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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