Hope Conquers All!!

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