Meriam Ibrahim will enter U.S. 'soon'; Reveals prison birth didn't damage daughter
Meriam Ibrahim gave an update this week on the status of her U.S. entry and her baby daughter, whom she initially feared would be disabled due to the condition of her birth.
Ibrahim gave birth to two-month-old Maya while incarcerated in Omdurman Federal Women's Prison for apostasy. Her 21-month-old son, Martin, was in prison with her, and she gave birth to Maya while in leg shackles.
Ibrahim told the Daily Mail that she feared that the strained delivery, in which she could not open her legs widely, may have physically damaged the baby.
She has since revealed that an initial doctor's evaluation indicated that Maya was not injured during the birth. However, the baby is due to undergo an ultrasound in the coming weeks to confirm that she has full use of her legs. Ibrahim's husband Daniel Wani has muscular dystrophy, a genetic condition that results in muscle wasting, and is confined to a wheelchair.
The Christian Sudanese woman was sentenced earlier this year to 100 lashes and death for marrying a Christian man. Although she was raised by an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian mother, Ibrahim is considered Muslim because that was the faith of her estranged father.
After an international outcry, she was released June 23 after six months in jail, but was rearrested a day later. Ibrahim and her family are now living in the U.S. embassy until they are allowed entry into the U.S.
The family of four is living in the embassy library, awaiting legal clearance by the Sudanese government.
Ibrahim was accused of trying to leave the country using false documents, and it is unclear whether she faces criminal charges for that case. Also, her brother, Al Samani Al Hadi, has filed new charges against her. He is one of the family members that caused Ibrahim to be arrested after she married Wani.
Last week, Sudanese First Vice President Bakri Hassan Saleh and Foreign Minister Ali Karti told the Italian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lapo Pistelli, that "they were willing to cooperate to reach a positive and speedy solution to the case," according to the Daily Mail.
Despite their ongoing struggles, Wani and Ibrahim expressed gratitude for the international outpouring of love and support that they have received.
"All the family is well now," Wani told the Daily Mail, repeating the phrase over and over.