Leaving your children orphans for a fable gets no kudos from me.

"I thank God that everyone prayed for them."  Said the brother-in-law of Miriam Ibrahim, the Sudanese Christian woman who made her way back to her home in New Hampshire last week.  She was met at the airport by representatives of both our State senators, the Sudanese community from Manchester, NH,  and throngs of news media.

You’ll recall the story:  Born to a Muslim father and Christian mother, she was raised Christian since the age of six.  On a visit to Sudan she was detained when one of her relatives reported that she is an apostate from Islam who married outside her religion.  Given the opportunity to denounce her Christianity, she opted not to - preferring death before denunciation of her belief. She was sentenced to death by the court. It was to be carried out after she gave birth to her second child who was born in the prison.

World outrage and behind the scenes negotiations by Italy and the US, which no doubt included the promise of financial support or the threat of it being withdrawn from Sudan, succeeded in getting the woman released ...in one piece.  No god things need take credit… thank social media and the power of the dollar. 

But, Oh … how the images of great Catholic Saints rushed before the eyes of the devout masses at the thought of a young woman ready to die for her god, her devotion, her ancient mind virus and delusion brought to Africa by soul saving white missionaries.  How brave, how holy, how noble, how utterly insane and grotesque.

Look, don’t misunderstand - I’m happy she’s home and safe.  Not for a minute would I wish otherwise -  if not for her sake certainly for the sake of her two children. But the fact is I have no praise for this woman.  She’s no hero. She’ll get no accolades for standing by her faith from me.  This woman was prepared to permit her toddler, and new born baby, to go motherless in the name of lies, foolishness and superstition.  In the least she could have denounced Christianity to her oppressors, gone home, and said: "Ha!  Fooled ya! Up yours, Mohammed!"

Had she been threatened with death for not divulging the names of fellow apostates in country; or the names of anti-government freedom fighters; had her children’s lives been threatened if she did not offer to forfeit her life; had she been a spy for America threatened with execution if she didn’t give up her Sudanese contacts … then she would deserve praise and the accolade of hero.  But to die for a lie, a myth, for a thankless image of a long haired / long dead so called Jewish man-god and the carrot like promise of an afterlife in paradise, while leaving your children motherless?  No…that’s simply obscene.

She has had her fifteen minutes of fame.  She had her meeting with a congratulatory pope. Likely she’ll have a book deal that will pay her well. And that’s the end of that. But I am something of an optimist as it relates to the next generation. With any luck her children will one day ask her about her brush with death for her refusal to denounce her belief, and after considering the alternative out come will offer: “Mom...that was pretty fucking stupid.”