Meriam Ibrahim Tehya Ishag, the 26-year-old Sudanese Christian woman who was sentenced to death for renouncing Islam in Khartoum, safely arrived in the U.S. with her family following international pressure for her release. The global outcry erupted in May after the  woman was sentenced under sharia law to hang for apostasy.

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter presented her with a model of the Liberty Bell, a symbol of U.S. independence, and warmly welcomed her as a “world freedom fighter”.

She arrived in the U.S. with Daniel Wani, her husband who is a U.S. citizen and their two infant children – the youngest of which was born in prison. The family was greeted by cheering supporters with balloons and U.S. flags.

Following this cheerful arrival, the family traveled 400 miles north to their new home in the city of Machester where Mr. Wani has family.

Prior to their arrival in the U.S., Ms. Ishag had met with Pope Francis on an eight-day stay in Rome. She said that during this stay she “learned how to live again.”

The young woman’s story caught the attention of many world leaders, including U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron. After her conviction was overturned, Ms. Ishag was arrested again for allegedly attempting to leave the country with forged documents. The family then took refuge in the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum in June before flying to Rome and subsequently to the U.S.

Her religious upbringing

Ms. Ishag is the daughter of a Muslim father who abandoned his family, leaving the young woman to be raised by her Ethiopian Orthodox Christian mother. She joined the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Khartoum shortly before she married in 2011.