Mohaned’s story symbolizes the struggle many Sudanese Muslims experienced while living under the brutal rule of Sudan’s former dictator, Omar al Bashir. Mohaned describes the rampant discrimination and injustice he witnessed firsthand under the Bashir government, which imposed their strict interpretation of Islam on the people through radical laws that restricted every freedom – especially religious freedom. The religious laws even included punishment for wearing “indecent clothes” and he describes how several young Christian girls were routinely beaten in the streets for wearing jeans, while hundreds of Christians were routinely forced to renounce their faith or face apostasy charges each year. While Muslims like himself and many others were affected by the radical laws imposed on everyone, he shares how he was able to use his legal practice to defend women and Christians who experienced the most persecution.

Mohaned was determined to use his education and status to turn the tide and embed religious freedom and human rights for all Sudanese in the country. By 2012, Mohaned had taken hundreds of cases defending Christians and challenging Omar al-Bashir’s brutal regime. As one of only a few human rights lawyers at the time who worked at the highest courts in Sudan, he “filled a gap” to help hundreds of victims during an aggressive, violent campaign against Christians. Remarkably, Mohaned was able to build trust between Christian and Muslim lawyers to mobilize a large, united team to defend their rights throughout the country.

In this interview you'll hear how Hardwired and Mohaned worked together to defend Meriam Ibrahim, a pregnant mother who was sentenced to death for apostasy on Mother’s Day in 2014.

Watch the interview on Hardwired's YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/rsauSmQ8gjI

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