship in the two countries and resides in New Hampshire. Earlier this year she  was prosecuted under Sharia (Islamic) law for apostasy from Islam and adultery--since the Sudanese court considers her a Muslim who left the faith. What's more, since Muslim women in Sudan (unlike the men) are not allowed to marry outside Islam, the court also considers her an adulteress.  In fact, Meriam's mother is a Christian and Meriam was raised as Christian after her Muslim father abandoned the family and she claims never to have been a Muslim. The court decided otherwise and sentenced her to 100 lashes for adultery and to be hanged for apostasy from Islam. She was given four days to return to Islam but refused. Once she delivers her baby, probably later this month, she can be flogged--which in itself could endanger her life. Under Sudanese law she will be able to wean the newborn child before being hanged. Their American father will have no claim over the children. So far diplomatic and non-governmental pressure has not had any apparent effect. Please, please, please pray to save this young woman's life, and this young family. Also, please take the time to use some of these links to register a protest with the Sudanese government and to ask for action on the part of our own government.

Blessings,

Father Nicholas A. Milich

Please contact the Sudanese Embassy in the US on her behalf via this link:
http://www.csw.org.uk/savemeriam

California Senator Dianne Feinstein
https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me

California Senator Barbara Boxer
http://www.boxer.senate.gov/en/contact/policycomments.cfm

President Barak Obama
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments

We also will be starting a Novena on her behalf which will be posted here this next week.