Shackled: One Woman's Dramatic Triumph Over Persecution, Gender Abuse, and a Death Sentence

by Mariam Ibraheem, Eugene Bach

Overview

Sentenced to Death for Her Beliefs

Mariam Ibraheem was born in a refugee camp in Sudan. Her Muslim father died when she was six, and her mother raised her in the Christian faith. After a traumatic childhood, Mariam became a successful businessperson, married the man she loved, and had a beautiful baby boy.
 
But one day in 2013, her world was shattered when Sudan authorities insisted she was Muslim because of her father’s background. She had broken the law by marrying a Christian man, and she must abandon both her marriage and her son and adopt Islam. Under intense pressure, Mariam repeatedly refused. Ultimately, a Sharia court sentenced her to 100 lashes—and death by hanging.
 
Shackled is the stunning true story of a courageous young mother who was willing to face death rather than deny her faith. Mariam Ibraheem took a stand on behalf of all women who are maltreated because of their gender and all people who suffer from religious persecution.
 
Follow Mariam’s story from life under Islamic law, through imprisonment and childbirth while shackled, to her remarkable escape from death following an international outcry and advocacy that included diplomats, journalists, activists, and even Pope Francis.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781641238205
Publisher:	Whitaker House
Publication date:	03/08/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	982 KB

About the Author

In 2014, Mariam Ibraheem of Sudan was sentenced by a Sharia court to 100 lashes for adultery because she had married a Christian man, and death by hanging for refusing to renounce her Christian faith and follow Islam. Mariam was imprisoned with her young son while she was pregnant with her second child, a daughter, to whom she gave birth while still shackled in the prison. After an international outcry, Mariam was eventually freed through the help of Pope Francis, the United States, Italy, and the embassies of various other governments. Today, Mariam advocates on behalf of others who are victims of religious persecution and also for women who suffer from the personal prison of abuse. She is the cofounder and director of global mobilization for the Tahrir Alnisa (“Setting Women Free”) Foundation, which serves women and children impacted by domestic abuse and religious-motivated violence. She also serves on the board of directors for Anti-Trafficking International. In March 2022, Whitaker House released Mariam’s autobiography. Shackled: One Woman’s Dramatic Triumph Over Persecution, Gender Abuse, and a Death Sentence has brought this first-time author’s powerful story to a global audience.

Eugene Bach is a pseudonym for a member of the Chinese underground church who, for security reasons, does not wish to be identified. He has been working with the underground church in China for more than twenty years, helping them to establish forward missions bases in closed countries around the world, including Iraq and Syria. Eugene leads projects with the Chinese missions movement Back to Jerusalem, which provides essential support for Chinese missionaries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, and he has written books about the underground church in China, North Korea, and Iran. His books with Whitaker House include China and End-Time Prophecy; I Stand with Christ; ISIS: The Heart of Terror; Kidnapped by a Cult; Leaving Buddha; Smuggling Light; and The Underground Church.
Eugene Bach is a pseudonym for a member of the Chinese underground church. He was trained in US military special operations and served two tours in the Persian Gulf and Asia-Pacific region, serving primarily as a member of a rapid response team focusing on targeted threat elimination, counterterrorism, and security. He has been working with the underground church in China for more than fifteen years, helping them to establish forward mission bases in closed countries around the world, including Iraq and Syria. Eugene leads the Chinese mission movement called Back to Jerusalem, which provides essential support for Chinese missionaries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. He has also written or coauthored numerous books about the underground church in China, North Korea, and Iran, including ISIS: Heart of Terror, The Underground Church, and I Stand with Christ.

Table of Contents

Prologue 11

1 A Refugee Is Born 13

2 A Marriage of Convenience 17

3 Married to a Murderer 22

4 Seeds of Love and Hate 26

5 The Daily Beast 31

6 Bound and Gagged 36

7 Fatherless 41

8 The Bloody Party 46

9 Life in Basunda 54

10 New City, New Life 58

11 A Day of Prayer 63

12 Fired 68

13 Paying the Jizyah 73

14 High School Dropout 78

15 The Apprentice 84

16 Comboni Catholic School 88

17 Two Extremist Camps 93

18 University of Khartoum 98

19 Bad Medicine 103

20 Surprised by Love 108

21 Overwhelming Grief 112

22 A Family of My Own 118

23 A Businesswoman 123

24 A Stranger's Voice 128

25 Attempted Kidnapping 134

26 Accused of Adultery 140

27 Only One Choice for Me 145

28 No Help from the U.S. Embassy 148

29 A Christmas Eve Surprise 152

30 Christmas in Prison 155

31 Ministry Behind Bars 159

32 The Women's Prison 163

33 Initiation 168

34 Courtroom Drama 171

35 Discrimination and Intimidation 176

36 Bible Smuggling 180

37 The Exorcist 184

38 Brave New Lawyers 189

39 Businesswomen in Prison 193

40 A Dead Witness 198

41 Spiritual Cage Fight 203

42 The Valley of the Shadow of Death 209

43 Sentenced to Death 212

44 A Violent Truck Ride 216

45 Death Row 219

46 Chains Broken! 223

47 Childbirth in Shackles 226

48 The Day I Died 230

49 Back to Death Row 234

50 Free at Last 238

52 Secret Interrogation 251

53 In Jail Once Again 255

54 Spies in the U.S. Embassy? 260

55 Help from Afar 265

56 Flight to Freedom 270

57 Hope and a Future 274

58 Seven Years Later 279

About the Authors 285

Editorial Reviews

Mariam Ibraheem was a steadfast witness for Christ in the midst of unbelievable hardships. I have been to Sudan and well know the forces she was up against. Shackled is a powerful memoir of a woman who refused to deny the name of Jesus. What would we do in similar circumstances?
—The Honorable Frank Wolf
Former U.S. representative from Virginia

Riveting. Challenging. A beautiful story of boots-on-the-ground Christianity and one woman’s determination to honor Jesus with her life, even when her own life was at stake. I found myself turning the pages to find out what happened next, yet also savoring the stark, beautiful story of faithfulness. A must-read for any Christ-follower who takes seriously Jesus’s command to take up our cross daily and follow Him.
—Mary DeMuth
Author, Thin Places: A Memoir

Incredible. Informative. Inspiring. These three words describe this epic true story of how one young woman overcame religious abuse, misogyny, and impossible odds to gain her freedom. A true page-turner and a must-read!
—Dr. Ben Young
Author, Survive the Day, Room for Doubt, and Why Mike’s Not a Christian
Pastoral staff, Second Baptist Church, Houston, TX

Mariam Ibraheem’s amazing story is testimony to her uncompromising faith in Jesus and God’s faithfulness to her that the world should hear. In the spring of 2014, when many of us were demonstrating outside the White House for the U.S. government to help her, we could not have imagined the unexpected way in which God would bring about Mariam’s freedom and use her for His glory as a voice for so many others.
—Faith J. H. McDonnell
Director of Advocacy, Katartismos Global (kgiglobal.org)
Coauthor, Girl Soldier: A Story of Hope for Northern Uganda’s Children

Mariam Ibraheem’s riveting story of courage, faith, and forgiveness while enduring unspeakable suffering will strengthen every Christian’s faith, courage, capacity to suffer, and willingness to forgive. While it can be painful to read, and while the reader might not agree with all of her observations, she is a compelling witness for so many who suffer religious persecution and whose pleas for help we must heed.
—Timothy Cardinal Dolan
Archbishop of New York


Mariam Ibraheem and I met within weeks of her release from death row in a dark Sudanese prison. She smiled at me as she held baby Maya, and her first words were, “God is good all the time.” Strength and determination to overcome obstacles radiated from her beautiful brown eyes.

Mariam was born in a refugee camp in Sudan to a teenage mother who found herself rising above grave poverty, domestic violence, and the dangers of Islamic Sharia law. Much like her brave mother, Mariam overcame insurmountable obstacles, including the loss of her younger sister, the tragic death of her mother, and being on death row for her Christian faith. Each and every time, Mariam has risen above her circumstances through her faith in Jesus. She refuses to be intimidated into silence and has proclaimed her faith in front of prison guards, judges, and those seeking to take her life.

Shackled will inspire faith and determination in the midst of what seem to be impossible circumstances. Mariam’s life and friendship have forever changed my life to persevere and sustain hope in God. I know her story will change you, too.
—Naghmeh Panahi
Executive Director, Tahrir Alnisa Foundation

Mariam Ibraheem, from Sudan, is one of the outstanding heroes I’ve had the privilege to know in my advocacy for religious freedom. You, too, will be inspired by her powerful new book, Shackled. The title refers to her shocking experience of being forced to give birth in chains while in prison awaiting the hangman. Mariam’s rock-solid faith profoundly moved the world when reports surfaced that she serenely accepted a Sudanese Sharia court’s sentence of 100 lashes and death by hanging for refusing to renounce Jesus Christ. Rivetingly told in her own words, it is an uplifting story of unshakeable courage and faithfulness in the face of persecution, and ultimately a story of rescue and survival. Please read this book and pray about how you can help others still suffering persecution in many countries.
—Nina Shea
Director, Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom
Commissioner (1999–2012), US Commission on International Religious Freedom
 

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