“Prayer was my strength in prison,” says Sudanese Christian at launch of ACN Religious Freedom Report

Mariam Ibrahim was arrested for apostasy and adultery because Sharia law mandated that she was a Muslim, like her father, even though she had been reared as a practicing Christian. She shared a powerful testimony at the international launch of the 2025 Religious Freedom in the World Report.

Mariam Ibrahim grew up in Sudan, practicing her mother’s Christian faith. But under the country’s law, because her father was a Muslim, she was automatically considered one too.

“I was accused because I grew up as a Christian, because I practiced my faith, and because I married a Christian man. That was considered a crime,” she explained to a gathering hosted by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) on Tuesday.

After refusing to renounce her faith, Ibrahim, also known as Mariam Ishag, was sentenced to death for apostasy. She also was to receive 100 lashes for alleged adultery.

“I spent Christmas 2013 in prison,” she said. “I discovered I was pregnant just before being jailed. That first night in the cell I was terrified and could only pray. My mother had passed away, my father’s family rejected me, and the media called me ‘unclean,’ ‘infidel,’ and ‘deserving of death.’”

Ibrahim described her ordeal during the launch of ACN’s Religious Freedom in the World Report 2025. The unveiling of the launch was a daylong event that featured a keynote address by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, and some 20 other presentations. The day ended with a Mass for persecuted Christians in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Hidden Bible

One of the most striking moments in Ibrahim’s testimony was when she described how she managed to keep her Bible in prison.

“I had to cut its pages and hide them in my hair so I could read them in the bathroom,” she recounted. “That was the only place I could open it without being discovered. I still carry that prison Bible with me everywhere I go.”

Ibrahim highlighted the power of prayer and the importance of access to God’s Word for those facing persecution.

“When people ask me how to pray for the persecuted, I say: pray that they find access to God’s Word. In many countries, owning a Bible is seen as an act of terrorism. But the Bible is not a threat — it is the story of salvation for all people.”

Her eventual release was made possible through the mediation of the Italian government and the support of the international community. Before leaving Sudan, Mariam and her family took refuge for a month in the US embassy in Khartoum.

“I am grateful that my children are safe, my family is safe, and I now have a mission — to use my voice for those who still suffer for their faith,” she said.

God always gives strength

Having endured persecution for her faith, Ibrahim could attest that such an ordeal “brings unimaginable pain, but God always gives strength.”

Ibrahim eventually was able to settle in the United States. Although she was unable to travel to Rome for the RFR launch due to a last-minute visa issue, she sent a heartfelt video message to the conference. In her address, she expressed deep gratitude to ACN “for all the work, advocacy, and prayers carried out throughout the year on behalf of the persecuted Church.

“I pray that ACN’s work continues to grow, that the world listens to our stories, and that the Church never stops praying for those in prison,” she said. “It brings so much hope to my heart to witness all this work and advocacy for those who suffer for their faith. I’m deeply grateful to my friends at Aid to the Church in Need for not forgetting the persecuted.”

ACN’s Religious Freedom in the World Report 2025 reveals that over 5.4 billion people — nearly two-thirds of the global population — live in countries with serious violations of religious freedom.

Of the 196 countries analyzed between January 2023 and December 2024, 62 registered severe violations — 24 with systematic persecution and 38 with widespread discrimination based on faith.

The report can be viewed here.

Here is a video of Mariam Ibrahim’s presentation at the launch of the RFR 2025:

– Maria Lozano