Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain: Statement on Sudan apostasy case, and Islamic Education & Research Academy
Sudan apostasy case
Sign the Petition defending Mariam:
www.change.org/en-GB/
The Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain (CEMB) is outraged to learn of Mariam Yahya Ibrahim’s death sentence in Sudan for apostasy. The heavily pregnant Mariam has also been charged with adultery and imprisoned with her toddler. She and her husband are Christian but the judge insists she is Muslim. Mariam Yahya's case represents a great number of similar cases where individuals cannot choose or express their beliefs nor have many inalienable rights because of Sharia law.
CEMB condemns Sharia law and in particular articles 126 and 146 of the Sudanese criminal code which punishes apostasy and adultery. Apostasy and adultery are not crimes; executing human beings, including for their beliefs or their consensual sexual relations should be. CEMB demands the immediate release of Mariam Yahya Ibrahim and calls on all groups and individuals to put pressure on the Sudanese government and help save Mariam's life. Sign the petition defending Mariam here:
www.change.org/en-GB/
CEMB co-Spokesperson Nahla Mahmoud and heads of affiliated groups, namely the Ex-Muslims of North America and Ex-Muslims of Scotland recently discussed the Mariam Yahya case on BBC World Service and why it is so hard to be an ex-Muslim.
You can listen to the programme here: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/
Despite the many difficulties, atheism is on the rise in countries where Sharia law has influence or access to political power. Interestingly, the country where Richard Dawkins’ name is most searched is Iran:
www.google.com/trends/explore#
Recently, co-Spokesperson Maryam Namazie sent a video message to over 60 atheists meeting clandestinely in Jordan to congratulate them on their bold move and to pledge CEMB’s support. Moreover, the first legal atheist organisation in the Middle East and North Africa has been established in Turkey. You can see their statement here: ex-muslim.org.uk/2014/05/
New Report: Evangelising Hate – Islamic Education and Research Academy (iERA)
A new CEMB report “Evangelising Hate” exposes the Islamic Education and Research Academy (iERA) as a Hate Group. You can read the full press release and report here:
ex-muslim.org.uk/2014/05/new-
Whilst iERA purports to be a missionary-like charitable organisation, it is in fact a “soft Islamist” group, which acts as the Islamist movement’s public relations arm by promoting and normalising Islamist values, including inciting hatred against ex-Muslims, gays, Jews, women, non Muslims and a majority of Muslims who do not share their values. In Britain and the west, groups like iERA use multiculturalism (as a social policy that segregates “communities”) and cultural relativism as well as the rights language of diversity, tolerance and inter-faith dialogue to increase influence and access. Any opposition to their theocratic aims are met with accusations of racism and Islamophobia.
This timely report is being published just as the Charity Commission is investigating the group. Clearly, iERA must be classified as a hate group and have their charitable status withdrawn. These will help bring clarity to their agenda and can be a starting point for a wider investigation into the influence of Islamism in modern Britain.
It is important to note that the CEMB publishes its report on a day that the far-Right group Britain First (an off-shoot of the British National Party) has targeted yet another mosque in a campaign of hate. Like Islamism, Britain First is a far-Right political group that asserts collective blame, incites hatred and dehumanises those deemed ‘other’. Just as Islamists do not represent a majority of Muslims or those considered Muslim, fascist groups like Britain First do not represent a majority of Britons and those living here.
Our fight is against the far-Right of all stripes and variations – be it Britain First or iERA - and in defence of the rights of all people, irrespective of their background, race, belief, gender, sexuality... to secularism, universal rights and equality. The new CEMB report has been forwarded to the Home Office, the Charity Commission and the Department for Education, amongst others.
Source: http://ex-muslim.org.uk/2014/05/sudan-apostasy-case-new-report-evangelising-hate-islamic-education-and-research-academy-iera-ex-muslims-internationally/
Mariam Yehya Ibrahim, a Sudanese mother, doctor and Christian, has been sentenced to flogging and death unless she recants her Christian faith. She is 8 months pregnant and has a two-year-old son. Please, join the international community in asking Sudan not to execute her for being a Christian. Ibrahim is charged with adultery on the grounds that her marriage to a Christian man from South Sudan is considered void under Shari’a law, for which the penalty is flogging. She’s also charged with apostasy, or abandonment of religion, for which the penalty is death. Mariam is the daughter of a Christian woman and Muslim man. She was raised Christian after her father left. However, Sudanese law mandates that children born to Muslim fathers are considered Muslim.
When I read the news about Mariam, I couldn't sit back and do nothing so I started this petition. People around the world rallied to raise awareness to #bringbackthegirls kidnapped Nigeria, I hope the world will also stand up for Mariam. The fact that a woman could be sentenced to death for her religious choice, and to flogging for being married to a man of an allegedly different religion is abhorrent. Call upon the government of Sudan to respect the right to freedom of religion and stop the execution!
www.change.org/en-GB/
The Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain (CEMB) is outraged to learn of Mariam Yahya Ibrahim’s death sentence in Sudan for apostasy. The heavily pregnant Mariam has also been charged with adultery and imprisoned with her toddler. She and her husband are Christian but the judge insists she is Muslim. Mariam Yahya's case represents a great number of similar cases where individuals cannot choose or express their beliefs nor have many inalienable rights because of Sharia law.
CEMB condemns Sharia law and in particular articles 126 and 146 of the Sudanese criminal code which punishes apostasy and adultery. Apostasy and adultery are not crimes; executing human beings, including for their beliefs or their consensual sexual relations should be. CEMB demands the immediate release of Mariam Yahya Ibrahim and calls on all groups and individuals to put pressure on the Sudanese government and help save Mariam's life. Sign the petition defending Mariam here:
www.change.org/en-GB/
CEMB co-Spokesperson Nahla Mahmoud and heads of affiliated groups, namely the Ex-Muslims of North America and Ex-Muslims of Scotland recently discussed the Mariam Yahya case on BBC World Service and why it is so hard to be an ex-Muslim.
You can listen to the programme here: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/
Despite the many difficulties, atheism is on the rise in countries where Sharia law has influence or access to political power. Interestingly, the country where Richard Dawkins’ name is most searched is Iran:
www.google.com/trends/explore#
Recently, co-Spokesperson Maryam Namazie sent a video message to over 60 atheists meeting clandestinely in Jordan to congratulate them on their bold move and to pledge CEMB’s support. Moreover, the first legal atheist organisation in the Middle East and North Africa has been established in Turkey. You can see their statement here: ex-muslim.org.uk/2014/05/
New Report: Evangelising Hate – Islamic Education and Research Academy (iERA)
A new CEMB report “Evangelising Hate” exposes the Islamic Education and Research Academy (iERA) as a Hate Group. You can read the full press release and report here:
ex-muslim.org.uk/2014/05/new-
Whilst iERA purports to be a missionary-like charitable organisation, it is in fact a “soft Islamist” group, which acts as the Islamist movement’s public relations arm by promoting and normalising Islamist values, including inciting hatred against ex-Muslims, gays, Jews, women, non Muslims and a majority of Muslims who do not share their values. In Britain and the west, groups like iERA use multiculturalism (as a social policy that segregates “communities”) and cultural relativism as well as the rights language of diversity, tolerance and inter-faith dialogue to increase influence and access. Any opposition to their theocratic aims are met with accusations of racism and Islamophobia.
This timely report is being published just as the Charity Commission is investigating the group. Clearly, iERA must be classified as a hate group and have their charitable status withdrawn. These will help bring clarity to their agenda and can be a starting point for a wider investigation into the influence of Islamism in modern Britain.
It is important to note that the CEMB publishes its report on a day that the far-Right group Britain First (an off-shoot of the British National Party) has targeted yet another mosque in a campaign of hate. Like Islamism, Britain First is a far-Right political group that asserts collective blame, incites hatred and dehumanises those deemed ‘other’. Just as Islamists do not represent a majority of Muslims or those considered Muslim, fascist groups like Britain First do not represent a majority of Britons and those living here.
Our fight is against the far-Right of all stripes and variations – be it Britain First or iERA - and in defence of the rights of all people, irrespective of their background, race, belief, gender, sexuality... to secularism, universal rights and equality. The new CEMB report has been forwarded to the Home Office, the Charity Commission and the Department for Education, amongst others.
Source: http://ex-muslim.org.uk/2014/05/sudan-apostasy-case-new-report-evangelising-hate-islamic-education-and-research-academy-iera-ex-muslims-internationally/
