Brother Insists That Sister on Death Row Must Recant Faith or Face Execution

The alleged Brother of Meriam Yahya Ibraham Ishag (pictured right below) , Al-Samani al-Hadi, sat in an interview recently, insisting that Ishag either repent for allegedly recanting her Muslim faith or face execution, according to CNN. Meanwhile, Ishag’s husband, Daniel Wani (pictured below left), also spoke to the press, confirming that an appeals court had begun the process of reconsidering her case.

RELATED: UPDATE: Officials Hint At the Release of Jailed Mother, Husband Speaks Out on Wife Giving Birth Behind Bars

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Reiterating his family’s position that Ishag is being dishonest about the faith she grew up in, al-Hadi claimed, “Her name isn’t Meriam, her name is Abrar al-Hadi. I am al-Samani al-Hadi Mohamed Abdullah, her full — older — brother.”

And while al-Hadi isn’t identified as the brother — Ishag reportedly has three — who filed the complaint against her for allegedly disappearing and then showing up married to a Christian, he maintains that they were unaware of her whereabouts before she showed up married.

“She went missing in Ramadan [July] last year for 45 days. That’s when we went to the police. When she was picked up we found her face was different, the way she looked at us was different. She was bewitched.

“When she stood in front of the court she said her name was Meriam Yahya. We were shocked.”

In fact, al-Hadi also claims that “the Priest” (Wani) must have given his sister “potions” in order to make her change her faith.

Watch Al-Samani al-Hadi’s interview here:

Still, even post-trial, both Wani and Ishag continue to contradict al-Hadi and her family’s claims that she was indeed raised as a Muslim.

As Face2Face Africa previously reported:

“Ishag contends that even though her father is Muslim, she was raised by her mother who she claims is Christian.

…

“Wani backs his wife up…saying, ‘She grew up…with her mother, went to the church and I don’t think that means that she converted from Islam to Christianity.’”

Adding to the drama of the case, Ishag reportedly submitted two sets of fingerprints for her national identity card, with one submission going under the name of “Abrar.”

CNN reports:

The case dragged on for seven months, during which time they brought fingerprint and identity documentation, photocopies of which have since been disseminated to local reporters. The documents — which the court ruled to be genuine — purport to show that the fingerprints recorded for the national identity card issued in the name of “Abrar” at the Sudanese government registry offices were an exact match to those the court took from Mariam.

The Appeal Begins

According to Wani, Meriam’s appeal has started going through the courts,  “Formal notification was given to myself and my lawyer that the appeals court has begun deliberation of Mariam’s case.”

CNN adds:

As the case goes through the courts, Wani, who is an American citizen, said he is asking U.S. officials to expedite the asylum process for his wife.

If she’s released, their lives could be in grave danger in Sudan, he said.

“I am scared for all our lives — me, my wife and my two children — if we have to remain inside Sudan, even a day after her release.”

Wani said he is appealing his home state lawmakers, New Hampshire’s U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Kelly Ayotte.

RELATED: Sudanese Woman Facing Death For Being Christian Gives Birth In Jail

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