A Call to Action: Sudan in the Wake of Meriam Ibrahim
As Sudan's Most Infamous Victim of Persecution Makes Her Way to Freedom, Thousands More Remain in Sudan

Cameron Thomas, Regional Manager for Africa

07/30/2014
Washington, D.C.
International Christian Concern

With wide smiles, Meriam Ibrahim and her family shook hands with Pope Francis, posed for photographs, and-for the first time in months-laughed as free people. Thursday, relief swept over millions as international press cables wired reports of an Italian aircraft flying, through the dark of night, from Khartoum to Rome.

For the family on board: from oppression, to freedom.

A 27-year-old mother of two and wife to an American citizen, Meriam was imprisoned in February, sentenced to death for her Christian faith in May, rearrested a day after her court-ordered release and acquittal in June, and finally set free Wednesday of last week. For everyone involved, from Meriam and her family, to the religious freedom and human rights advocates striving for Meriam's freedom, to the international press covering their case, it was a summer of high and lows.

In the wake of one of the most widely-publicized Christian persecution cases ever, many questions remain: why has the United States (U.S.) still not recognized the citizenship of Meriam's two children, Martin and Maya?  Why were the Ibrahims released into the custody of the Italian government, and not that of the U.S.? And why did neither Secretary of State Kerry nor President Obama speak Meriam's name publicly until after she was safely in Rome?

In November of 2013, Meriam's husband Daniel Wani, a South Sudanese Christian with U.S. citizenship, approached the U.S. embassy in Khartoum to request documentation of his son, Martin's, citizenship. Not only was that request denied, possibly in violation of U.S. immigration law (Sec. 301 of the Immigration and Nationality Act), Daniel claims he was treated with utter disrespect. In a phone conversation with ICC, Daniel said that despite having "provided wedding documents and the baby's birth certificate," the embassy's "doors were closed in his face."

Three months later, Martin-just 18-months-old at the time-was imprisoned with his mother for 126 days.

In a conversation with CNN in May, the Ibrahims' legal defense lamented Martin's imprisonment, saying, "he is very affected from being trapped inside a prison from such a young age."

To be clear, Martin should never have been imprisoned for his mother's faith. Nowhere should conversion to or from any religion be considered criminal. And so while an investigation into whether or not the U.S. embassy in Khartoum violated immigration laws should be launched-with full recognition of the consequences of its decision to deny Martin his rightful citizenship-Sudan's refusal to recognize the human right to free religious practice must be condemned as solely responsible for the Ibrahims' plight.

While the scourge of international outcry and government sanctions should continue to be levied against Sudan for sentencing a pregnant mother to death for her Christian faith, the decision by the Khartoum Court of Appeals to release and acquit Meriam should be applauded. Similarly, many thanks must be given to the Ibrahims' legal defense, every member of which has received a threat against his life for defending religious freedom over the application of Sharia law.

Representative of many others in and beyond Khartoum, the Ibrahims' legal defense in many ways exemplifies the struggle for religious freedom in increasingly closed societies. Following South Sudan's succession in 2011, President Hassan Omar al-Bashir-indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court in 2005-pledged to transform Sudan into a "purely Islamic" society. In the years since, the Sudanese regime has forcibly closed Bible schools, demolished churches, and, as of this month, placed a moratorium on the construction of all new churches.

And yet, in spite of a global spotlight having been cast on his commission of gross human rights abuses against his own people, al-Bashir is pursuing his policies of Islamization and Arabization with a renewed vigor: state-sponsored bomb raids continue to decimate the peoples of the Nuba Mountains as state-backed proxy-militias massacre civilians in Blue Nile and South Korofan states; Christians and other religious minorities are subjected to the dictates of Sharia law and relegated to the bottom of Sudanese society as second-class citizens; and the United Nations and other international monitors continue to be denied access to document the many systemic human rights and religious freedom abuses the Sudanese people face at the hands of their government.

Regrettably, Meriam Ibrahim is but one of far too many suffering in Sudan for the expression of their faith, or the color of their skin.

In a recent hearing of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations, Senior Policy Advisor for the Enough Project, Omer Ismail, testified that "many Sudanese Christians complain about discrimination in getting jobs or in the workplace...in addition to a general atmosphere of intimidation and intolerance." Ismail went on to conclude that in the hands of "the genocidal regime in Khartoum...the fate of close to a million Muslims, Christians and practitioners of indigenous religions and other faiths is in jeopardy."

In the wake of Meriam's release, acquittal and long-overdue departure from Sudan, the world must continue to spotlight the oppression of the Sudanese people. Those who stood up and spoke out for Meriam must also speak out for the tens of thousands of Christians still suffering for their faith in and beyond Khartoum. Human rights and faith-based organizations have to continue to document abuses on the basis religious preference or ethnic identity, and to provide critical aid. And the coalition of governments and international bodies that publicly condemned the fate of Meriam Ibrahim must utilize every resource to bring Sudan in-line with international standards for human rights and religious freedom.

For interviews, contact Cameron Thomas, Regional Manager for Africa:  RM-Africa@persecution.org  

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You are free to disseminate this news story. We request that you reference International Christian Concern (ICC) and include our web address, www.persecution.org. ICC is a Washington D.C.-based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.    

Meriam Ibrahim and Family En Route to America
After Visiting with the Pope in Rome, the Ibrahims Are Set to Be Received by Manchester, New Hampshire's Expat Community

07/31/2014
Washington, D.C.
International Christian Concern

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that Meriam Yahia Ibrahim, husband Daniel Wani, and their two children, Martin and Maya, have boarded a plane for the United States. Flying from Rome to Philadelphia, en route to Manchester, New Hampshire, the Ibrahims are expected to be received by a community that-for months-has eagerly awaited their arrival.

Zakaria Aging, a Sudanese national who fled to the United States in 2000, told CNN earlier this month, "We can't wait to see them, so many people have been waiting...you can't imagine how many people will be at the airport."

Wani, who holds dual U.S. and South Sudanese citizenship, fled with his brother-also expected to receive the family later today-to Manchester in the late 1990s as a political asylum seeker. Ibrahim and Wani married in 2011 after meeting in Sudan on one of Wani's regular trips to the East African nation.

When in Rome, Ibrahim told La Repubblica, "My husband...lost his job because of my event. Now we will go to New Hampshire where my brother-in-law Gabriel lives. They will help us. We will be all together as a true family."

An international non-profit has, at the request of the State Department, put together a media tour for the family in Washington, D.C., though it remains unclear as to whether the family holds any interest in participating or when it will take place. During their stay in Italy, the Ibrahims visited with Pope Francis, fulfilling a "lifelong dream" of Ibrahim's, who later commented, "I have always wanted and only wanted my faith."

Questions have been raised regarding the immigration status of the family as the State Department has not yet confirmed the citizenship of the Ibrahims' two children.

Cameron Thomas, ICC's Regional Manager for Africa, said, "We are pleased to know that Meriam, Daniel, and their two children, Martin and Maya are making their way to a new life, free from religious persecution. While we applaud the U.S. in welcoming the Ibrahims with open arms, we recognize that this administration failed to speak Meriam's name publicly at any point prior to her departure from Sudan, to confirm the citizenship of a toddler who subsequently spent 126 days in a Sudanese prison where, on average, one child dies every week in custody, and to secure the family's safe departure, which the government of Italy ultimately mediated. While today is a day to celebrate, it's also a day to remember Pastors Saeed Abedini and Kenneth Bae, both American Christians who continue to suffer in the shadows of repressive regimes bent on eliminating any semblance of religious freedom in their respective countries."

For interviews, contact Cameron Thomas, Regional Manager for Africa:  RM-Africa@persecution.org 

# # #

You are free to disseminate this news story. We request that you reference International Christian Concern (ICC) and include our web address, www.persecution.org. ICC is a Washington D.C.-based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.

"During attacks on towns in the extreme north of Cameroon over the weekend, a report from Open Doors says suspected members of Boko Haram killed and abducted an unknown number of people.

"One of those taken is Pastor Kesvere Jean Marcel, a missionary connected to the Fraternal Lutheran Church from Blangoua, a town near the Chadian border..."

"...From various media reports, it appears that they abducted the wife of the Deputy Prime Minister and her maid early Sunday morning from the town, along with an influential local community leader, Seini Boukar and his family..."

"The Ebola epidemic sweeping West Africa is “out of control,” according to Doctors Without Borders. The deadly virus is concentrated in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, but there are concerns that hundreds who are unknowingly infected could be spreading the deadly virus even farther.The disease has a fatality rate of nearly 90% in an outbreak that has killed more than 670 people in West Africa–the largest ever recorded, according to World Health Organization reports. It’s an incurable disease that’s spread through contact, so medical care workers are at high-risk of contracting the disease.

"Reach Beyond regional director of Sub-Saharan Africa, Lee Sonius, confirms the latest reports. “I think the worst thing about Ebola is how highly contagious it is. It can be passed even from sweat. The hope that you can somehow bring the cases down all has to do with containment.”

"One of Liberia’s most high-profile doctors has died of Ebola, and on 26 July, the ELWA medical team said they were dealing with it personally: “The missionaries that have tested positive just in the last few days are working at ELWA Hospital in conjunction with Samaritan’s Purse.”

"Dr. Kent Brantly, Medical Director for the joint SIM/Samaritan’s Purse Ebola Consolidated Case Management Center in Monrovia, Liberia, has tested positive for the Ebola virus. He is currently undergoing treatment in the isolation center at ELWA Hospital. Dr. Brantly is married with two children.

"Nancy Writebol serves with SIM in Liberia and was part of the joint SIM/Samaritan’s Purse team treating Ebola patients at the Case Management Center in Monrovia. She tested positive for the Ebola virus and is also undergoing treatment at the isolation center at ELWA. Mrs. Writebol is married with two children..."

"France has said it is ready to welcome Christians fleeing the area of Iraq controlled by Islamic State group's fighters, saying it is "outraged" by their persecution..."

"...France is outraged by these abuses that it condemns with the utmost firmness," Laurent Fabius, France's foreign minister, and Bernard Cazeneuve, the interior minister, said in a joint statement on Monday..."

 "'...We are ready, if they wish, to facilitate their asylum on our soil.

 "'We are in constant contact with local and national authorities to ensure everything is done to protect them," both ministers said..."

"...Before the 2003 US-led invasion, more than a million Christians lived in Iraq, including more than 600,000 in Baghdad and 60,000 in Mosul, as well as a substantial number in Kirkuk and in Basra."

After Nine-Month Delay, Obama Nominates New Religious Freedom Ambassador 
Rabbi David Saperstein tapped to fill key diplomatic position focused on promotion of religious freedom globally
 
07/28/2014
Washington, D.C.
International Christian Concern

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that President Obama has nominated Rabbi David Saperstein to fill the position of Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom at the U.S. Department of State. The position has been vacant for more than nine months after the previous ambassador, Suzanne Johnson Cook, resigned last October. 
 
In a statement issued by the White House this morning, President Obama said, "I am grateful that Rabbi Saperstein has chosen to dedicate his talent to serving the American people at this important time for our country.  I look forward to working with him in the months and years ahead."

The White House has been strongly criticized by various human rights groups and members of Congress for allowing the position to remain vacant for such an extended period, especially as conditions for religious minorities across the globe continue to deteriorate. 
 
In remarks made at the National Prayer Breakfast in February, President Obama reiterated U.S. support for international religious freedom as an important foreign policy priority and said that he "looked forward" to nominating the next international religious freedom ambassador. Nearly five months later, many groups saw the continued lack of a nomination as a clear signal that promoting religious freedom abroad was not a serious priority of the administration.  

The White House nomination will coincide with the release of the State Department's annual International Religious Freedom report documenting abuses towards religious groups and restrictions on religious liberty in dozens of nations around the world. According to a 2012 survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public life, 74 percent of the world's population lives in countries with "high or very high" social hostility towards religion. 

Rabbi Saperstein will be the first non-Christian nominated for the position, which was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 and has been filled by three previous ambassadors. 

ICC's Advocacy Director, Isaac Six, said, "While we are extraordinarily relieved to hear that the White House has finally nominated an individual to fill the long-vacant ambassador position, the amount of pressure on the administration that had to be exerted before any action on this position took place is extremely disconcerting. The promotion of religious freedom abroad is not a partisan issue, nor is it a trivial issue. Strong evidence indicates that religious freedom is a key element in national stability, security, and economic development. Millions around the world live without this fundamental human right, and the United States has a responsibility to promote this freedom at all times, but especially when it is violently threatened. Our hope is that this nomination will become a turning point for the United States and for the millions of persecuted individuals overseas as the administration and the State Department take this opportunity to put international religious freedom back at the top of the foreign policy agenda."  

For interviews, contact Isaac Six, Advocacy Director: Advocacy@persecution.org 

# # #

You are free to disseminate this news story. We request that you reference International Christian Concern (ICC) and include our web address, www.persecution.org. ICC is a Washington D.C.-based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.

"Christians in Sudan frequently face arrests, impromptu questioning and expulsion. But this month, conditions worsened after the government announced a ban on the construction of new churches.
 
"Shalil Abdullah, the Sudanese minister for guidance and religious endowments, made the announcement on July 12, sparking criticism from top Christian clerics who warned of shrinking worship space in the mainly Muslim and Arab north.
 
"After South Sudan’s independence in 2011, many Christians moved to the newly formed country, which has a large Christian population. But a sizable number remained..."

“'...We (Christians) have the right to have new plots of land and building of new churches,” he said. “We need the churches for the growing of Sudanese Christians...'”

"...In a statement issued on Wednesday from Jerusalem, [Holy Land Lutheran Bishop Munib A.] Younan, who heads the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land called for an immediate and unconditional cessation of the hostilities.

"Witnessing the bombardments, hearing the sirens, listening to the cries of mothers and children, seeing the ambulances carrying the wounded and people living in absolute fear, the ELCJHL cries out to God.

"'We also raise our voice to all Christian sisters and brothers, along with all people of goodwill, to end this latest round of violence between the State of Israel and the Palestinian people."

"Younan said, "And what is the Holy Land without its Christians?"

"A mob of  Hindu fanatics attacked the Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene and the faithful gathered inside. The assailants, armed with hockey sticks and mason's hammers, interrupted a bible studies session, beating up the pastor RC Paul and some Christians who were trying to protect him. Even the pastor's young daughter was attacked. 

"The incident occurred at Sehkari Nagar, Bulandshahr, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on July 16. The attack was reported to AsiaNews by Sajan K. George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC). 

"Not content with the beating, the fanatics - belonging to the Hindu radical right - left the church to demolish the cross on the roof. In its place, they hoisted an orange Hindutva flag..."