Yesterday, I blogged about how Meriam Ibrahim sits on death row in Sudan for the “crime” of getting married to a non-Muslim, and now we have an update.
Today Amnesty International UK has an action campaign rolling …
Yes, you can now take some action here that can potentially make a real difference.
Take Action – Go here, then click Take Action, and fill in the details.
There their suggested text is …
Your Excellency
I urge you to ensure that Meriam Yehya Ibrahim is released immediately and unconditionally because she is a prisoner of conscience, convicted solely because of her religious beliefs and identity.
In addition, I call on you to repeal Articles 126 and 146 that criminalise apostasy and adultery respectively, in conformity with Sudan’s obligations under international human rights law; and to establish a moratorium on executions, as a first step towards abolishing the death penalty, and to abolish the punishment of flogging.
Other Options
If you don’t want to send an email via their website, then you can also Take action by text or post a letter instead.
How would you / should you phrase an email to them?
One further thought I have regards the precise phrasing of an email to the authorities in Sudan.
Now this bit is very very important, pay attention – please DO NOT BE ABUSIVE. If you vent, you might indeed feel better, but you would simply piss these people off and that really will not help, but would in fact have the completely opposite effect.
The suggested generic wording provided by Amnesty International is fine, but if I was to perhaps write a personal letter or email, I might make a few additional observations such as …
Allah says: “Let there be no compulsion in religion.” [Sûrah al-Baqarah: 256]
One of the fundamental wonderful truths established by the Quran is that no one can be compelled to accept Islam.No one should be threatened or harmed in any way if he does not wish to accept Islam. The world is watching, this is an opportunity to demonstrate compassion and the truth of the Quran to the world.
My thinking here, is that while I might not personally believe the Quran to be true, they do, and so it may in fact be appropriate to leverage that fact, and give them a reason to not proceed with either the execution or the 100 lashes.
I’m curious, do you have any other additional words that might motivate them to do what is right here? If so, please do drop them into the comments for others to use.