[Niamh.]

This is awful, how are things like this still happening in the world?

Sudan woman faces death for apostasy


A Sudanese court has sentenced a woman to hang for apostasy after she left Islam and married a Christian man.

"We gave you three days to recant but you insist on not returning to Islam. I sentence you to be hanged to death," the judge told the woman, AFP reports.

Western embassies and rights groups had urged Sudan to respect the right of the pregnant woman to choose her religion.

Local media report the sentence would not be carried out for two years after she has given birth.




Sudan has a majority Muslim population, which is governed by Islamic law.

The judge also sentenced her to 100 lashes after convicting her of adultery - because her marriage to a Christian man was not valid under Islamic law.

Earlier in the hearing, an Islamic cleric spoke with her in a caged dock for about 30 minutes, AFP reports.

Then she calmly told the judge: "I am a Christian and I never committed apostasy."

Amnesty International said the woman, Meriam Yehya Ibrahim Ishag, was raised as an Orthodox Christian, her mother's religion, because her father, a Muslim, was reportedly absent during her childhood.

In court, the judge addressed her by her Muslim name, Adraf Al-Hadi Mohammed Abdullah.

She was convicted of adultery on the grounds that her marriage to a Christian man from South Sudan was void under Islamic law, as practised in Sudan, Amnesty said.

She was arrested and charged with adultery in August 2013 and the court added the charge of apostasy in February 2014 when she said she was a Christian and not a Muslim, the group said.

Amnesty said she should be released immediately.

She is said to be eight months' pregnant.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27424064

[Tom4784]

Disgusting country, any aid or help we provide to Sudan should be stopped immediately.

Haven't looked at it for a few years, but it used to be that 30% of young British Muslims supported death as an appropriate punishment for apostasy, when in reality it should be just treated like blasphemy - another victimless crime.

[Crimson Dynamo]

Youtube video

[arista]

"still happening in the world?"


Of course Muslims

[Livia]

I agree with Dezzy. Cut off all funding and aid until they agree to join us in the 21st Century.

[MTVN]

It's a country which has been plagued for decades by civil wars, famine, immense poverty and rampant ethnic strife. They're unlikely to be able to rid themselves of such things of their own accord even if the intention was there, so it's a choice between turning our backs on it and just having it go on and on or actually try and assist some sort of reconciliation process in whichever way possible

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by MTVN

It's a country which has been plagued for decades by civil wars, famine, immense poverty and rampant ethnic strife. They're unlikely to be able to rid themselves of such things of their own accord even if the intention was there, so it's a choice between turning our backs on it and just having it go on and on or actually try and assist some sort of reconciliation process in whichever way possible

mmm it's easy to say stop giving them aid, let them sort themselves etc but then you hear about individual cases like this woman and you think could someone not intervene and help her?, it's horrific.

[Livia]

Originally Posted by MTVN

It's a country which has been plagued for decades by civil wars, famine, immense poverty and rampant ethnic strife. They're unlikely to be able to rid themselves of such things of their own accord even if the intention was there, so it's a choice between turning our backs on it and just having it go on and on or actually try and assist some sort of reconciliation process in whichever way possible

How do we do that? How do we intervene? More soldier's lives in an endless, unwinnable war? The Muslims in that country turning it in to an endless, unwinnable holy war?

In a perfect world the UN should be able to step in, get rid of whoever's in charge and keep the country ticking over till they can organise themselves, have a fair election and get themselves on their feet again. But the UN is a useless, expensive, toothless, ball-less waste of time.

The government there has no qualms about killing, starving and generally mistreating its people, and we reward that behaviour with more cash. I don't know what the answer is, but paying their government to continue this madness is in itself, madness.

[MTVN]

Originally Posted by Livia

How do we do that? How do we intervene? More soldier's lives in an endless, unwinnable war? The Muslims in that country turning it in to an endless, unwinnable holy war?

In a perfect world the UN should be able to step in, get rid of whoever's in charge and keep the country ticking over till they can organise themselves, have a fair election and get themselves on their feet again. But the UN is a useless, expensive, toothless, ball-less waste of time.

The government there has no qualms about killing, starving and generally mistreating its people, and we reward that behaviour with more cash. I don't know what the answer is, but paying their government to continue this madness is in itself, madness.

Not military intervention, no. Some sanctions are in place atm and I guess that's something but trouble is they just have a habit of hitting the poorest the hardest without deterring the leaders enough. And if the sanctions haven't helped that much then I don't think withdrawing aid will either. It's hard because most of the men at the political centre there are all likely to be different sides of the same coin, and regime change could easily just open up a vacuum for another power struggle, or replace one despot with another. Though with the President there having been in power for 25 years maybe thing will never improve until he's gone. I can't say to be hugely clued up on Sudanese affairs but with the problems being so deep rooted I don't think that there'd be any quick fix and I don't think that they'd be able to fix their problems of their own accord even if they wanted to, it would need some sort of international assistance. I'm not really qualified enough to say what form that assistance should best take.

Originally Posted by MTVN

Not military intervention, no. Some sanctions are in place atm and I guess that's something but trouble is they just have a habit of hitting the poorest the hardest without deterring the leaders enough. And if the sanctions haven't helped that much then I don't think withdrawing aid will either. It's hard because most of the men at the political centre there are all likely to be different sides of the same coin, and regime change could easily just open up a vacuum for another power struggle, or replace one despot with another. Though with the President there having been in power for 25 years maybe thing will never improve until he's gone. I can't say to be hugely clued up on Sudanese affairs but with the problems being so deep rooted I don't think that there'd be any quick fix and I don't think that they'd be able to fix their problems of their own accord even if they wanted to, it would need some sort of international assistance. I'm not really qualified enough to say what form that assistance should best take.

Good contribution to this thread - tackling these problems is always more nuanced than just using punishment. Apostasy is a massive problem everywhere in the world for Muslims, and the only way these issues are actually solvable is from within the religion itself. Primarily because of the strict adherence to the absolute truth of the Qu'ran. A Muslim enlightenment is long overdue, and 100% crucial within the next 50-100 years.

[Livia]

Originally Posted by MTVN

Not military intervention, no. Some sanctions are in place atm and I guess that's something but trouble is they just have a habit of hitting the poorest the hardest without deterring the leaders enough. And if the sanctions haven't helped that much then I don't think withdrawing aid will either. It's hard because most of the men at the political centre there are all likely to be different sides of the same coin, and regime change could easily just open up a vacuum for another power struggle, or replace one despot with another. Though with the President there having been in power for 25 years maybe thing will never improve until he's gone. I can't say to be hugely clued up on Sudanese affairs but with the problems being so deep rooted I don't think that there'd be any quick fix and I don't think that they'd be able to fix their problems of their own accord even if they wanted to, it would need some sort of international assistance. I'm not really qualified enough to say what form that assistance should best take.

Eloquent and thought-provoking post MTVN.

The only reason I think that withdrawing aid would make a difference is that the vast majority of aid never reaches the people it's intended to help, but is diverted into the pockets of the despots in charge.

It's a pickle...

[Nedusa]

We used to burn people in this Country a few hundred years ago if they didn't believe in Christ.

This Country is at that point now and needs time to develop and grow so this type of religious persecution can be seen for what it is and duly banished.