Khartoum , Sudan ( CNN ) -- A Sudanese appeals court has started deliberating the case of a woman sentenced to death for refusing to renounce her Christian faith , her husband said . Mariam Yehya Ibrahim , 27 , was condemned to die by hanging last month after she declined to profess she is a Muslim , the religion of her father . Sharia law considers her a Muslim and does not recognize her marriage to a Christian . She said she was raised as a Christian by her mother after her father walked out on them . `` Formal notification was given to myself and my lawyer that the appeals court has begun deliberation of Mariam 's case , '' said Daniel Wani , her husband . He said he got the notice Thursday . Seeking asylum in the U.S. As the case goes through the courts , Wani , who is an American citizen , said he is asking U.S. officials to expedite the asylum process for his wife . If she 's released , their lives could be in grave danger in Sudan , he said . `` I am scared for all our lives -- me , my wife and my two children -- if we have to remain inside Sudan , even a day after her release . '' Wani said he is appealing his home state lawmakers , New Hamphire 's U.S. Sens . Jeanne Shaheen and Kelly Ayotte . Committed to her religion . The court convicted Ibrahim of apostasy on May 15 . At the time , she was eight months pregnant . She gave birth to a baby girl late last month at a Khartoum prison , where she 's detained with Martin , her 20-month-old son . Despite languishing in prison with two infants , she 's holding firm to her beliefs , according to her husband . `` There is pressure on her from Muslim religious leaders that she should return to the faith , '' Wani told CNN in a TV exclusive . `` She said , 'How can I return when I never was a Muslim ? Yes , my father was a Muslim , but I was brought up by my mother . ' `` Wani said his wife is a practicing Christian , more so than him , and even had their son baptized . `` I know my wife . She 's committed , '' he said . `` They brought in sheikhs ( to the prison ) and she told them , ' I 'm pretty sure I 'm not going to change my mind . ' `` Wani said he is thrilled about his new daughter but hopes her birth does n't hasten his wife 's death sentence . In past cases involving pregnant or nursing women , Sudan waited until the mother had weaned her child before executing any sentence . Sharia law as practiced in Sudan prohibits carrying out the death sentence on a pregnant woman until two years after she gives birth . CNN sought comment from the Sudanese government and was directed to the justice ministry . A CNN request for an interview was denied , and the justice minister said they do n't comment on matters that are going through the courts . An attempt to contact Sudan 's foreign affairs minister was unsuccessful . Muslim relatives turned her in . Ibrahim was arrested after Muslim relatives accused her of renouncing her religion . Their complaint alleged that she went missing for years , and her family was shocked to find out she married a Christian . Wani said he 'd never met the relatives who made the accusations . His wife , he said , was raised a Christian by her mother , an Ethiopian Orthodox , after her Muslim father deserted the family when she was 6 . `` These people filed charges claiming that she was their sister and filed a police report saying that she had disappeared , '' he said . Brother : Repent or die . However , one of Ibrahim 's brothers , Al-Samani al-Hadi , tells a different story . He claims Wani -- - whom he called `` the priest '' -- fed his sister `` potions '' to convert her to Christianity . He wants her to repent . `` But if she refuses she should be executed , '' he told CNN last week . At first , Ibrahim was charged with adultery for marrying a Christian . The apostasy accusation was added after she maintained she was a Christian , according to her husband . She 's been detained since January 17 . In addition to the death sentence , the court sentenced her to 100 lashes for the adultery conviction . CNN 's Nima Elbagir reported from Khartoum , and Faith Karimi reported and wrote from Atlanta .
Mariam Yehya Ibrahim , 27 , was condemned to die by hanging last month . Her apostasy conviction came after she refused to renounce her Christianity . Her husband says the appeals court sent him formal notice of deliberations .