A Sudanese woman, Meriam Ibrahim, was accused by her own father of illegally converting to Christianity.  At one point, he accused her of committing adultery because of her marriage to a Christian man, Daniel Wani, who is also an American citizen.  The story is complicated by the fact that her father is a Muslim and her mother is an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian.  Meriam argued that she had never been Muslim, having been raised by her Christian mother.  As a result, she had not violated any law opposing conversion from Islam.  After being convicted and sentenced to death, she spent months incarcerated while her case was appealed.  While shackled in prison, she gave birth to a daughter.  The Sudanese Supreme Court eventually ruled in her favor, but the Sudanese government obstructed her departure.  While President Obama’s administration questioned the paternity of her children, Austrialian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and British Prime Minister David Cameron called for her release.  Ultimately, intense negotiations conducted by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi resulted in her release from Sudan.  Renzi noted, “If there is no European reaction we cannot feel worthy to call ourselves ‘Europe.’” (The Telegraph, Sept. 7, 2014).

It is a remarkable thing that while the President of the United States could not bring himself to call for her release, various world governments saw this case for what it was—a gross violation of human rights.  Her husband is a United States citizen.  The crime for which she was sentenced was faithfulness to her religious conviction.  Yet none of these factors were sufficient to cause the United States to issue a formal request for her freedom.  President Obama has received quite a bit of criticism for negotiating with terrorists and swapping five Al Qaeda prisoners to achieve the release of Bowe Bergdahl.  In that case, Bergdahl’s allegiance to the United States was questioned, yet the President paid a rather risky ransom to bring him home.  The United States was unable to gain the release of journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff before they were beheaded by ISIS (The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria).  These developments should certainly leave Americans with concerns.  The factors that cause the United States government to act on behalf of U.S. citizens abroad are certainly unclear.  The U.S. commitment to human rights and religious freedom abroad is waning.  And finally, as Ashe Schow recently noted, the United States appears unable to free its own citizens held abroad without the help of the international community.  Unless there is an abrupt reversal in the next two years, President Obama’s administration will be remembered for failing to protect American lives abroad, decreasing the American commitment to religious freedom, and diminishing the strength the United States in the global arena.