MERIAM IBRAHIM has begun her new life in the United States,
after finally escaping her native Sudan and fleeing to Italy last
week. She flew into Philadelphia on Thursday evening, after a few
days in Rome.
Having been arrested, charged, and convicted of apostasy,
sentenced to death, released, detained again, and then holed up in
the US embassy in the space of a few months, Mrs Ibrahim, aged 29,
said that she was looking forward to a quieter life in New
Hampshire.
She told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica: "With my
family, I will start a new life. We are going to move to New
Hampshire, where my brother-in-law Gabriel lives. He will help us.
We'll all be together, like a proper family."
On her arrival in the US, the mayor of Philadelphia, Michael
Nutter, hailed her as a "world freedom fighter", compared her to
civil rights icon Rosa Parks, and gave her a miniature replica of
the Liberty Bell.
When she touched down in Manchester, New Hampshire, around 40
relatives and supporters met her at the airport. Some were chanting
"Long live America", the BBC reported.
After her unexpected flight to Italy on Thursday last week, more
details have emerged of the negotiations behind the scenes which
secured her freedom, after her travel documents were confiscated
the last time she tried to leave Sudan, in June.
Mrs Ibrahim's lawyer, Elshareef Ali Mohammed, told The Daily
Telegraph that the mother of two was not told where she was
going, even after Italy had persuaded the Sudanese authorities to
return her passport and let her leave.
"Nobody from the government knew until the plane had taken off -
except the Minister for Foreign Affairs. And I expect he told the
President," Mr Elshareef said. "Last week, a group made a threat to
attack the US embassy, where they had been living; so we couldn't
take any chances."
The Italian foreign ministry told the newspaper that they
intervened to help Mrs Ibrahim because it was a "human-rights
issue".
Meeting the Pope fulfilled a lifelong dream, Mrs Ibrahim said.
Pope Francis thanked her for her "courageous witness to
perseverance in the faith" at their private meeting, shortly after
she arrived in Rome.
Later, according to La Repubblica, she said: "I've
always had my faith - and my love for my husband, a gift from God.
When I was asked to renounce my Christian faith, I knew what I was
risking [in refusing to do so]. But I didn't want to renounce it.
Thank you, Italy. Thanks to God, we are all well."
The family will settle in the town of Manchester, New Hampshire,
where her brother-in-law already lives with his family. The town is
home to a Christian Sudanese community and church.