Why aren’t all the Muslim spokesmen in the West, who claim that Islam has no death penalty for apostasy, such as Harris Zafar, Mustafa Akyol, Salam al-Marayati, M. Cherif Bassiouni, and Ali Eteraz (among many others), jetting to Khartoum now to explain to Sudanese authorities that they are misunderstanders of Islam and must release Meriam Yehya Ibrahim immediately?
One wonders: why, if it is so clear that Islam has no death penalty for apostasy, do so many Muslims misunderstand that? And why is it “Islamophobia” to point out that so many don’t seem to get the memo?
Muhammad said: “Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him” (Bukhari 9.84.57).
“US Lawmakers Pressure Obama Administration to Grant Asylum to Christian Sudanese Mom Sentenced to Death,” Chinatopix, May 24, 2014:
Lawmakers in the US are calling on the Obama team to provide asylum to a pregnant Sudanese wife of an American citizen after she was sentenced to death for upholding her Christian faith.
Meriam Yehya Ibrahim has been imprisoned with her 20-month-old son for over three months because she refused to recant her Christianity. Last week, a Khartoum judge stirred international condemnation by sentencing the 27-year-old mom to death by hanging after giving birth and nursing her baby for two years, wrote Fox News.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Marco Rubio said he was shocked with the “inhumane verdict” given to Ibrahim. GOP senators Roy Blunt and Kelly Ayotte have already sent two letters to the White House requesting for “immediate action” and political asylum for Ibrahim and her child.
On Wednesday, four senators filed a resolution condemning the death sentence and urging Sudan to respect their people’s religious freedom in order to restore their ties with the US or reduce their economic sanctions. Republican Jim Inhofe and Democrats Chris Coons and Bob Menendez co-sponsored the said resolution.
Ibrahim was raised as a Christian when her Muslim father abandoned the family when she was still a child and has now been charged by the Sudanese court has charged with apostasy, or leaving Islam. In some Muslim countries, this crime has a corresponding death penalty.
Ibrahim was also sentenced to receive 100 lashes after she gives birth, for adultery, for having relations with her Christian husband. Her lawyers said the eight-months-pregnant woman is chained by her feet in jail.
Jen Psaki, the State Department’s spokesperson, said the Obama team is doing their best on Ibrahim’s case.
Daniel Wani, Ibrahim’s husband, is confined to a wheelchair and is fully dependent on his wife for everything, the lawyer explained. Wani said he called the US Embassy in Khartoum before the death sentence, but the embassy showed no interest in their problem.
After stating that his son was an American citizen, he was asked to present DNA evidence. He conceded and provided their wedding documents and his son’s birth certificates as additional evidence, but Wani said the embassy still did not offer any help.
Ibrahim’s case is being further complicated by political forces in her country. According to Sudanese Parliament speaker Fatih Izz Al-Deen, it is not true that Ibrahim was raised as a non-Muslim and added that it was her Muslim brother who filed the complaint against her….
bettina says
In this horror story, I am unclear about this discrepancy:
Is this poor woman an “eight-months-pregnant woman chained by her feet in jail,” or is she imprisoned with her 20-month toddler?
I must be dense, but which is it?
ecosse1314 says
Think she is eight months pregnant now.
CogitoErgoSum says
I believe she has a 20-month-old son who is in prison with her but who can leave at any time. She is also now 8 months pregnant. Here’s a link below to another source of information on the story. The video included on that site has some more information also.
http://www.christianpost.com/news/death-sentence-for-pregnant-christian-woman-in-sudan-appealed-us-congress-calls-for-her-release-120276/
Liz Schmidt says
BOTH! She is 8 months pregnant and has a 20 month old child who is imprisoned with her. If she is murdered, these children will be taken away from their father by the Islamic government to be raised Muslim. Her crime, being a Christian. USA’s crime, a president who does not care about her or another American Citizen, Pastor Saeed, being held for his Christian beliefs in Iran!
CogitoErgoSum says
I found this song on YouTube while in a state of grief for my brother who died from cancer this past November. About that same time I learned of the injustice being done to Asia Bibi in Pakistan; so whenever I listen to this song I always think of my brother and her too. Now I will add Meriam Ibrahim and Pastor Saeed to my thoughts during the song. The list grows longer but the music and the lyrics are so beautiful and comforting to me. I do not want to forget about any of them……… I hope someone else feels the same.
Bonnie Lousie says
Thanks for the beautiful song Cogito Ergo Sum.
gravenimage says
I’m so sorry to hear about your brother, CogitoErgoSum.
And yes, the song is lovely. Thank you for sharing it.
gravenimage says
Both, Bettina. She has a 22-month toddler—Sudan will not let the father care for him, because he is a Christian—*and* she’s 8-months pregnant with her next child.
mortimer says
“Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him” (Bukhari 9.84.57)
Why are our journalists, politicians and community leaders UNCLEAR about the meaning? They are ISLAMOFANTASISTS.
Alarmed Pig Farmer says
Because they are happy in their willful ignorance. They’re even smug and obtrusive about their ignorance, as if it’s a pleasure, and a mandatory one.
But they say ignorance is bliss. That is, until the sheet hits the fan on an historical scale.
CogitoErgoSum says
You will note that in the story that it mentions it was the woman’s Muslim brother who filed the complaint against her. Keep in mind that Islam is the “religion of submission” (NOT the religion of peace). This brother was simply being a good Muslim insofar as it is every Muslims duty to see that everyone submits to the god, Allah. So the brother is doing his duty as a good Muslim and his sister is doing her duty as a good Christian. Now……..whom do you admire more…and with whom would you choose to stand?
Champ ✞ says
Great comment and observation, CogitoErgoSum! …yes, I admire the Christian woman; and her brother is a slave to evil islam, so he gets Zero admiration from me.
Jack Diamond says
“You will not find a people who believe in Allah and the Last Day having affection for those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even if they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred. ” Q. 58:22
Yes, the brother was being a good Muslim.
Hanafi is the predominate school of law in Sudan. This is from the Islamqa site on Hanafi fiqh:
“First and foremost, an apostate is killed simply because it is an order of the Sharī’ah. We do not have any authority in questioning the law of Allah. Allah Ta’ālā is the All-Wise. The wisdoms and benefits behind His every ruling are unfathomable by our feeble minds.
“A person is condemned to death because he has committed an unforgivable crime. A country is based on certain entrenched values. There is no compromise on such values.
“One who opposes these values is convicted of treason. The penalty of treason in many countries is death. If death is the consequence of rebelling against man made laws which are deficient, then shouldn’t rebellion against the laws of Allah which are perfect be viewed more seriously.
“An apostate fuels widespread disorder and confusion. His apostasy prompts others to question their beliefs. He is the seed of imbalance. Hence, it is better to uproot the mischief before it is deep rooted in the ground. For example, if there is a basket of apples wherein there is one rotten apple, what will the owner of the apples do? He will get rid of the rotten apple to preserve the rest of the apples. If he keeps the rotten apple merely because it is an apple, he will be deemed foolish. In the very same manner, an apostate carries rotten beliefs; he must be removed from the basket of the world to preserve the spiritual welfare of others. Anything which is a threat to Imān will be uprooted.
{see Qur’an 5:33 concerning the penalties for “mischief” aka “corruption in the land.”}
“You also ask vis-à-vis chapter 109 titled surah al-kāfirūn. “For you is your dīn {religion} for me is my dīn.” (Quran 109:6). Firstly, this verse was revealed in Makkah. Hence, it preceeds any ruling in relation to apostates. Secondly, this chapter was revealed with regards to a specific occurrence. Once the disbelievers came and proposed to the Prophet salallahu alaihi wasallam that they should practice on a ‘multi-faith’; for one year, everybody should worship the idols and the next year everyone will worship Allah.[iii] It was after this that the Prophet was told to respond to them with the statement…In conclusion, if opposition to the values of manmade laws is unforgiveable, imagine the severity of going against the core values of Islam, namely Tawhīd?
http://islamqa.org/hanafi/darulfiqh/21987
Q: “Aslam o alaikum Here i ‘ve a question asked by my wife newly converted to Islam Alhamdulillah. What does Quran or Hadees says about a muslim who quit Islam and converts to Christianity or another religion. Maybe you ‘ve read in the newspaper about the afghani muslim who converted to Christianity and according to Sharriyah deserves the death penalty. We ‘ve problems understanding this situation.
A: Al-jawab billahi at-taufeeq (the answer with Allah’s guidance)
The corporal punishment that should be implemented on an apostate is death as the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam) said: “Whoever changes his religion, kill him.”
“Allah’s Apostle said, The blood of a Muslim, who confesses that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that I am His Apostle, cannot be shed except in three cases: In Qisas for murder, a married person who commits illegal sexual intercourse and the one who reverts from Islam (apostate) and leaves the Muslims.” (Bukhari Vol 9, Book 83, Number 17)
“The punishment to an apostate is death, this is also according to the Ijma’ (concensus) of the Fuqaha (jurists). (Al Mabsoot Lis Sarakhsi Vol. 10 Pg. 98, Badai’ 7/134, Raddul Muhtar 4/226- Darse Tirmidhi 5/111)
The reason of given the punishment of death to an apostates:
The corporal punishment of a person who apostates, is death because Allaah legislated so, and we cannot object His Decree. Allaah Ta’ala Says (which means): {It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allaah and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should [thereafter] have any choice about their affair. And whoever disobeys Allaah and His Messenger has certainly strayed into clear error.}[Quran 33:36]. Moreover, this apostate knew the greatness of Islam and that it is the true religion, but then he rejected it and abandoned it just because of following his desires and following the devil, so he deserves to be killed.
And Only Allah Ta’ala Knows Best.
————————————–
Moulana Qamruz Zaman
London, UK
http://islamqa.org/hanafi/muftisays/10603
“The repentance of an apostate whether male or female is necessary according to the majority of scholars and is recommended according to the Hanafis. One is to be asked to repent three times before being killed on the basis of the following proof narrated in the Muwatta of Malik who reported from Umar Ibn al-Khattab that Abu Musa sent a man to Umar. Umar asked him, “Is there any recent news?” He said, “Yes; a man disbelieved after embracing Islam.” He said, “What did you do with him?” He said, “We brought him near and cut his throat.” Umar said, “Did you imprison him for three days? And feed him a loaf of bread each day? And request that he repent on the possibility that he may repent and return to the command of Allah? Umar then said, “By Allah, I did participate nor order such a thing and I am not pleased with what you have informed me.” (Muwatta of Imam Malik).
http://islamqa.org/hanafi/darululoomtt/52188
As to the validity of Meriam’s marriage to a Christian man:
“Any true and reliable scholar would know that it is not permissible for a Muslim woman to marry a non-Muslim man of any other faith.[ii] Allah Ta’ala has designed some laws different for men and women. Among them are polygamy and marriage to non-Muslims. Allah Ta’ala is our Creator and He knows what is best for a male and female. He knows the temperament and nature of both and accordingly designated laws that are best for them. We are the slaves of Allah Ta’ala and simply submit to the laws of Allah Ta’ala.
OT but priceless:
Q: “Is having a Slave (girl) for sex nowdyas(sic) is allowed?
A: “A man may have intimate relations with his wife or slave girl. This applies
no matter how many slave girls one may possess. He may not have intimate
relations with his servant. A slave is one whom one physically owns. Since
slavery is not in vogue nowadays, this does not apply today. Refer attached.
and Allah Ta’ala Knows Best, Mufti Ebrahim Desai”
{The Mufti says this sadly but goes on to spell out exactly how this would be permitted in a legitimate jihad and careful to say sex was permitted but not just with any slave girl but only with one you are given Right of Ownership to by the Head of State.}
“It may, superficially, appear distasteful to copulate with a woman who is not a man’s legal wife, but once Shariat makes something lawful, we have to accept it as lawful, whether it appeals to our taste, or not; and whether we know its underlying wisdom or not. It is necessary for a Muslim to be acquainted with the laws of Shariat, but it is not necessary for him to delve into each law in order to find the underlying wisdom of these laws because knowledge of the wisdom of some of the laws may be beyond his puny comprehension. Allah Ta’ala has said in the Holy Quran: ?Wa maa ooteetum min al-ilm illaa qaleelan? which means, more or less, that, “You have been given a very small portion of knowledge?.
“The LEGAL possession that a Muslim receives over a slave woman from the ?Ameerul-Mu’mineen? (the Islamic Head of State) gives him legal credence to have coition with the slave woman in his possession, just as the marriage ceremony gives him legal credence to have coition with his wife. In other words, this LEGAL POSSESSION is, in effect, a SUBSTITUTE of the MARRIAGE CEREMONY.
” just as legal possession of a fish that has been fished out of the water, makes it Halaal for human consumption without the initiation of a formal slaughtering process; similarly legal possession of a slave woman made her Halaal for the purpose of coition with her owner without the initiation of a formal marriage ceremony. In short, permission to have intercourse with a slave woman was not something barbaric or uncivilised; on the contrary, it was almost as good as a marriage ceremony. In fact, possession of a slave woman resembles a marriage ceremony in many ways and both have a lot in common with each other. One similarity is this that just as a free woman cannot have two husbands simultaneously, a slave woman cannot be used for intercourse by two owners.”
http://islamqa.org/hanafi/askimam/29160
bettina says
Thanks for clarifying the situation for me, guys 🙂
Wellington says
One knows by now or should know by now that this is the true face of Islam. It would be sterling if this were not lost on the world at large, though I’m sure insouciant ignorance, obfsucation aplenty and just downright mendacity will accompany this sad tale pervasively, both by Muslims and clueless dhimmis, to the effect that Islam as a whole should not be judged here, thus making a correct understanding of Islam once again an elusive matter.
But the truth of it all, the essence of it all, is that Islam as a whole should defintitely be judged here becasue the Sudanese authorities have their Islam down just perfectly—-no error involved. This is the greatest lesson that should be learned about this ongoing tragedy (and crime too——crime being a frequent companion to the tragedies Islam spawns). Whether it will be, of course, is another matter. I’d be bettin’ against it since mankind still has not been able to bring itself to the conclusion that Islam is, quite simply, malevolent.
But it is. No greater truth than this one in all the world could be found.
miriam rove says
obama does,t give a ….m
Islamisdeath says
Correct.
Jay Boo says
Let’s not criticize Islam.
“What difference does it make” if a pregnant Sudanese wife of an American citizen is sentenced to death for upholding her Christian faith?
Isn’t it the policy of the Obama admin (not to in any way take sides) if it might appear as anti-sharia? Obama claims these things have nothing to do with the ROP yet refuses to take a stand until it becomes an embarrassment to Islam.
It must be about time to summon Hillary back to the White House to find another ‘film’ story to feed to the gutless MSM.
Bezelel says
obaMUD made his stance clear when he addressed the UN.
Brazooka says
She is insulting the prophet of Islam by not being a Muslim, and Barack Hussein Obama said the future must not belong to those who insult the prophet of Islam, so Barack Hussein Obama doesn’t see any problem with her being hanged.
chai says
There is a whitehouse petition here:
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/demand-release-pregnant-mother-mariam-ibrahim-and-her-20-month-old-son-martin-united-states-citizen/xpQlzgMy
WE PETITION THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO:
demand the release of pregnant mother Mariam Ibrahim, and her 20 month old son, Martin, a United States citizen in Sudan
Meriam Ibrahim, a pregnant mother, and her 20 month old son, Martin, are currently in prison in Sudan. Meriam was condemned to death for the crime of apostasy for not renouncing her Orthodox Christian faith, will receive 150 lashes immediately after giving birth because she is a Christian, for marrying a Muslim man, which is considered adultery in Sudan. After her child is weaned, she will be hanged and beaten with whips until she dies. She endures beatings in prison even though she’s 9 months pregnant. Dr. Daniel Wani, is an American citizen and Martin is his son, as is the child Meriam is carrying. He’s tried to get a US visa for Miriam, but by the time the paperwork is evaluated, she will already be dead. Action needs to be taken immediately to save the life of Miriam, and her family.
Created: May 16, 2014
Kepha says
This is one where the asylum process can be dispensed with.
The husband’s a US citizen? Somebody walk him through the petitioning process, and move the case to the front of the line (it’s what happens to the cases of Green Card holders who’ve petitioned for spouses and then naturalize while their spouses’ cases are pending)! Lives depend on it! If the baby’s the husbands, that’s prima facie evidence it’s a bona fide marriage case–as is his justly complaining about how his wife is treated.
This is also one in which the issue is clearly a human rights one in which an American citizen has a vested interest. Also, check if the husband has been in the USA long enough to transmit citizenship to his foreign-born child. If so, that baby is a US citizen!
Or, Mr. President, is this poor woman someone who has “slandered the prophet of Islam” and therefore must have no future?
Myxlplik says
They can’t grant asylum or our government is basically admitting that the Quran encodes crimes against humanity in its legal system otherwise known as Sharia, then what would they do?
Kepha says
I should have pointed out that there are no numerical limitations on the alien spouses and minor children of US citizens who can be admitted to the USA in a given year. There are limits on the numbers of asylees admitted, though. My idea was to have an easily issued immigrant visa ready for this woman so one more asylee who really has no other alternative can be admitted.
Myxlplik says
Press release from the US embassy in Khartoum
http://sudan.usembassy.gov/mobile/pr051514.html
Seems the US government is aware of the fact that persecuting people who change their religion is a violation of the UDHR, but in the same breath the US government also believes Sudanese Muslims understand human rights as we see them in the UDHR.
“We continue to call upon the Government of Sudan to respect the right to freedom of religion, a right which is enshrined in Sudan’s own 2005 Interim Constitution as well as international human rights law.
We call on the Sudanese legal authorities to approach this case with the compassion that is in keeping with the values of the Sudanese people.”
Elsewhere on the consulates web page…
http://sudan.usembassy.gov/mobile/personal_status_laws.html
The US goverent realizes Sudan is governed by Islamic Law, which is considered “divine”
and , “according to the principles of the Qur’an, the holy book of Islam.”
All the US government needs to do is put together the press release with the content on their own web page regarding the inspiration for Islamic Law, and they will understand the congitive dissonance between what we see as human rights vs how crimes against humanity are legally encoded into the Quran.
Seems pretty simple, even for journalists.
Reality Check says
It is so clear now that Obama is a closet Muslim. If he wasn’t one, he would have helped this poor woman a long time ago. He would have done much for the Nigerian schoolgirls than a hashtag campaign.
He would have … would have … would have … would have …
Some day his tenure as President of the United States will be judged to have been the single greatest moral failure in the history of America and the entire world. It has paved the way for so much more evil in the future.
I can’t imagine a greater departure from what once America stood for than this!
tpellow says
“I renounced Islam, so my family think I should die”
http://www.newenglishreview.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/54168/I-renounced-Islam-so-my-family-think-I-should-die
zulu says
I renounced Islam, so my family think I should die
Apostasy is not just something that scandalises people in far off lands. Harriet Alexander hears the story of a British woman whose life was turned upside down when she left Islam – echoing the plight of Meriam Ibrahim, who awaits a death sentence in Sudan for the same “crime”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/sudan/10854163/I-renounced-Islam-so-my-family-think-I-should-die.html
gravenimage says
US lawmakers pressure Obama to grant asylum to Christian Sudanese mom sentenced to death for leaving Islam
………………………
Well, this is good. But since the husband is an *American citizen*, this should not even be necessary.
*Of course* we should be going to bat for this poor family, and offering them asylum.
This case also shows how Muslims use words, though—this woman cannot even be considered an apostate by any rational yardstick, since she was raised as and has always been a Christian.
She is only “Muslim” by dint of her father being a Mohammedan—a father who abandoned the family when the defendant was a small girl.
Even more absurd is the idea that the defendant is an “adulterer”—she is a wife and mother married to a fellow Christian.
And how vicious—but not surprising—that she was “turned in” by her *own brother*.
This is a “religion” that lauds abandonment and disloyalty, and punishes love and taking care of your children. What a hideous creed…
dumbledoresarmy says
From the article – “Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Marco Rubio said he was shocked with the “inhumane verdict” given to Ibrahim.
“GOP senators Roy Blunt and Kelly Ayotte have already sent two letters to the White House requesting for “immediate action” and political asylum for Ibrahim and her child.
“On Wednesday, four senators filed a resolution condemning the death sentence and urging Sudan to respect their people’s religious freedom in order to restore their ties with the US or reduce their economic sanctions. Republican Jim Inhofe and Democrats Chris Coons and Bob Menendez co-sponsored the said resolution.”
The above-named persons – Marco Rubio, Roy Blunt, Kelly Ayotte, Jim Inhofe, Chris Coons and Bob Menendez – should be sent letters of commendation and encouragement by American jihadwatchers.
Make sure that in your letters you briefly but clearly state that the cruelty being inflicted on Mrs Wani (I think her rightful and lawful married name should be used) is not peculiar to the Sudanese regime; every bit of it – death for “apostasy”, the classification of a Muslim man’s children as Muslims **irrespective of the wishes and actual beliefs of said children**, and the ban on marriage between Muslim women and non-Muslim men, which ban informs the refusal to recognise Mrs Wani’s marriage and therefore the framing of her relations with Mr Wani as “adultery” – is nothing but plain old normative Islam.
For the absolute centrality and continuing observance, among Muslims, of the death penalty for “apostasy”, refer them to the classic studies by Daniel Zwemer “The Law of Apostasy in Islam” and ex-Muslim Canon Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, “Freedom to Believe: Challenging Islam’s Apostasy Law”.
If you are not among the persons represented by Rubio, or Blunt, or Ayotte, or Coons, or Menendez, or Inhofe, send copies of your letter to *your* elected rep – both in Congress and in Senate – and ask *them*, too, to speak up for Mr and Mrs Wani and their toddler son and unborn child, who will be *removed from their Christian parents’ care* and *forcibly* brought up as Muslims.
Demand that your senator and congressperson publicly speak up on behalf of the principle of Freedom of Religion.
onisac says
“Why aren’t all the Muslim spokesmen in the West, who claim that Islam has no death penalty for apostasy,”
Because the Qur’an calls for the death penalty for apostasy. The United States President Barack Obama will never go against the Qur’an’s instructions. To do so, they’d consider blasphemy, according to the Qur’an. Islam does not consider Muslim women nearly as import as the Muslim men. So the rules are very very different, for the women and girls, than the men.
In Islam Sharia law is the only law. All other laws are considered blasphemy. That is why Islam insists the U.S. laws, be changed for Muslims, living in the U.S.. And they will probably get those laws changed, to say as much. Islam expects it’s own living in the U.S., (according to the sharia) even if living in the U.S..
Of curse if that happens, then it’s only justice (just) that Americans living or vacationing in foreign counties be granted American laws, and Constitutional rights.
And to do other wise would be illegal according to American laws. Giving the U.S. the right to punishing those whom don’t honor that new law, if that law is broken. Which means America’s military and law enforcement would be obligated to go to that foreign country arrest and punish those according to that new law. American law enforcement and military could go into any foreign country and punish those when brake Americans Laws even if in foreign counties.
After all what’s good for the goose must also be good for the gander.