Fathima Rifqa Bary conversion and custody controversy

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Fathima Rifqa Bary is an American teenager of Sri Lankan descent who drew international attention in 2009 when she ran away from home and claimed that her Muslim parents might kill her for having converted to Christianity. Two independent investigations in Ohio and Florida found no credible evidence that her life was in danger. [1][2][3] A relatively minor issue on the face of it, Ms. Bary's case has become a focal point in a culture clash between Evangelical Christians and Muslim Americans. Muslim sources say it is motivated by Islamophobia, Christian sources say they fear for Bary's life because they believe Islamic Sharia law mandates honor killing for apostasy.



History

Fathima Rifqa Bary is the 17 year old daughter of Mohamed and Aysha Bary, Muslim immigrants from Sri Lanka. She grew up in Columbus, Ohio. the family attended the Noor Islamic Cultural Center near Columbus, Ohio.[4]



According to Time Magazine, Rifqa ran away from home in July 2009 to the home of a Christian pastor in Florida whose wife she had met on Facebook. She had been with Reverend Blake Lorenz and his wife Mrs. Beverly Lorenz for three weeks before they contacted child welfare authorities. Her case drew attention when she appeared on television and declared that her father "said he would kill me or send me back to Sri Lanka," describing herself as the intended victim of an honor killing.[5] A friend from the House of Prayer in Columbus, Ohio, drove her to a bus station where she purchased a ticket under an assumed name for her bus ride to Orlando.[6]


Her parents say they have never threatened to harm her.[7] Her father, a jeweler, told a reporter that "Honestly, we didn't know why she left." And that as to the death threat described by his daughter, "She doesn't know what she's talking about," and "I want her to come back home. I love my daughter whether she's Christian or anything else. I want my daughter back."[8]


Law enforcement investigations


Bary was taken into custody by Florida child welfare authorities while an investigation proceeded. On September 14, 2009 a Florida court ruled that it found no credible evidence that Bary's life or well-being had been threatened by her family.[1][2][3] The FDLE report states with respect to the allegations of physical and verbal abuse that they found no credible evidence of such abuse.[3] In the report Mr. Bary states that he did pick up Rifqa's Laptop to throw it but did not throw it due to the cost of the laptop.[3] For these items they relied on the authorities in Ohio.[3] The FDLE report also listed several statements by Rifqa Bary which were not supported by evidence.[3] Rifqa Bary stated to them that her father did not know about the true nature of her cheerleading, the FDLE report states that pictures of her in uniform were prominently displayed in the Bary home. Furthermore Mr. Bary gave permission when Mrs. Bary would not.[3] Rifqa Bary stated that a teacher offered her refuge due to the abuse she suffered. The FDLE report states that the teacher was unaware of any abuse, and was concerned about parties, with alcohol consumption, which were thrown by Rilvan Bary (Rifqa's older brother) when the parents were away.[3] The FDLE report also stated that they did not investigate anyone in the larger Ohio Muslim community.[3] The FDLE report has been criticized by John Guandolo, an Ex FBI agent writing for the Center for Security Policy who alleges that Islamic Law requires that apostasy is a capital offense.[3][9] The FDLE responds that "FLDE conducted a thorough investigation of this situation."[9]



Public debate


The case "made international headlines."[10] According to the Columbus Dispatch, the story became a flashpoint of hostility between some members of the Christian and Muslim communities after a "cacophony of blogs, cable TV news reports and Facebook pages populated by strangers who assert—assuredly—anything they want to about her faith and her family and what they think should happen to her."[11] Time Magazine calls Bary's case a "cause célèbre." Stating that "Conservative websites often accused of anti-Muslim agendas, such as the Jawa Report, Atlas Shrugs and WorldNetDaily, have been lighting up over the Rifqa fight."[12]



Imam Muhammad Musri of the Islamic Society of Central Florida told the press that the controversy "has been sponsored by far-right religious groups who are intent on demonizing Islam and Muslims and painting the Columbus, Ohio, community with being all extreme and fundamentalist and they're out to kill this poor girl," and that he had "great doubts that any father, especially a Muslim father, would harm his little girl."[11] Harry Coverston, who is a former public defender, an Episcopalian priest, and a professor of religion at the University of Central Florida told a journalist that some people "need an enemy" that will be seen as "demonic and fierce and threatening."[11] Dr. Hany Saqr of the Noor Islamic Cultural Center stated, “These Islamophobes are not only paranoiac but are so manipulative. Their method of guilt by association is comical in a way and dangerous in another."[13] [13]


Apostasy in Islam

Claims on the punishment of apostasy have been central to the debate on the custody of Fathima Rifqa Bary. For example John Guandolo, former FBI agent, criticized the FDLE report based in part on his understanding that Sharia mandates honor killing for apostasy.[9] He also states his belief that the parents attornies, provided by CAIR, are really members of the Muslim Brotherhood.


Modern Islamic scholars hold that apostasy in Sharia was used as a political-religious tool to punish treason against the state and is no longer valid under modern conditions, where no state is based solely on common Muslim faith. Under traditional Islamic law[14], however, an apostate may be given up to three days while in incarceration to repent and accept Islam again, and if not the apostate is to be killed without any reservations. In the period of the early Islamic Caliphate, apostasy was considered treason, and was accordingly treated as a capital offense; death penalties were carried out under the authority of the Caliph.


Sharia law is ultimately based on what Muslims belive are the teachings of God as found in the Qur'an, hadith and sunnah.[15] On the issue of apostasy the Hadith are in agreement, in one Muhamad says "'Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him.'"[16], another says "The blood of a Muslim, who confesses that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that I am His Apostle, cannot be shed except in three cases,".[17] He lists adultery, fighting (militarily) against the Muslim community, and murder.[17]. This however can easily bee seen as not extending to apostates, since they no longer confess "that none has the right to be worshiped but Allah and that [Muhamad is] His Apostle". In the Quran "Verily, We sent down to you [O Muhammad] the Book [Qur'an] for mankind in truth. So, whosoever goes astray, he goes astray to his own loss. And you [O Muhammad] are not a guardian over them. (The Quran, Az-Zumar 39:41) This would mean, at least, that the apostate is no longet protected by the Islamic community, he could then be killed in any of the lawful ways under Sharia.


Medieval Muslim scholars (eg Sufyan al-Thawri) and modern (eg Hasan at-Turabi), have argued that the hadith used to justify execution of apostates should be taken to apply only to political betrayal of the Muslim community, rather than to apostasy in general.[18] These scholars argue for the freedom to convert to and from Islam without legal penalty, and consider the aforementioned Hadith quote as insufficient confirmation of harsh punishment; they regard apostasy as a serious crime, but undeserving of the death penalty. Javed Ahmad Ghamidi, an Islamic scholar, writes that punishment for apostasy was part of Divine punishment for only those who denied the truth even after clarification in its ultimate form by Muhammad (see Itmaam-i-hujjat), hence, he considers it a time-bound command and no longer punishable.[19] Jamal Badwi a professor of religion at St Mary's University quoting Dr. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi "The benefit of doubt must be given and only those in legitimate authority and knowledge may deal with such situation as no one is allowed to take the law in their own hands."[20]


The 2006 case of Abdul Rahman is an example of how apostasy is treated by the most radical of muslim states. He was tried and sentenced to death by a court in Afganistan for conversion to Christianity in Afganistan 16 years prior.[21] He was released from jail and was granted asylum in Italy in 2007.[22][23]


References

1. ^ a b Fla. police: No credible threat to runaway convert, AP, NOv. 14, 2009 [1]
2. ^ a b Fathima Rifqa Bary: No credible reports of threats toward Rifqa, FDLE says; In an investigative report unsealed today, Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) did not discover any threats toward Rifqa Bary or her family in Ohio, Amy L. Edwards , Orlando Sentinel, Sept. 14, 2009 [2]
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Florida Department of Law Enforcement Investigative Summary OR-73-1741 Accessed September 15th 2009
4. ^ Attorney Targets Alleged Terror Ties in Case of Runaway Girl, Fox News, Aug. 31, 2009 [3]
5. ^ A Florida Culture-War Circus Over Rifqa Bary, Time Magazine, Tim Padgett, Aug. 24, 2009 [4]
6. ^ Fla. police: No credible threat to runaway convert, AP, Nov. 14, 2009 [5]
7. ^ Runaway convert to stay in Fla. pending hearing, (AP) Aug 21, 2009 [6]
8. ^ Runaway teen convert: Judge may decide next chapter for Rifqa Bary,17-year-old convert Orlando judge expected to decide today between keeping Rifqa Bary in Florida foster care or sending her back to Columbus, Amy L. Edwards and Rene Stutzman, Orlando Sun Sentinel , Aug. 21, 2009 [7]
9. ^ a b c Couple who sheltered Rifqa Bary speak Updated: Friday, 18 Sep 2009, 12:13 AM EDT Published : Thursday, 17 Sep 2009, 10:07 PM EDT TRACY JACIM
10. FOX 35 News
11. ^ Fathima Rifqa Bary: No credible reports of threats toward Rifqa, FDLE says; In an investigative report unsealed today, FDLE did not discover any threats toward Rifqa Bary or her family in Ohio, Amy L. Edwards , Orlando Sentinel, Sept. 14, 2009 [8]
12. ^ a b c Amid a holy war, National debate over a Columbus teen's faith exposes hostility between some Christians and Muslims, September 14 Meredith Heagney, [9]
13. ^ A Florida Culture-War Circus Over Rifqa Bary, Time Magazine, Tim Padgett, Aug. 24, 2009 [10]
14. ^ a b Institutional Islamophobia and the politics of a minor’s choice by Abukar Arman, Yemen Times (English), Issue: (1294), Volume 16 , From 14 September 2009 to 16 September 2009, Friday September 18, 2009
15. ^ according to Abdurrahmani'l-Djaziri's Kitabul'l-fiqh 'ala'l-madhahibi'l-'arba'a i.e. Apostasy in Islam according to the Four Schools of Islamic Law (Vol. 5, pp. 422-440) First English Edition (Villach): 1997
16. ^ Coulson, Noel James. A history of Islamic law (Islamic surveys). Oxford: University Press, 1964.
17. ^ Sahih al BukariVolume 9, Book 84, Number 57 via Center for Muslim Jewish Engagement
18. ^ a b Sunan Abu Dawud, book 31 Kitab al Hudud, (Prescribed Punishments)
19. ^ "Islam & Pluralism - A Contemporary Approach". Islam Online. http://www.islamonline.net/english/Contemporary/2003/05/Article01a.shtml. Retrieved 2006-03-23.
20. ^ Javed Ahmad Ghamidi. The Punishment for Apostasy,Renaissance,Al-Mawrid Institute, 6(11), November, 1996
21. ^ Is Apostasy a Capital Crime in Islam? Dr Jamal Badwi
22. ^ Afghan convert 'would be killed'Last Updated: Friday, 31 March 2006, 08:46 GMT 09:46 UK BBC
23. ^ Christian Convert Released From Prison, Amir Shah, AP, 28 March 2006
24. ^ Afghan convert 'arrives in Italy', BBC, 29 March 2006, 17:07 GMT

Her Personal Writings Show She Wanted to be a Prophet

Fathima Rifqa Bary Update: Her Personal Writings Show She Wanted to be a Prophet


Posted on 17 September 2009 by Cobbler


Fathima Rifqa Bary


This case gets stranger by the day as more and more is revealed about the facts surrounding what actually happened.


Fathima Rifqa Bary claimed under the arm of an Evangelical pastor that her father wanted to kill her; according to new reports, it is now clear that she also secretly fancied herself as a prophet a la Esther in the Bible. Now as kooky as this seems to most of us, in this country we have religious freedom as well as freedom of expression. Rifqa is welcome to join the long line of self-declared prophets that routinely pop up in this country, and we have a right to dismiss her as a brainwashed zealot. But when as a consequence of her new found zeal, she accuses, or is manipulated into accusing, another person of physically harming her and threatening her life then it becomes a matter of public concern and a matter for the realm of law and order. As has been pointed out before, in both of those realms, Rifqa’s claims have been not been found to hold water.


Interestingly, all the bloggers who have been in a frenzy over this case, attempting to prove Islam evil, and her family as medieval monsters by manipulating Rifqa into their coveted poster girl for “victim of Islam” have been discredited as they have had to turn to blatant lies to cover up their shameful attempt to destroy a family, but more on that later. Now, they have the extra egg on their face having to explain their enlightened convert’s outrageous claims of prophethood.


(We at LW think that Rifqa should not be demonized, glorified, apostasized, or prophecized — we think she is just another deeply troubled teen in sore need of professional help and hope she gets it. Shame on the Florida wackos and the Spencers and the Gellers who are exploiting her predicament for their own apocalyptic gutter causes.)

Fathima Rifqa Bary: Rifqa’s Personal Writings Indicate She Wants to be a Prophet


By Rene Stutzman and Amy L. Edwards


A Muslim girl who gave her heart to Jesus and then ran away to Christian evangelists in Orlando is not just any Christian. She is driven to save souls and prays that God will make her a prophet.


That’s according to writings she left behind when she fled.


“Lord is preparing me and He has me hidden … until the time is right,” Fathima Rifqa Bary wrote in a computer entry obtained by the Orlando Sentinel. “I am called to the nations. Send me to the deepest darkest places into the pagan land.”


Rifqa, 17, lives with a foster family in the Orlando area. She fled here, she insists, because her father threatened to kill her for abandoning Islam.


There’s no evidence of that, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and child-welfare officials in Columbus, but her claim and her wrenching, tearful YouTube video have prompted a firestorm of response. Thousands of people have weighed in, most insisting that if Florida officials send her back to Ohio, she’ll face certain death.


After Rifqa disappeared July 19, family members searched for clues about why she left. They found a computer flash drive and were stunned by what they read.


Contents of the flash drive were given by her father, Mohamed Bary, to the Council on American-Islamic Relations of Columbus, which shared parts of it with the Sentinel. Bary authorized publication.


Facebook preaching


The writings reveal a young woman who has embraced fundamentalist Christianity, who has stood outside an abortion clinic, duct tape across her mouth, alongside other protesters, and who has dreamed about Armageddon.


She must convert her family to Christianity, she wrote, including her older brother, Rilvan, 18, who worships “demonic music.” She must approach strangers and talk about Jesus. She saved a list of tips on how to do that:


“Do NOT be sneaky,” she wrote. “Sit down … get to know them … [Ask] would you mind for 5min if I share the gospel with you.”


She compared herself to the Old Testament heroine Esther and wrote out or saved religious pep talks.


“What does it take to be a prophet?” she wrote. “If I am a friend of God I can be prophetic. … You have to want it. Everyday pray for prophesy.”


Also on the flash drive are 250 pages of Facebook preaching and blogging by a young Columbus evangelist, Brian Michael Williams, 23, a former Ohio State University sociology student and Rifqa’s religious mentor, according to Bary.


Those are the writings Bary said troubled him most.


Williams prays with people by “laying my hands on the [computer] monitor and prophesying,” Williams wrote. He calls Planned Parenthood’s founder a racist Nazi, does not believe in evolution, speaks in tongues and criticizes mainstream Christians as following a “demonic doctrine” for being spiritually lethargic and failing to evangelize.


Williams baptized Rifqa in a creek near her home in June, he said, and helped her run away — unwittingly, he insists — by driving her to the Greyhound bus station in downtown Columbus.


To Rifqa’s father, Williams is a Christian extremist who turned Rifqa against her family and put lies in her head.


‘An inspiration to me’


Williams said that’s not true. Rifqa, he said, is the one who convinced him that because her father was a Muslim, Bary must kill her to preserve the family’s honor.


“I really appreciate Rifqa’s courage, and she’s been an inspiration to me,” Williams said in a phone interview.


Rifqa’s attorney, John Stemberger, and her guardian ad litem, Krista Bartholomew, were prohibited from commenting on the writings because of a gag order issued by Orange Circuit Judge Daniel Dawson.


In the past week, Rifqa’s parents have launched a new strategy to get their daughter returned to Ohio and placed in its foster-care system. There are now two juvenile-court cases pending in Columbus. Last week, her father filed one, asking a judge to declare his daughter incorrigible for repeatedly being disobedient.


Someone else on Monday filed a separate petition naming Rifqa, something that could give a Franklin County judge the authority to determine where and with whom she lives. The Franklin County, Ohio, Clerk of Courts Office would not identify the petitioner.


Amy L. Edwards of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report. Rene Stutzman can be reached at 407-650-6394 or rstutzman@orlandosentinel.com.


Copyright © 2009, Orlando Sentinel

1 Comments For This Post


James Says:


September 18th, 2009 at 7:58 pm


“We at LW think that Rifqa should not be demonized, glorified, apostasized, or prophecized — we think she is just another deeply troubled teen in sore need of professional help and hope she gets it. Shame on the Florida wackos and the Spencers and the Gellers who are exploiting her predicament for their own apocalyptic gutter causes”

I wholeheartedly agree and I hope everyone goes easy on her. The teenage years are tough. I hope she gets the help she needs. Shame on people who jumped to conclusions on a complicated story for their own polemical purposes.

Courtesy: http://www.loonwatch.com/2009/09/fathima-rifqa-bary-update-her-personal-writings-show-she-wanted-to-be-a-prophet/

The Christian Runaway By Arian Campo-Flores | Newsweek Web Exclusive

Updated: 6:26 p.m. ET Sep 9, 2009



High-school student Rifqa Bary says her conversion to Christianity threatened her life. Her Muslim parents say they just want their daughter back—no matter what faith she practices.

Family torn apart: Aysha and Mohamed Bary (left) speak to reporters in Columbus, Ohio, on Aug. 13. Rifqa Bary gets a hug from her caseworker Maxine Kisimbi (right) during a hearing in Orlando on Sept. 3.

Brian Williams wasn't sure what to make of his young friend's stories. He'd met Rifqa Bary, a high-school student from Gahanna, Ohio, at a prayer house at Ohio State University late last year. Intensely devout and deeply inquisitive, she recounted that she came from a Muslim family but had converted to Christianity. This had enraged her parents, who threatened her with violence, she said. She had to hide her faith, conceal her Bible, and sneak away to attend church. According to Williams, a nondenominational minister, she researched the persecution of Christians around the world obsessively and lived in constant fear that her parents would kill her for apostasy. At first "I didn't believe her, to be honest," says Williams. "Maybe she's just young and overemotional," he thought.

But Bary spoke with such conviction that she eventually convinced Williams. And when she ran away from home and fled to Orlando in July, claiming she was in danger of falling victim to an "honor killing," it seemed like all the more reason to trust that she was telling the truth. Why else would she uproot her life that way? Nevertheless, three separate investigations—two by authorities in Ohio and one by law enforcement in Florida—have found no reason to believe that her allegations are true or her life is imperiled. Her parents vehemently deny all the accusations she has made against them and say they have no issue with her being a Christian. Yet Bary continues to maintain that if she's returned to Ohio, she'll be murdered.


The dispute is now the subject of a rancorous legal battle in Florida family court. It's up to a judge to sort through the facts and determine what's best for Bary, 17, who's living with a foster family in Orlando. But that won't be easy. Her case has spilled far beyond the courtroom walls and escalated into a virulent religious clash. She's being represented by John Stemberger, a conservative Christian lawyer who was involved in the battle over Terri Schiavo, the Florida woman kept alive with a feeding tube until it was disconnected in 2005. He and various right-wing groups have unleashed a barrage of allegations against Bary's parents and a mosque they attend in Columbus, Ohio. Yet as Krista Bartholomew, Bary's guardian ad litem (appointed by the court to offer guidance on the girl's best interests), said in a hearing last Thursday, "This is not a holy war. This is a case about a frightened little girl and a broken family."


Mohamed and Aysha Bary left Sri Lanka in 2000 with their two kids, Rifqa and an older brother, and moved to New York (their third child, a boy, was born in the United States). The reason: concern about Rifqa's well-being. As a child, she'd fallen on a toy airplane that pierced her right eye. Doctors in Sri Lanka wanted to remove the eye, prompting Mohamed to relocate the whole family so Rifqa could obtain better medical treatment. In the end, her eye was spared, though she can't see out of it. Then, in 2004, Mohamed moved the family again, this time to seek a better public education for the kids. He settled on the Columbus area, which had highly ranked schools. At New Albany High School, Rifqa excelled. She maintained a 3.5 grade-point average and became a member of the cheerleading squad. Mohamed "is so proud of his children," says Gary Abbott, his closest friend in the U.S. (and a Christian). "He values them more than his own life."



Soon after arriving in Ohio, Rifqa began exploring Christianity. (Though the Barys raised their kids Muslim, Mohamed says the family didn't attend mosque regularly, due to his travel schedule as a gem dealer.) According to Jamal Jivanjee, a Muslim-to-Christian convert who later befriended Rifqa (and now lives in Nashville), she first learned about Jesus Christ from a girl in junior high who shared Scripture with her. The idea that "you could have a relationship with God was a very attractive concept to her," says Jivanjee. In 2005, Rifqa became a Christian at Korean United Methodist Church in Columbus, according to an affidavit filed by her lawyer. With time, she became more fervent about her beliefs. Williams says she regularly attended prayer groups and participated in pro-life gatherings at abortion clinics. She also connected with fellow believers online, through religious groups like the United States of Prayer on Facebook. "The Internet became her church," says Williams, who calls Bary "by far the most passionate Christian I think I've ever met."


Bary's claims about her parents' hostility to her new religion date back at least a year. In an August 2008 e-mail to Jivanjee, she described her parents as "very devoted Muslims" and wrote that after accepting Jesus at the age of 13, "of course I couldn't tell them. Where would I live and go?" Noting that Jivanjee was also a convert, she asked, "How were you able to handle the persecution?" In her affidavit, Bary contends that her father forced her to attend youth gatherings every Saturday at the Noor Islamic Cultural Center in Dublin, Ohio (though the center says its records show she attended only three classes there in 2007). Mohamed, a polite, mild-mannered man who seems deeply pained by the acrimony, responds that all this is nonsense. He and his wife learned that Rifqa considered herself a Christian when she was 14, he says, and though they would have preferred she remain Muslim, "we did not make a big fuss about it." Plus, he points out, if they were indeed such fanatics, why would they have let their daughter prance around as a cheerleader?


Mohamed says Rifqa's behavior began to change more markedly at the beginning of this summer. She became withdrawn, barely speaking to him when they drove places together. She rejected the company of her little brother, with whom she'd always been affectionate. She would stay up late, reading her Bible on the balcony. Aysha also found books in the girl's room that she found troubling, like Is the Injeel Corrupted? (Its author, Fouad Masri, believes that "radical Islam is a reflection of a spiritual thirst that can only be quenched through the teachings and the life of Christ," according to one of his press releases.) Moreover, Rifqa was constantly on Facebook, interacting with people her parents had no clue about. "We were worried," says Mohamed.


Rifqa's religious zeal seems to have intensified during this period. She asked Williams, who was licensed at the nondenominational All Nations Church earlier this year, to baptize her, and he agreed. So one afternoon in late June, he says, they held a ceremony at Hoover Dam Recreation Area in Columbus that was attended by a few dozen of her friends and acquaintances. Bary and Williams waded into the lake, and she shared testimony about how she came to know Jesus and prayed that her family would become Christians as well. Then she was immersed.



Around this time, according to Williams, Bary became convinced that she had to prepare to flee. He says she reached out to folks on Facebook and heard back from at least six or seven who volunteered to take her in. The final impetus for her escape apparently came from two episodes she recounts in her affidavit. First, she maintains that her father confronted her about her Christianity. "If you have this Jesus in your heart, you are dead to me!" she says he yelled at her. "I will kill you!" (Mohamed emphatically denies this.) Then, she alleges, her mother discovered a Christian book in her bedroom, burst into tears, and told Rifqa she would "have to be sent back to Sri Lanka to be dealt with." (Mohamed says Aysha reprimanded the girl for coming home late one night and made a comment along the lines of "We came here for your education. If it goes on like this, we'll all have to go back to Sri Lanka.") Around July 17 or 18, Jivanjee received an e-mail from Bary. "The day has come that I dreaded," she wrote. "I'm ready to die for my faith."


Early on the morning of July 19, Bary took off. According to her subsequent account to Williams, she managed to hitch a ride to a church from a woman she didn't know and spent all day praying there. Then someone drove her to a friend's house, and eventually she was taken to a Greyhound station. She boarded a bus, and some 30 hours later, on July 22, she arrived in Orlando, where Blake and Beverly Lorenz live. Though Bary had never met the couple—both pastors of the evangelical Global Revolution Church—Beverly was one of the people she had communicated with on Facebook. (The Lorenzes declined an interview request.)


Bary's parents, who knew none of this, became frantic when they discovered their daughter was gone. They filed a missing-persons report with Columbus police and reached out to everyone they could think of. Police say the Barys cooperated fully with their investigation and seemed like loving parents who were worried sick. Searching among Rifqa's personal items, the Barys found a flash drive filled with spiritual writings by Williams. He'd already spoken to the family and told them he didn't know where Rifqa was. But on Aug. 5—more than two weeks after the girl went missing—Columbus police interviewed him by phone (he was now living in Kansas City, Mo.). He says they threatened to arrest him if Bary didn't appear in the next 24 hours. Immediately after that call, he says, Kansas City police went to his home looking for the girl. Alarmed, Williams says he called and e-mailed all the people he knew Bary had been in touch with, including Blake Lorenz, who's a Facebook friend of his.


The Lorenzes had been housing Bary the whole time, even though it's a misdemeanor in Florida to shelter an unmarried minor for more than 24 hours (the Florida Department of Law Enforcement won't say whether it's investigating the couple). Their attorney, Mat Staver, says they consulted various agencies and nonprofits regarding how to handle Bary's situation. They also called the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) several times, though they didn't provide the specifics of her case until Aug. 6 (the day after Williams contacted Blake Lorenz). On Aug. 7, Orlando police picked up Bary, and soon she was in DCF custody. In a procedural error, however, the agency allowed the girl to return to the Lorenz home for three days before moving her to a licensed foster family. During that time, the couple allowed a local TV news crew to tape an interview with Bary that soon appeared on YouTube. Distraught and at times hysterical, the girl alleged that her parents had threatened to commit an honor killing against her. "If they love God more than me, they have to do this," she said. "I'm fighting for my life." (Muslim scholars say that in Islam, there's no such thing as an honor killing for apostasy.)


Once Bary's case became public, numerous Christian conservatives fanned the flames. "This conflict between Islam and Christianity is going to grow greater," said Blake Lorenz, according to the St. Petersburg Times. "This conflict between good and evil is going to grow greater." Stemberger, Bary's lawyer, filed a 33-page memorandum in her case that's filled with innuendo and provocative allegations against the Noor Center, the mosque that the Barys occasionally attend (on a conference call with reporters, Stemberger insisted that the accusations have been "documented extensively"). Among them: that the center is connected to an FBI terror probe (which the FBI denies) and that its CEO has connections to the Muslim Brotherhood (which, along with every other allegation, the Noor Center denies). The mosque is actually regarded as mainstream and regularly hosts interfaith events. "Unfortunately, hate groups appear to be using this family matter as an opportunity to attack the Muslim community and Islamic organizations in order to further their religious and political goals," the center said in a statement.


The court proceedings have been no less combative. At an arraignment last week, the Barys formally denied the allegations made against them. During the proceedings, eight attorneys representing various parties—Rifqa, her parents, and DCF among them—clashed repeatedly, prompting Rifqa to cry at one point. The judge overseeing the case, Daniel Dawson, has ordered the parties into mediation, but it's clear that is unlikely to get anywhere. As a result, the case will probably go to trial (a pretrial hearing is scheduled for Sept. 29), leaving it up to Dawson to decide whether Rifqa will remain in Florida—which she says she wants—or be reunited with her parents. The Barys have volunteered to participate in family counseling with Franklin County Children Services in Ohio, and they agreed to let Rifqa stay with a foster family there in the meantime. But for now, the state of Florida has custody of her. "It's very hard for us to believe that it has gone so far," says Mohamed. "We love her; we want her to come back. She can be a Christian, that's not a problem."

Courtesy: http://www.newsweek.com/id/215100/page/1

The Rifqa Bary Case Analysis

Here is an analysis of the Rifqa Bary case by one of our readers:

Pastor Blake Lorenz mentions that Rifqa 'secretly' converted to Christianity four years ago. How old was Rifqa when she switched religions...13 or 14 years old. Her disenchantment with Islam began when she was ...12 ? 11? 10 yrs? So, while other girls of her age were busy skipping rope and giggling at boys, Rifqa was full on investigating comparative religions. Or, that the parents were so cruel to her that she had to find solace in some other outlet ..like Christianity. But, cruel parents do not make the effort to take their daughter to eye doctors and allowing her to join choirs and other typical American activities...which led to Rifqa becoming a a cheer-leader. Rifqa's parents were proud of her!

"Her religion..(implying to her conversion to Christianity) was only discovered recently by her father" said Pastor Blake now, Pastor Blake... what do you mean by recently? How many months, or weeks, or days....because recently would mean...something that has happened lately.. a new development. This means that Rifqa's parents ...more so her father because he is supposed to be the one who has threatened to kill Rifqa, was threatening Rifqa in the last few months, weeks , days...?

She went missing for three weeks. Lets take one week before she went 'missing'. Rifqa's father came to know that she was 'chatting' to a group of pastors..... Global Revolutionary Church on facebook. Her father could have remarked that she was 'dead' to them if she hangs around this church group and follow their ways because after all, she a young Muslim girl, and would be highly susceptible to the machinations of this lot. She was an easy pick for this Global Revolution people. There was every chance that Rifqa did not know much about her own religion. The pastors group can pump up the 'glory of Jesus. The only god of redemption and everlasting love' she would be ideal for showcasing the persuasive powers of this Global Revolution Church (GRC). She can be a 'star'. So, did they exhort her to come to this meeting of these pastors? Did they say "there are wonderful things that Rifqa could learn and she would be among "friends" who would love and protect her.


Lets say that after one week of her father getting to learn about this 'facebook' people, Rifqa left for Orlando... Mohamed Bary reported that their daughter was missing. After three weeks she was found with Global Rev.Ch. Blake Lorenz told police that Rifqa said that her parents would not inform police, but the parents did inform and state wide search was on, and the national centre for missing and EXPLOITED CHILDREN were on to it.. and found.. Rifqa Bary.


What happened next.. was seen by the world at large. Media loves a story like this. Iit makes for great 'ratings'. The more hype.. the better the story. More the controversy. The better the 'watch ability' on TV, the net, etc. They knew that the Christians would lap up this episode and would sharpen their swords to thrust at the 'evil' Muslims.


And they knew that this GRC would love the exposure. The story of a teen Muslim turning to Christ. GRC would be known world wide. Now the media would have been licking their lips, exulting in the moment. You'd be so silly to think that the media's intention is to report truth and fairness.. a 'fair' presentation of the 'Rifqa Bary' story would kill the ratings' for TV, the net etc.


Is it possible that they asked Blake Lorenz to 'coach' Rifqa a bit....can she do a 'sensationalizing' of the whole episode? The media could have said.. "look, this stuff is worth millions of dollars of advertising value for your Global Revolutionary Church. are you going to do "something" about it. To cliché, media 'milks it dry' .. a story,.. that erupts and makes it way to the front pages of the newspapers, lead story for TV, net, etc.


The fire... (the hatred, the prejudice, the jealousy, the envy, the fear of tasting defeat).. is dormant.. re-kindle the smoldering logs and get the flame going. So march on soldiers.. Christian...Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Sai Baba.... and keep Islam maligned. Keep the fire of 'hate' against Islam. This is "our" only hope...Let us..( those virulently opposed to Islam) help create organizations like Taliban etc.


So, 'they' are saying... Islam has to be bludgeoned to death...before it overtakes other religions, philosophies, etc. Will media hang on the Rifqa Bary story because there is tremendous ADVERSE feedback on the aspect of "cruel" Islam and their "antiquated" outlook. Yeah! And how about telling a few lies.... remote control through the mouth of Rifqa Bary. Who outside Sri Lanka (because the people living in Sri Lanka can see and find the truth behind false campaigns) would bother to INQUIRE into news reports that say that some young Muslim women are subject to 'honor' killings? A Christian, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, others living outside Sri Lanka would they bother to doubt, if they said..." in the name of Islam, there are HONOR killings every day in Sri Lanka.


So, if someone said.." last month 33 young Muslim women were found dead with their throats cut.. two bodies were found near the Ratmalana Station....there is great chance this would be "talked" about right across the world. A successful..(Cunning, Machiavellian) journalist will write a story .. and mention a fact that is unrelated to the article he/she is writing like the story on Rifqa Bary where they mention.. honor killings in Sri Lanka ...and say that.. " two bodies of young women were found near the Angulana Station".


Yes, two bodies WERE found. But this could have been the bodies of two women of the fishing village, a fisherman spied on his young wife cheating... having sex with another man. So, he killed her in revenge. The husband of the 'killed' woman walked into the other fisherman’s house and killed the fisherman’s wife. So for e.g. Two bodies were found! See how a story can be made up... talk about Rifqa Bary... and end with the' two bodies' story aimed at the 'haters' of Islam. The story would be gobbled up and passed on to all the world.


They would guzzle this story as quickly as they could and would look for more. Yes, and they would get more in the months to come. So the journalist maybe thinking to himself... "thank god.. for Rifqa Bary at last, my career as a journalist is taking off like a formulae 1 racing car. Hallelujah!


Have you noticed that people read and dwell on things THEY LIKE TO READ. They like to believe the things that they like to believe... if YOU like to believe that Islam is evil...you will PICK on the reading materials that say Islam is evil. No amount of statistics and reasoning, and logic and history will move these people to think that Islam is not evil. A journalist working in a non-Muslim environment/country...will have to cater to the LARGE MAJORITY who are inclined to believe ( in their pet prejudices) the things they want to believe!

The Huffington Post - Rifqa, The Reverand and Apostasy

By Salam Al Marayati

Posted: August 18, 2009 12:43 PM

Fathima Rifqa Bary, who goes by Rifqa, is a 17-year-old from Columbus, Ohio who ran away from home -- not an uncommon occurrence for 17-year-olds. But the circumstances surrounding her story have opened a host of legal, cultural and theological issues.
Her Muslim parents moved the family to the U.S. from Sri Lanka in 2000, seeking medical attention for Rifqa, who had lost her right eye playing with a toy. Rifqa, who the Columbus Dispatch reports was a cheerleader at her high school, joined a Bible study group on Facebook earlier this year and was baptized at a local church.

See the story here.

Last month, she hopped on a bus to Orlando to meet with Rev. Blake Lorenz, who she met through a Facebook prayer group for the couple's non-denominational Global Revolution Church.
Her parents reported their daughter missing and local news covered her disappearance for a full two weeks before police were able to trace her to Lorenz's Orlando church.
Here's what happened when Rifqa was found: Lorenz decides to remain silent and displays Rifqa to a local television news station. She launches into an emotional plea to save her life from Islam. She claims that her parents "love God more than me" and therefore have to perform an honor killing on her. She argues "it's in the Quran". No it's not, sweet little Rifqa. It's not in the Quran. Whoever told you that is either ignorant or a liar. You should look it up yourself before claiming it's in the Quran.Rev. Lorenz is then quoted in a local television station report saying that if a Muslim leaves his religion and does not return to Islam in a couple of days, then he must be killed. He claims that someone showed him the verse. There is no such verse, Rev. Lorenz. In every faith, apostasy is shunned but ultimate judgment is left to God, not people.
Religious conflicts occur in some countries where there are volatile and tense relations between faith groups, particularly where war and ethnic conflicts occur (the Balkans, the Middle East, South Asia). The United States of America is different. Let's preserve the tradition of American religious pluralism and not fall into religious or cultural warfare.
The issue of apostasy is actually addressed in a controversial and oft-misunderstood law. Centuries ago, the apostasy law was actually a treason law, created to address what should happen when a soldier in a Muslim army converts to the other side and then fights against a Muslim country. That's the equivalent of an American working for the Soviet Union during the Cold War, or for the Nazis in World War II. Under U.S. law, treason is punishable by death. Now, state authorities in Florida and Ohio will have to clear up the mess and determine Rifqa's residence. Her father, Mohamed Bary, has a strong endorsement by Sgt. Jerry Cupp of the Columbus Police Department. Cupp told the Associated Press that Bary "comes across to me as a loving, caring, worried father about the whereabouts and the health of his daughter."
For his part, Bary told the Associated Press: "We love her, we want her back, she is free to practice her religion, whatever she believes in, that's OK. What these people are trying to do is not right -- I don't think any religion will teach to separate the kids from their parents."
Mohamed Bary allowed his daughter to become a cheerleader and says she can practice any faith she wants -- clearly, he is not a fundamentalist. He is a concerned father who believes his daughter was brainwashed and kidnapped. Let's see how this story unfolds.