Nada, Hamouda and their two children spent their first Christmas in safety thanks to the hard work of Alliance Defending Freedom International.
The Sudanese couple, who faced criminal prosecution, lashings, and even death threats simply for converting to Christianity, are now safe in the United States after a daring rescue operation orchestrated by ADF International and other advocates.
What is Alliance Defending Freedom?
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, marriage and family, and the sanctity of life.
Alliance Defending Freedom International is the international arm of Alliance Defending Freedom, protecting religious freedom and the inherent dignity of people worldwide through a network of allied attorneys.
Nada and Hamouda’s ordeal began in 2018 when Hamouda converted from Islam to Christianity, leading a Sharia court to annul their marriage due to pressure from Nada’s Muslim family
“My family forsook me and even my tribe hated me because I committed apostasy when I accepted Christianity,” Hamouda said in a video by Alliance Defending Freedom. “Indeed, I was very sad because they divorced me from my wife and took my children,” he said, “But I stayed committed to Christ because He Is the Way and the Truth.”
When Nada later converted as well in 2021 after the apostasy law was reformed, she reunited with Hamouda and their children. However, her brother then initiated adultery charges against them, as their marriage was now deemed unlawful due to the conversions.
The couple faced horrific prospective punishments of 100 lashes each. Nada’s brother had also publicly vowed to carry out an “honor killing” against them if they won their legal case.
While in custody, a friend of Hamouda’s from church connected him with two Alliance Defending Freedom International lawyers.
However, despite the lawyers’ best efforts, they soon realized that Nada and Hamouda had no safe options in Sudan.
“It became clear that if we lost the case, the punishment they faced could result in death and if we won the case, Nada’s brother had vowed publicly to kill them himself,” said Kelsey Zorzi, ADF International’s Director of Advocacy for Global Religious Freedom.
“We knew we had to activate our networks to get them safely out of Sudan as quickly as possible,” she said.
Working with partners like the Shai Fund and Ambassador Services International, ADF International ultimately orchestrated a daring rescue to bring the family out of Sudan and to the United States. They are now living in their own home and are involved in a local Sudanese church.
Christians are a tiny minority in Sudan, making up just 4.4% of the nation’s 44.6 million people. According to the watchdog group Open Doors, Christian women and girls who are converts to the faith face alarming threats in Sudanese society. They are at heightened risk of sexual violence through rape, being coerced into forced marriages, and suffering domestic abuse – all motivated by religious persecution. Female converts also commonly have their right to inheritance stripped away.
Those who are already married when converting often have their marriages forcibly annulled by the authorities, separating them from their husbands against their will. The precarious existence of Christian convert women in Sudan highlights the severe repression they endure due to their faith.
In a press release after their safe entry into the United States, Zorzi said, “While both international and Sudanese law protect Nada and Hamouda’s right to freely choose and live out their faith, it’s clear that Christian converts in Sudan continue to face severe threats and hostility from the government and community. ADF International is committed to providing the strongest legal defence for the persecuted Church, and we will continue to seek justice for those like Nada and Hamouda who are unjustly punished for their faith.”
Learn more about Alliance Defending Freedom here: https://www.guidestar.org/profile/54-1660459
