Once you have hope, anything is possible so says Christopher
Reeve. It is however difficult to have hope when all seems hopeless, especially
when you see life going on around you normally as if no one really cares what
is happening to you. Yes, it hurts, especially when those who should care seem not
to care. But sometimes knowing in your heart that all is not really lost is a
way to fight back.
A good example of hope is
that displayed by the care of Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina Dejesus,
reported in 2013. After 10 years in captivity and living in abuse, they were
finally rescued from the monster who tortured them. Read more
Ibrahim, a Sudanese woman
has been living a similar experience these few past months. Ibrahim, was
condemned to die by hanging after she declined to profess she is a Muslim, the
religion of her father. Sharia law considers her a Muslim and does not
recognize her marriage to a Christian husband Daniel Wani. She declined to
change her mind despite giving birth in prison.
Ibrahim was convicted of
apostasy and adultery – a crime of abandoning her faith. She was eight months
pregnant. She gave birth to a baby girl this week at a Khartoum prison, where
she was also detained with her
20-month-old son, Martin. In spite of this, she held firmly on to her beliefs
despite the pressure on her from Muslim religious leaders that she should
return to the Muslim faith. ,
It is unfortunate to see her go through this when her Islamic
teachings clearly state that there is no compulsion in Islam. Prophet Muhammad taught
that no one should be compelled to be a Muslim. Ibrahim’s narrative is also an
illustration of the ignorance of some that the God of the Muslims – Allah is
different from the God of Christians and the Jews. Why condemn a Muslim for
converting to Christianity when in essence the God that is worshipped is the
same one?
It was good news to those of us who were scared for her to see
some glim of hope in Ibrahim released. Ibrahim who had been accused of apostasy
had her death penalty sentence reverted after international outcry from human
rights groups. On July 24, 2014, it was such happiness for all who care about social
justice to see her united with her children and husband and in a meeting with the
Pope in Italy as she prepares to return to the United States having been
cleared of the charge of apostasy.
It is true that hope is all you can count on and it may surely
conquer it all for you. Maya Angelou was right is saying that “God puts rainbows
in the clouds so that each of us- in the dreariest and most dreaded moments –
can see a possibility of hope.” Emily Dickinson also reminds us that “Hope is
that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without
words and never stops…at all.” Friends, have hope, because that is all that
matters when all is glim. It may just provide that light at the end of the
tunnel.
References
The New York
Post, http://nypost.com/2014/06/23/christian-woman-on-death-row-for-apostasy-is-released-in-sudan/
The New York
post, http://nypost.com/2014/07/24/sudanese-woman-sentenced-to-death-for-being-christian-meets-pope/
The
Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/police-three-rescued-cleveland-women-6-year-old-are-in-good-health/2013/05/07/
The Quote
Garden, http://www.quotegarden.com/hope.html
