A couple of weeks ago, we talked about the case of Rifqa Bary, an Ohio teen who ran away to Florida, where she was hidden by the pastor of a church group that the girl had found online. The girl, and the pastor, claim that she fled because she feared her Muslim family would kill her after she converted to Christianity. The family says that they're worried their Rifqa has been brainwashed, and she was taken into custody of Florida's Department of Children and Families.
Now a judge has ruled that the girl will stay in Florida's custody while a determination is made about whether or not she really is in danger. Her parents, who have been begging for her return, will not be allowed to see her during the 90-day evaluation process, although the judge says her brothers may visit her.
I gotta tell you, this whole thing is a little worrisome. There's an automatic assumption that because the family is Muslim, that this girl will be the victim of an honor killing. There are activists outside the courthouse protesting and waving signs, but they all seem to be of a fundamentalist Christian bent -- and is anyone else bothered that a pastor encouraged a teen to run away, halfway across the country? If he and his church were really concerned about her, they’d have found a way to help her talk to her parents, rather than hiding her for a couple of weeks under the guise of “protection.” I know darn well there are plenty of Christian churches in Columbus who would have helped this kid out if she really thought she was in danger.
Anyway, allegations of "terrorist connections" have been made, and the next hearing is scheduled for September 30. We'll see what happens then. I'm glad the kid is safe, but wonder if justice will really be done here.
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I hope she is all right nonetheless. If I was that girl’s mother, I would be upset. It is understandably so. I don’t think that father has any intention of killing his daughter. Not every Muslim believes in honor killings.
People forget that other religions are just as diverse as their own. Lumping all Muslims together is as bad as judging all Christians by Jim Jones or the Inquisition or whatever. One of my first thoughts when I saw this story was – why the heck did she have to run away so far? Sounds like a cult thing to me. I agree with you, Patti, that they should have encouraged her to talk to her folks or if they really were concerned for her life they should have hooked her up with a local church and even police and child protection! Can you imagine the scene if anything would have happened to that girl on the way to Florida??
So many things bother me about this story that it is hard to figure out exactly where to start.
If the rolls were reveresed you would hear christians in an uproar that the courts are trampling on parents rights. I also would like to know a bit more about this so-called conversion or if this pastor is a leader of a christian cult. I believe the girl’s mother maybe on to something about her dd being brainwashed.
Just to be on the other side, What if the girl is right? I have known parents that lied about how they treat the kids. So how can you be sure the girl is safe? You are forgetting that honor killing is a possibility. And how do you not know the girl didn’t just show up at the church? I can understand it taking time to assess the situation. This is not a young child we are talking about. She is 17. Why can’t she be telling the truth? And how can you brainwash someone over the internet? I am sorry. I just don’t see the girl having to be returned to her parents. If for no other reason than she is 17. I ran away from iowa to florida 35 yrs ago. I didnt have to go back home. The courts declared I was old enough to make that decision.