A 15-year-old girl has been sentenced to eight months of house arrest and 100 lashes in the Maldives. Many in the international community are concerned about the use of Sharia law to inflict such punishment, in this case against a minor. While the girl is Muslim, there could also be troubling implications for anyone who secretly converts to Christianity, an act that is forbidden in the Maldives. Hilary Whiteman of CNN reports that the girl confessed during a court hearing to charges of fornication, having engaged in consensual premarital sex. She is also the alleged victim of sexual abuse by her stepfather, an allegation legally unrelated to her case. She has been given the choice of receiving the lashings now or it can be postponed until she turns 18. CNN was told that though the government considered the teenager to be a victim who should not be flogged, it was unable to intervene in the judicial process.

Pray: for the girl and for a more reasonable justice system, pray also for protection for the handful of believers in the Maldives living in fear of the government, their families and communities. (Ps.25:12)

More: http://www.opendoorsusa.org/pray/prayer-updates/2013/03-March/Maldives-Teen-Faces-100-Lashes