Rifqa Bary, the teen who fled her Muslim family in Ohio for fear of being the victim of an "honor killing" for converting to Christianity, has now arrived back in Ohio after being transported from Florida.
Now in the custody of the Franklin County Children Services in Columbus, Rifqa has been ordered to undergo counseling while staying with a foster family. To make matters worse, Children Services petitioned for and won the right to monitor the girl's telephone and Internet use citing that it was her Facebook interaction that contributed to "her problems." Ummmm....Fourth Amendment? Hello???
Since when is Rifqa the one with "problems?" And what exactly does the state consider a "problem?" Believing in Christianity? Fearing a brutal death at the hands of her family? Why does the state seem so willing to believe the father in this case? Maybe for fear of offending someone of the Muslim faith?
Last week, an Arizona man of Muslim belief tried to kill his daughter by running her over with his SUV. Her crime was becoming "too westernized." And yet the supporters of Islam keep denying that "honor killings" happen. Oh really?
- January 1, 2008 -- Amina and Sarah Said were shot dead in Irving, Texas, on New Year’s Day. Police are searching for their father, Yaser Abdel Said, on a warrant for capital murder.
The girls’ great aunt, Gail Gartrell, told reporters, “This was an honor killing.” She explained that Yaser Said had long abused the girls, and after discovering that they had boyfriends, had threatened to kill them -- whereupon their mother fled with them. “She ran with them,” said Gartrell, “because she knew he would carry out the threat.” But Said found them, and apparently did carry it out.
- July 6, 2008 -- A Pakistani named Chaudhry Rashid strangled his 25-year-old daughter San- deela Kanwal with a Bungee cord in her bedroom because she wanted to end her arranged marriage. This “honor killing” came not in Pakistan, but in Jonesboro, Ga. – a suburb 16 miles outside Atlanta.
At his arraignment, Rashid said through an Urdu interpreter that he was “not in the state of mind to talk because of the death of his daughter,” but stated “I have done nothing wrong.”
- February 12, 2009 -- Aasiya Z. Hassan, 37, was found dead on Thursday at the offices of Bridges TV in Orchard Park, N.Y., near Buffalo. Her husband, Muzzammil Hassan, 44, has been charged with second-degree murder. Aasiya was beheaded.
"She was very much aware of the potential ramification her filing for divorce might have," said attorney Elizabeth DiPirro, whose law firm, Hogan Willig, represented Aasiya Hassan in the divorce proceeding. "But she wanted to proceed despite the potential for it to erupt."
- October 20, 2009 -- Peoria police are looking for a Glendale, Arizona, man who allegedly ran over his 20-year-old daughter and another woman in the Department of Economic Security parking lot Tuesday.
Faleh Hassan Almaleki, 48, was reportedly angry at his daughter, Noor Faleh Almaleki, for becoming ‘too westernized’ and not living according to their traditional Iraqi values.
Governor Charlie Crist of Florida may need not worry about his political career. Should Rifqa be martyred, it'll be the blood on his hands that will be his bigger worry. He's had every opportunity to use whatever legal avenue at his disposal to save this girl, yet he has chosen not to intervene.
Also at fault would be the ACLU. Let me ask a question. If this had been a 17-year-old who had run away from a Christian home to practice Islam, would the ACLU be as silent as they've been in Rifqa's case? Absolutely not. They'd be in court daily to petition for the youngster's "freedom of religion." Why haven't they fought for Rifqa's right to practice Christianity freely and without fear?
Rifqa: May God the Father protect you and keep you safe. At the end of this chapter of your life, you will have taught us how to be brave in the face of adversity. I pray for the strength you've shown. God bless you and keep you always.
Please, dear readers, pray that Rifqa is kept safe by the loving hands of God.
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14 comments:
Amen. Shall do. Thanks B&G.
Thanks, Ran. She needs every prayer we can offer.
Dr. Dave: Not divide, just conquer.
PF: First, ANY person who rapes, molests, or kills children, regardless of faith, should have the children removed from their homes. Period. I don't care whether they're Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, Atheist...whatever. Harming a child is NOT acceptable.
Second, if children enjoy no rights under the Constitution, then why can a 12- or 13-year-old get condoms or even an abortion without having to tell their parents because of their "Constitutional right to privacy?"
Thirdly, Rifqa ran to the home of a pastor and his family. SHE has asserted many times her reasons. You make it sound like she ran away to be able to party and live it up. Dangerous thing to do? Probably. But maybe she's strong enough in her faith that she felt God would protect her. And He did.
While I do not condone ethnic slurs, there is a little thingy called the First Amendment. I may not agree with what is said, but I will defend with my dying breath someone's right to say it.
On that note, if you find the "n" word inappropriate as I do, then why don't you lobby for the black community to stop using that word? I hear it more from there than any white community I know.
Odie: Wish we could spot the stupid ones in government first. That would be a great start!
Personal failure there are fallacies in your argument. Christians don't teach rape, child abuse, and killing. In fact, it's against the laws of Christianity. Islam teaches honor killings. Your flaws show your ignorance of both religions.
Secondly, it's well establish adults must go through the same rituals that now offend rights. This isn't a matter for just children. Have you been to an airport or a courthouse lately? The same schools you speak of have rules for adults as well before they enter the doors.
Thirdly, Ms. Bary is 17, and is considered an adult in most states and can leave home and quit school. Our oppressive government has no right ignoring the concerns for her life, especially after what I have personally been through over the past month.
This is a travesty and the state of Florida should be ashamed.
Personal failure: I challenge you to find me one case of Christians in the last century doing "honor killings for those who change their religious views. To you Christianity is the source of all evil. Forget the fact that in most Muslim countries you would have your head chopped off, you could be raped and you would be dishonored, not the man and you would not be allowed to read and write. You would have to cover your entire body at all times, you could not own property but you yourself would be considered property. So which is worse, the average Christian or the average Muslim? So that you really think about this honestly, lets ask this another way, would you rather be dropped of alone in a Mosque in Tehran or a Baptist church in Mobile Alabama? Where would you get better treatment?
BB: Amen. Very well said.
Andrew!!! Crist should hang his head in shame for not doing what he could to protect this girl. He may suffer politically for it.
You are on the money about the choices you have PF between a mosque and a church. The mosque wouldn't have to be in Tehran, though. All of the imams in this country are immigrants, and I'm sure that they run the mosques here just as they do in their native lands.
Remember I have ben saying all over the blogs that Crist is a punk. He also leans the same way as Barney Frank and I don't mean politically. Crist's marriage is a scam since he has aspirations to higher office. I was keeping this to myself as this is "inside info" but I am so angry about this that I'm letting the cat out of the bag. The rumors were out there and they are 100% true!
IN a Mosque here, you could escape and then be out of the mosque's control. In Tehran, it would be a tad different.
Andrew: About Crist....EWWWWW! lol
And you're right. In Tehran, they'd behead you as you left.
By the way, did you read my offer over at TeresaAmerica's blog: basically if you like the art I have been doing lately like yesterdays with the talking cars in the "Cash for Clunkers" post, I am offering do do those for our closest friends. You are most definitely among our closest blogger friends and so if you want pictures merged or someone in a photo to say something, let me know as I am very quick with the program now and don't mind using it to help out our friends who have given us so much support. All you have to do is e-mail me a jpeg and tell me what you want it to say or the characters in the pic to say. As long as they are simple, I can do them in a matter of seconds now. I am doing this because if your blog grows, those people come over to our blog and vise versa. He help each other. We repost each others' blogs. If you don't know about it, ask KOOK to show you the "liberty well" concept we (mostly he) are toying with. I will send you an e-mail shortly with a link to the site. I think you will be surprised!
BlackandGoldFan -
Our group, Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) at realcourage.org, is also seeking to build a human rights movement for such women and others. You might want to see what we are doing. By the way, I am also originally from Pittsburgh, as well....
Jeff
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