2:28 p.m. EDT, September 11, 2009
Gov. Ted Strickland's office says Ohio officials can protect Fathima Rifqa Bary, who ran away from her Muslim parents to Christian evangelists in Orlando
The office of Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland has issued a statement, saying the teenage girl who ran away from her Muslim home in Columbus, Ohio, to evangelical Christians in Orlando, should be returned.
"Child welfare agencies and authorities in Ohio and Franklin County are fully capable of providing for the security and well-being of Ohio's children," said the statement. "The governor believes this is a family matter and therefore would most appropriately be handled here in Ohio with the assistance of the child welfare and foster care system."
Fathima Rifqa Bary, 17, is currently living with a foster family in the Orlando area. She fled Columbus aboard a Greyhound bus in July, saying her father had threatened to kill her because she had abandoned his faith -- Islam -- and become a Christian.
Her father, Mohamed Bary, a jeweler and Amway distributor, says that never happened. A Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation supports his claim. So does Franklin County Children's Services, the child welfare agency serving Columbus.
Amanda Wurst, a spokeswoman for Strickland, who is an ordained Methodist minister, first issued the statement yesterday. It puts Strickland at odds with Florida's Gov. Charlie Crist.
Three weeks ago, Crist issued a statement, saying he was grateful for a decision by Orange Circuit Judge Daniel Dawson to keep Rifqa in Florida.
Earlier that day, Crist had sent two powerful figures - Rob Wheeler, his top lawyer; and George Sheldon, secretary for the Florida Department of Children and Families – to a hearing at which the judge ruled that Rifqa should stay in Florida, at least temporarily.
"We'll continue to fight to protect Rifqa's safety and wellbeing as we move forward," said Crist in his statement.
Rifqa's story has set off a firestorm of reaction, especially among evangelical Christians. Crist's office reported today that it had received more than 10,000 pieces of e-mail about it.
Wurst said the Ohio governor's office has received more than 400 calls, e-mails and letters about the issue.
Many people have said they're sure Rifqa will be killed if she's returned to Ohio, if not by her father then by Columbus-area Muslims who believe she's dishonored them.
Columbus-area law enforcement officials say there's no evidence to support that claim, and Strickland's office said the same thing.
"We have no reason to believe that she would be unsafe in Ohio," according to his statement.
Copyright © 2009, Orlando Sentine
Showing posts with label Runaway girl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Runaway girl. Show all posts
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
OF FACEBOOK, FAITH AND A RUNAWAY TEEN By MICHAEL KRUSE, TIMES STAFF WRITER, ORLANDO
Copyright 2009 Times Publishing Company - All Rights Reserved
St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
September 8, 2009 Tuesday
0 South Pinellas Edition
NATIONAL; Pg. 1A
As evangelicals spread their message via the Internet, they reach folks like Rifqa Bary.
She lived in Central Ohio, and she fled to Central Florida, but the story of Rifqa Bary didn't start in either place. It started on Facebook.
Bary, 17, ran away from home in July because she believes her Muslim family has to kill her because of her conversion to Christianity. She got on a bus and for 16 days lived in the home of evangelical pastors Blake and Beverly Lorenz of Global Revolution Church after she had gotten to know them through a Facebook prayer group.
The Internet has made meeting more people in more places faster and easier than ever before, and churches are taking advantage. A recent Georgetown University study said 87 percent of religious organizations use the Internet to attract new members. Evangelical Christians, experts say, are particularly good at using social networking sites as powerful tools to proselytize.
Global Revolution isless than a year old and meets in a movie theater in a mall, but it still can have a life-altering impact on a teenage girl and her family more than 1,000 miles away.
"Facebook," Beverly Lorenz said last month in an interview, "is part of my ministry."
"Facebook," Mohamed Bary, the girl's father, said last week, "that was the problem. Not Facebook, but the people who were on who influenced her."
"Evangelicals are aggressively pursuing souls online," said Lee Rainie, the director of the nonpartisan Pew Internet and American Life Project.
"This is pretty deeply embedded in the evangelical communities," he said. "They see it as their great cause: Go ye into all the world."
- - -
Beverly Lorenz, 51, exchanged "seven or eight" Facebook messages with Bary, 16 at the time, this spring and this summer. They had a wee-hours phone call in early July.
The girl showed up at their home late on July 21.
Beverly Lorenz is third generation in the church. Her father was a pastor. So was her grandfather.
She met Blake Lorenz at her father's church. They've been married almost 30 years.
Blake Lorenz, 53, bills himself as a former professional baseball player turned longtime pastor. He's a 1977 graduate of Rollins College in Winter Park and for a while was the school's career leader in pitching wins. He played one summer in the low minor leagues in the Chicago Cubs' organization. He pitched one inning, hit two home runs, and was released.
He felt low and lost until January 1980, he said, when he "met Jesus Christ" in his bedroom.
He was the pastor at Pine Castle United Methodist Church in Orlando for 24 years before he left last fall to start the Global Revolution Church across town. Global Revolution gets together in Theater 10 at the megaplex at Festival Bay. A recent Sunday morning service started with a booming movie-trailer voice: "Buckle up and hold on!"
"Revolution," says the church's Web site, globalrevolutionchurch.org, "means a sudden and radical change. We are about changing our culture."
- - -
The first call Blake Lorenz made to the Department of Children and Families was on July 29. He didn't give his name, and he didn't give Rifqa Bary's name, either, he said, because they told him the girl probably would be taken home.
Meanwhile, up in Columbus, the police were trying to find Bary. Her cell phone was off, so they couldn't track her signal - but her dad paid her bill, so he had access to her call log. He gave it to police.
That led to a name: Brian M. Williams. He's a 2008 Ohio State grad, an aspiring pastor, and was a Facebook friend of Bary and Blake Lorenz. He moved recently from Columbus to Kansas City, Mo., where he was interning at the International House of Prayer, a giant facility in a renovated strip center that the people there call the "missions base" of "a global worship movement."
Columbus police contacted Kansas City police. Kansas City police went to his address. Columbus police talked to Williams on the phone.
Blake Lorenz says he got a call from Williams on Aug. 5. They were here, Williams told Lorenz, looking for Bary.
On Aug. 9, the day before she was put in foster care with a different Christian family, Barywas at the Sunday service at Global Revolution. Blake Lorenz, calling her Anna, talked about her in his sermon.
"How should we live?" he asked his followers. "What choices are we going to make when we begin to get persecuted?
"Anna's been living this out. Anna is a wonderful young woman of God. ... She was a Muslim. Gave her life to Christ. Fell in love with Jesus. She fled for her life.
"The fear we live with," he continued, "is the police were going to show up, take us off, arrest us. ... Oh, that couldn't happen? It happened to the man who baptized her. The police showed up at his apartment in Kansas City, to arrest him, illegally searched his apartment and all the apartments there, looking for her, convinced she was there."
Initially, the sermon was posted on the church's Web site.
The next day the Florida Department of Children and Families decided the Lorenzes now were "not appropriate placement" for Bary.
"Home study," a supervisor wrote, "was approved prior to being informed that the pastor's family was involved with possibly helping the child run away from Ohio."
- - -
Helping.
That could mean a lot of things. Those Facebook messages she exchanged with Beverly Lorenz? The 4 a.m. phone call? The prayers they said together that night?
It could also mean a lot of people. The United States of Prayer, the Facebook group through which Bary met the Lorenzes, has hundreds of members from all over the country.
"The Internet," said Rainie, from the Pew Internet project, "has certainly scrambled the realities of distance and time. Legal authorities are having a new set of challenges. It's a very complicated and not at all settled element of the law now."
Where to look, and how? And who does the looking? Geographical jurisdiction has its limits in a world where geography hardly matters anymore.
Josh McKoy, 20, a Metro State college student in Denver, met Bary through his friend Brian M. Williams and messaged with her on Facebook.
"Brian's known her for a long time," McKoy said over the phone last month. "I don't know how they met but he was a huge help to her. Brian had bought her a Christian book.
"Oftentimes," McKoy said, "he was her transport to church and things like that."
Did Williams have something to do with her bus trip? Did Bary buy her ticket to Orlando?
"We can't confirm that," Columbus police Detective Jerry Cupp said.
Did the Lorenzes buy her bus ticket? They say no.
Who then? They won't say. They're concerned for that person's safety.
"A lot of people helped Rifqa," Blake Lorenz said.
Times news researcher Shirl Kennedy contributed to this report. Michael Kruse can be reached at mkruse@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8751.
St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
September 8, 2009 Tuesday
0 South Pinellas Edition
NATIONAL; Pg. 1A
As evangelicals spread their message via the Internet, they reach folks like Rifqa Bary.
She lived in Central Ohio, and she fled to Central Florida, but the story of Rifqa Bary didn't start in either place. It started on Facebook.
Bary, 17, ran away from home in July because she believes her Muslim family has to kill her because of her conversion to Christianity. She got on a bus and for 16 days lived in the home of evangelical pastors Blake and Beverly Lorenz of Global Revolution Church after she had gotten to know them through a Facebook prayer group.
The Internet has made meeting more people in more places faster and easier than ever before, and churches are taking advantage. A recent Georgetown University study said 87 percent of religious organizations use the Internet to attract new members. Evangelical Christians, experts say, are particularly good at using social networking sites as powerful tools to proselytize.
Global Revolution isless than a year old and meets in a movie theater in a mall, but it still can have a life-altering impact on a teenage girl and her family more than 1,000 miles away.
"Facebook," Beverly Lorenz said last month in an interview, "is part of my ministry."
"Facebook," Mohamed Bary, the girl's father, said last week, "that was the problem. Not Facebook, but the people who were on who influenced her."
"Evangelicals are aggressively pursuing souls online," said Lee Rainie, the director of the nonpartisan Pew Internet and American Life Project.
"This is pretty deeply embedded in the evangelical communities," he said. "They see it as their great cause: Go ye into all the world."
- - -
Beverly Lorenz, 51, exchanged "seven or eight" Facebook messages with Bary, 16 at the time, this spring and this summer. They had a wee-hours phone call in early July.
The girl showed up at their home late on July 21.
Beverly Lorenz is third generation in the church. Her father was a pastor. So was her grandfather.
She met Blake Lorenz at her father's church. They've been married almost 30 years.
Blake Lorenz, 53, bills himself as a former professional baseball player turned longtime pastor. He's a 1977 graduate of Rollins College in Winter Park and for a while was the school's career leader in pitching wins. He played one summer in the low minor leagues in the Chicago Cubs' organization. He pitched one inning, hit two home runs, and was released.
He felt low and lost until January 1980, he said, when he "met Jesus Christ" in his bedroom.
He was the pastor at Pine Castle United Methodist Church in Orlando for 24 years before he left last fall to start the Global Revolution Church across town. Global Revolution gets together in Theater 10 at the megaplex at Festival Bay. A recent Sunday morning service started with a booming movie-trailer voice: "Buckle up and hold on!"
"Revolution," says the church's Web site, globalrevolutionchurch.org, "means a sudden and radical change. We are about changing our culture."
- - -
The first call Blake Lorenz made to the Department of Children and Families was on July 29. He didn't give his name, and he didn't give Rifqa Bary's name, either, he said, because they told him the girl probably would be taken home.
Meanwhile, up in Columbus, the police were trying to find Bary. Her cell phone was off, so they couldn't track her signal - but her dad paid her bill, so he had access to her call log. He gave it to police.
That led to a name: Brian M. Williams. He's a 2008 Ohio State grad, an aspiring pastor, and was a Facebook friend of Bary and Blake Lorenz. He moved recently from Columbus to Kansas City, Mo., where he was interning at the International House of Prayer, a giant facility in a renovated strip center that the people there call the "missions base" of "a global worship movement."
Columbus police contacted Kansas City police. Kansas City police went to his address. Columbus police talked to Williams on the phone.
Blake Lorenz says he got a call from Williams on Aug. 5. They were here, Williams told Lorenz, looking for Bary.
On Aug. 9, the day before she was put in foster care with a different Christian family, Barywas at the Sunday service at Global Revolution. Blake Lorenz, calling her Anna, talked about her in his sermon.
"How should we live?" he asked his followers. "What choices are we going to make when we begin to get persecuted?
"Anna's been living this out. Anna is a wonderful young woman of God. ... She was a Muslim. Gave her life to Christ. Fell in love with Jesus. She fled for her life.
"The fear we live with," he continued, "is the police were going to show up, take us off, arrest us. ... Oh, that couldn't happen? It happened to the man who baptized her. The police showed up at his apartment in Kansas City, to arrest him, illegally searched his apartment and all the apartments there, looking for her, convinced she was there."
Initially, the sermon was posted on the church's Web site.
The next day the Florida Department of Children and Families decided the Lorenzes now were "not appropriate placement" for Bary.
"Home study," a supervisor wrote, "was approved prior to being informed that the pastor's family was involved with possibly helping the child run away from Ohio."
- - -
Helping.
That could mean a lot of things. Those Facebook messages she exchanged with Beverly Lorenz? The 4 a.m. phone call? The prayers they said together that night?
It could also mean a lot of people. The United States of Prayer, the Facebook group through which Bary met the Lorenzes, has hundreds of members from all over the country.
"The Internet," said Rainie, from the Pew Internet project, "has certainly scrambled the realities of distance and time. Legal authorities are having a new set of challenges. It's a very complicated and not at all settled element of the law now."
Where to look, and how? And who does the looking? Geographical jurisdiction has its limits in a world where geography hardly matters anymore.
Josh McKoy, 20, a Metro State college student in Denver, met Bary through his friend Brian M. Williams and messaged with her on Facebook.
"Brian's known her for a long time," McKoy said over the phone last month. "I don't know how they met but he was a huge help to her. Brian had bought her a Christian book.
"Oftentimes," McKoy said, "he was her transport to church and things like that."
Did Williams have something to do with her bus trip? Did Bary buy her ticket to Orlando?
"We can't confirm that," Columbus police Detective Jerry Cupp said.
Did the Lorenzes buy her bus ticket? They say no.
Who then? They won't say. They're concerned for that person's safety.
"A lot of people helped Rifqa," Blake Lorenz said.
Times news researcher Shirl Kennedy contributed to this report. Michael Kruse can be reached at mkruse@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8751.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Galle Fort and Ms Rifqa Bary - Sent by : Dr.Reffai
Posted on August 21st, 2009
Authored By Smiling – with roots in Galle Fort.
The controversy of Ms Rifqa Bary’s conversion from Islam to Christianity has been in the news in recent weeks.
To me, it started out as just another attack by the media on topics of a similar nature. With the passage of time, the hype died out, and it was probably going to be just another brick in the wall. Sure, I did wonder who she was; from where she hailed in Sri Lanka; and what was all this commotion about. Many have walked out of the fold of their birthright faiths, and thousands have converted through the years. So what’s the big deal about this girl’s decision to move on, if it was her own choice that is? She has to face her Creator one day, and He alone will judge if her intentions were right and whether her actions are justified, and whether she was coerced unethically by some unscrupulous missionary.
Confused
However, to a viewer such as me, and I am sure there are many who share this perspective, the incidents related by her do not make true sense. I gradually started noticing the inconsistencies in her statements which were blatantly apparent. She didn’t know the right context in using the word “Halaal.” It should have been that she was “Haraam” to her people.
Untruths
Rifqa tried portraying Sri Lanka as an Islamic nation, whereas it comprises of over 70% Buddhists! She was also untruthful in implying that in Sri Lanka honor killings, revenge and putting people into asylums at the drop of a hat, based on religious teachings, are the order of the day. The conniving media have portrayed our nation to be on par with countries or states which practice such atrocities thereby blinding the gullible public in that part of the globe to view things differently as they should. Why this incident has made a great impact on me is that an unassuming relative of mine recently announced that Rifqa Bary, who had her origins in my little home town, hailed from Galle Fort!
Galle Fort:
Galle Fort is a tiny fortress situated about 115-kilometers from Colombo along the Southern coastal belt. Built in the 18th Century by Dutch colonialists, it is a quaint little sleepy village surrounded by a fortress and its inhabitants used to be predominantly Muslim traders.
Muslims
The Fort and its lifestyle are unique and all houses abut each other, and the citizens of this enclosed village are very closely knit and united irrespective of ethnicity. Muslims hailing from Galle Fort are considered very liberated vis-à-vis those living in other townships of the island. The ladies used to be well dressed and fashionable, and most men were very well educated in Christian missionary schools, either academically, professionally, in business or in the many other ways of the world. Their lives always centered on the local community and the mosque, and I am sure no one in the history of the Muslims of Galle Fort, for whatever reason, has ever been subjected to an honor killing.
Womenfolk
Muslim womenfolk hailing from Galle Fort are also considered very liberated. Whilst we have our affiliations to Western culture and lifestyle we surely do not forget our Eastern roots. Most of us, unlike some of the Muslim women in Sri Lanka, do not adorn the veil, but that doesn’t deter us from being good human beings. Muslim women hailing from Galle Fort are, presently, scattered around the world and have stood up and made their names wherever they went. Sure, there have been those rebels who left the fold, both in religion and the Fort itself, and whilst in some cases they were reconciled, in other instances ostracized for life. However, it has not been recorded, in any known history of Galle, of any sort of barbaric behavior as stated by young Miss Bary, now in the U.S.
Traditions
The traditions and customs of the Muslims of Galle Fort have always been unique. Volumes could be written about the people. Their exceptional gourmet food is a culinary art by itself. The laid back lifestyle of the inhabitants coupled by their very broad outlook towards life, has enabled many of its citizens to reach the zenith of their careers and livelihoods both within and outside Sri Lanka. With this rich tapestry woven around us, it is so hard for me to digest the fact that anyone who has an iota of Galle Fort in one’s blood would ever accuse its people of such atrocities.
Miss Bary
You are very young Miss Bary. You do not know what you have accused people of; people whom you left about a decade ago when you were just a tiny tot. I guess you have read too many novels written by lopsided and biased authors in the West where they portray Muslim women as chattels and subjugated citizens.
You do not know what Sri Lanka is, and, in more particular the Galle Fort, where people are just normal human beings much liberated than the rest of the country, or, for that matter, across the South Asian Subcontinent. The people here basically mind their own business, and, of course, if something affects the community as a whole, they unite and stand by and support each other.
No one is going to touch you or hurt you, they will leave you to your own devices and let the Almighty judge you. Many have left Galle as you have; no one compelled them to come back; their families suffered the hurt and then went on about their lives. You, leaving the fold of Islam is your choice. You have to face your demons or your angels, someday. No one on the face of this earth has the right to judge what you have done is right or wrong. They can only comment in general as an opinion or even come forth and advice you according to their beliefs and thoughts. It is up to you to receive that advice objectively and with sincerity of purpose. That is what you have to live with for the rest of your life on the decision you have made, especially if you made it on your own freedom of thought without being subject to any unethical or devious coercion.
Young lady, do not accuse people of things that they have never done nor will ever do. Do not make up stories of things that never happened or didn’t exist in our quaint Galle Fort. My People of the Galle Fort are humane citizens not capable of anything you have accused them unilaterally. Sure, they may advice you to do what they think is right, yet, they will not force down on you what you don’t want to do. They will let you go and let you fly as you choose for yourself.
I cannot say whether you will be welcome back home with open arms or that you will have a smooth landing if you do decide to return. You are free to lead the life and faith you have chosen. That is your right and prerogative. The Muslims of Galle Fort are warm people, proud of their roots and their good human qualities and values, and you have breached that goodness and hurt an entire community in the process. You will have to live with that deed whether you choose to like it or not.
Authored By Smiling – with roots in Galle Fort.
Courtesy of http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2009/08/21/galle-fort-and-ms-rifqa-barrie/
Authored By Smiling – with roots in Galle Fort.
The controversy of Ms Rifqa Bary’s conversion from Islam to Christianity has been in the news in recent weeks.
To me, it started out as just another attack by the media on topics of a similar nature. With the passage of time, the hype died out, and it was probably going to be just another brick in the wall. Sure, I did wonder who she was; from where she hailed in Sri Lanka; and what was all this commotion about. Many have walked out of the fold of their birthright faiths, and thousands have converted through the years. So what’s the big deal about this girl’s decision to move on, if it was her own choice that is? She has to face her Creator one day, and He alone will judge if her intentions were right and whether her actions are justified, and whether she was coerced unethically by some unscrupulous missionary.
Confused
However, to a viewer such as me, and I am sure there are many who share this perspective, the incidents related by her do not make true sense. I gradually started noticing the inconsistencies in her statements which were blatantly apparent. She didn’t know the right context in using the word “Halaal.” It should have been that she was “Haraam” to her people.
Untruths
Rifqa tried portraying Sri Lanka as an Islamic nation, whereas it comprises of over 70% Buddhists! She was also untruthful in implying that in Sri Lanka honor killings, revenge and putting people into asylums at the drop of a hat, based on religious teachings, are the order of the day. The conniving media have portrayed our nation to be on par with countries or states which practice such atrocities thereby blinding the gullible public in that part of the globe to view things differently as they should. Why this incident has made a great impact on me is that an unassuming relative of mine recently announced that Rifqa Bary, who had her origins in my little home town, hailed from Galle Fort!
Galle Fort:
Galle Fort is a tiny fortress situated about 115-kilometers from Colombo along the Southern coastal belt. Built in the 18th Century by Dutch colonialists, it is a quaint little sleepy village surrounded by a fortress and its inhabitants used to be predominantly Muslim traders.
Muslims
The Fort and its lifestyle are unique and all houses abut each other, and the citizens of this enclosed village are very closely knit and united irrespective of ethnicity. Muslims hailing from Galle Fort are considered very liberated vis-à-vis those living in other townships of the island. The ladies used to be well dressed and fashionable, and most men were very well educated in Christian missionary schools, either academically, professionally, in business or in the many other ways of the world. Their lives always centered on the local community and the mosque, and I am sure no one in the history of the Muslims of Galle Fort, for whatever reason, has ever been subjected to an honor killing.
Womenfolk
Muslim womenfolk hailing from Galle Fort are also considered very liberated. Whilst we have our affiliations to Western culture and lifestyle we surely do not forget our Eastern roots. Most of us, unlike some of the Muslim women in Sri Lanka, do not adorn the veil, but that doesn’t deter us from being good human beings. Muslim women hailing from Galle Fort are, presently, scattered around the world and have stood up and made their names wherever they went. Sure, there have been those rebels who left the fold, both in religion and the Fort itself, and whilst in some cases they were reconciled, in other instances ostracized for life. However, it has not been recorded, in any known history of Galle, of any sort of barbaric behavior as stated by young Miss Bary, now in the U.S.
Traditions
The traditions and customs of the Muslims of Galle Fort have always been unique. Volumes could be written about the people. Their exceptional gourmet food is a culinary art by itself. The laid back lifestyle of the inhabitants coupled by their very broad outlook towards life, has enabled many of its citizens to reach the zenith of their careers and livelihoods both within and outside Sri Lanka. With this rich tapestry woven around us, it is so hard for me to digest the fact that anyone who has an iota of Galle Fort in one’s blood would ever accuse its people of such atrocities.
Miss Bary
You are very young Miss Bary. You do not know what you have accused people of; people whom you left about a decade ago when you were just a tiny tot. I guess you have read too many novels written by lopsided and biased authors in the West where they portray Muslim women as chattels and subjugated citizens.
You do not know what Sri Lanka is, and, in more particular the Galle Fort, where people are just normal human beings much liberated than the rest of the country, or, for that matter, across the South Asian Subcontinent. The people here basically mind their own business, and, of course, if something affects the community as a whole, they unite and stand by and support each other.
No one is going to touch you or hurt you, they will leave you to your own devices and let the Almighty judge you. Many have left Galle as you have; no one compelled them to come back; their families suffered the hurt and then went on about their lives. You, leaving the fold of Islam is your choice. You have to face your demons or your angels, someday. No one on the face of this earth has the right to judge what you have done is right or wrong. They can only comment in general as an opinion or even come forth and advice you according to their beliefs and thoughts. It is up to you to receive that advice objectively and with sincerity of purpose. That is what you have to live with for the rest of your life on the decision you have made, especially if you made it on your own freedom of thought without being subject to any unethical or devious coercion.
Young lady, do not accuse people of things that they have never done nor will ever do. Do not make up stories of things that never happened or didn’t exist in our quaint Galle Fort. My People of the Galle Fort are humane citizens not capable of anything you have accused them unilaterally. Sure, they may advice you to do what they think is right, yet, they will not force down on you what you don’t want to do. They will let you go and let you fly as you choose for yourself.
I cannot say whether you will be welcome back home with open arms or that you will have a smooth landing if you do decide to return. You are free to lead the life and faith you have chosen. That is your right and prerogative. The Muslims of Galle Fort are warm people, proud of their roots and their good human qualities and values, and you have breached that goodness and hurt an entire community in the process. You will have to live with that deed whether you choose to like it or not.
Authored By Smiling – with roots in Galle Fort.
Courtesy of http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2009/08/21/galle-fort-and-ms-rifqa-barrie/
My Thoughts: Rifqa Bary By Eyes for Lies
The Human Lie Detector Blog
Wednesday - August 26, 2009
When the reporter asks Rifqa what is going on, Rifqa's demeanor changes again. Notice how she immediately looks down as she starts talking, "Well, ah...I'm a Christian and uh, my parents are Muslim, they're extremely devout..."
http://eyesforlies.blogspot.com/2009/08/my-thoughts-rifqa-bary.html
Wednesday - August 26, 2009
When I watch Rifqa Bary in the first few seconds of this video, her behavior changes from a happy "Hi" to this supposedly scared young girl. These two behaviors are very contradictory and my first red flag. It's as if Rifqa didn't notice the camera and when she did, she slinks down into an act.
When the reporter asks Rifqa what is going on, Rifqa's demeanor changes again. Notice how she immediately looks down as she starts talking, "Well, ah...I'm a Christian and uh, my parents are Muslim, they're extremely devout..."
http://eyesforlies.blogspot.com/2009/08/my-thoughts-rifqa-bary.html
Saturday, September 5, 2009
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!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Rifqa Bary - The Truth
Dear Readers,
These are facts that might be hidden to a normal blogger while refering or reading about The Rifqa Bary Scandal, which I wanted to highlight here since everyone conveniently and stupidly seem to jump onto one side. They cry falsely under the pretexts of "SAVING RIFKA BARY".
Is it logic to save a child from his/her own parents? And whom do you think would love a child more than his or her own parents? So the actual lines SHOULD read:
"SAVING RIFKA BARY FROM THE BRAIN WASHING AND DECEPTION."
Below you will read about the following points which pertains to the case of The Rifqa Bary Scandal.
- Sri Lankan citizen
- Teenage confusion and Pastor Lorenz
- Minor changing religion and Freedom of choice
- Honor Killing
Sri Lankan citizen
It is important to note in this case as per the time of this incident taking place in the court that all parties are Sri Lankan nationals. This means that ONLY in minor offences which concerns at least one US party i.e. a US citizen the US courts can take action.
Since all the parties concerned here are Sri Lankans only the preliminary hearing must be done in USA to ascertain the facts of the case. The ideal court which has the sovereign right to pass a judgment in this case must be a court of Sri Lanka. Not any other.
While a hearing is in progress and a case is not solved yet, no party must be allowed to change their status with regard to citizenship.
This case has two religions involved, namely Islam and Christianity, thus any judgment passed by a court of muslim or Christian Judge may tend to be biased/partial. Therefore the ideal judgment will be that of a Buddhist or Hindu.
The US legal departments cannot extend and prolong it’s indulgence in this case due to the sensitivity of the matter and both parties involved being Sri Lankans.
Why could not Pastor Lorenz take a person of his nationality to preach to instead of taking a Sri Lankan national and a teenage and a girl to test his feeble theories and apply his gimmicks under the disguise of religion and priesthood and tarnish a good religion like Christianity?
Assylum
Rifqa claims falsely that if she is sent to Sri Lanka she will be put in an asylum. Only a psycho therapist can suggest that a person be put in an asylum in Sri Lanka. No one can enter an asylum through their own fancies. Maybe this happens in USA but certainly not in Sri Lanka. And just like everything else Rifqa seems to have got this also wrong.
If the US government is so concerned about her life according to the alleged claims that she has made then why not send her through an independent body to Sri Lanka. Like the Interpole and the Sri Lankan embassy and let the court here in Sri Lanka find her a foster home until the ruling is clear. But under no circumstances and feeble excuses that this has to be taking place in the US specially titling her “The Ohio Teenager Who Fled home”, and stupidly naming her cause “Saving Rifqa Bary”.
Enough with all this misleading, incorrect media gimmicks.
Teenage confusion and Pastor Lorenz Blake
This mess in hand is not about changing of faiths or beliefs. This is a question of teenage confusion and all that which is associated with teenagers in growing stage. Many young children undergo a lot of questioning and a lot of learning takes place at this age through trial and error and not through examining facts leading to solid conviction about what is right and wrong.
It is not common at all that a young teenager would take any interest in religion. Be it Christianity, Islam or any other religion. It is only known that teenagers pay higher attention and show keen interest on entertainment, fun, games and alike. Therefore in this case there is a higher role played by who ever takes the figure of teacher/mentor/guide.
These teachers and guides come under two categories.
1. the ones truly authorized to do so with the full agreement and knowledge of the parents and the child for eg. A teacher in a school, a school counselor, sports coach.
2. The ones who are not authorized because they are total outsiders and they lack the approval of the parents to guide their children for eg. A pastor, a counselor not known to the family, a bus conductor, or any Tom, Dick and Harry.
It is important for a teenager that the sheep be in a sheep skin and a wolf in a wolf skin. A teenager certainly will not be able to identify a wolf in a sheep skin.
Hence a non authorized person in this case Pastor Lorenz Blake playing around with the mind of a young girl and disguising in the role of a guide/mentor to infuse his beliefs and vision into a teenager’s mind, must only be seen as deception.
We trust and expect good advise from professionals such as doctors, clergy and lawyers and they are under oath to act in our best interest. Where in this case do we see the pastor acting in best interest of the said child??? Instead what we see again is deception.
Pastor Lorenz used his status as a pastor and acted as a teacher/mentor to deceive Rifqa into following his personal beliefs and ideology, knowing very well that she is very vulnerable and confused teenager.
He infused her (already confused mind), with his questionable way of thinking. Thus today she follows him in confusion and not by truly being convinced in her new beliefs. What would a child of 17 years old know about Islam or Christianity?
We do hear of many cases of Christian people of knowledge like scientists and even Christian Priests coming into Islam through CONVICTION and not CONFUSION. Why is pastor Lorenz banking on teenage vulnerability in order to spread his ideology? This is a total disgrace and mockery to Christians around the world and Christianity must be away from this sort of cheap acts.
Why couldn’t Pastor Lorenz preach to a muslim man or woman of his age? Or is it that Pastor Lorenz is only good with kids and teenagers? Is Pastor Lorenz a Pedophile in disguise? Haven’t we heard enough of similar cases (child abuse) in Christian Churches in the United States?
Minor changing religion and Freedom of Choice
This is not a case of a minor changing religion nor a freedom of choice. A minor is not mature or wise enough to make such drastic changes. For eg. A child would not know the benefits of drinking milk or the harm of drinking coca cola. They just drink for the taste or fancy. Thus the role of a guardian is apparent and important. To teach them the difference between the two, in terms of food value.
You cannot expect a child or a teenager in their vulnerable ages to choose between going to school or playing football, between studying and watching TV, between eating healthy food which is good for them and junk food or letting them to have drugs and alcohol. Or is this also freedom of choice?
They need the guidance of the parents who are obviously most loving to their own children unlike the love shown by a complete stranger.
This is similar to what is stated in the common wealth law with regard to buying or selling or conducting any business with a minor. (It’s null and void), i.e. everything must be returned to it’s original state and original owner.
In this case Rifqa is not of a legal age (adult) to even enter a cinema to watch an “adults only” movies. So how about changing religions?
At this age not her nor any other teenager has fully understood the good from bad and the consequences of their actions. Thus a major change like this could only come through coaching, brain washing, deceiving and misguiding.
For eg in Sri Lanka there are four main religions. Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism. Yet dispite of the mixed schools each child is only allowed to go to the classes of their original religion.
Rifqa does not know enough of her own religion even in that she is confused. So how could she know that Christianity is better than Islam or vise versa at the tender age of 13 or 14. This is a clear way to understand that she has been merely picked it in a state of confusion and misguidance by one or a group of people. This is why it is not a question of a minor changing religion nor of freedom of choice but it is indeed a question of deception, misguiding and taking advantage.
If Rifqa was a girl of 21 years at the time of STARTING this conversion then we can say that she is old enough to understand the odds and her choice is made through conviction and not confusion, and deception will be a secondary question and not a primary one.
Honor Killing
Let me clear this wide spread nonsense, confusion of Honor Killing which she (sadly) being coached and mouth fed by Pastor Lorenz and his puppets keep harping on.
Honor Killing is more of a cultural phenomena than of a religious one. A muslim man cannot enforce a ruling of the Quran by his or her own. For eg. The family of the victim cannot kill the murderer of their victim and say that the Quran allows them to do it. Instead the Quran only allows the judge of the Islamic Court to execute the punishment through the rightful law enforcement agents after the murderer has been convicted.
Therefore a parent or a bunch of people acting on their own to enforce judgments and carry out executions at which any level that it may be under the name of honor killing is not in Islam. So don’t portrait Islam as a barbaric religion so you may find sympathy from ill minded, shallow people.
Hence what is mentioned in the Quran is only fully practiced in Saudi Arabia and Islamic countries which practice the Sharia law, which is only a handfull.
And leave honor killing alone. Don’t you American’s have enough of killings for no reason even in Schools which are supposed to be places of education. What do you call the bombing of Afghanistan and the atrocities in Iraq and Gaza? Explain that first.
Arabs kill even for saving the family name in the case of fornication and this doesn’t happen in Sri Lanka. Rifqa and her parents are Sri Lankans so where have you come up with the honor killing idea?
- Teenage confusion and Pastor Lorenz
- Minor changing religion and Freedom of choice
- Honor Killing
Sri Lankan citizen
It is important to note in this case as per the time of this incident taking place in the court that all parties are Sri Lankan nationals. This means that ONLY in minor offences which concerns at least one US party i.e. a US citizen the US courts can take action.
Since all the parties concerned here are Sri Lankans only the preliminary hearing must be done in USA to ascertain the facts of the case. The ideal court which has the sovereign right to pass a judgment in this case must be a court of Sri Lanka. Not any other.
While a hearing is in progress and a case is not solved yet, no party must be allowed to change their status with regard to citizenship.
This case has two religions involved, namely Islam and Christianity, thus any judgment passed by a court of muslim or Christian Judge may tend to be biased/partial. Therefore the ideal judgment will be that of a Buddhist or Hindu.
The US legal departments cannot extend and prolong it’s indulgence in this case due to the sensitivity of the matter and both parties involved being Sri Lankans.
Why could not Pastor Lorenz take a person of his nationality to preach to instead of taking a Sri Lankan national and a teenage and a girl to test his feeble theories and apply his gimmicks under the disguise of religion and priesthood and tarnish a good religion like Christianity?
Assylum
Rifqa claims falsely that if she is sent to Sri Lanka she will be put in an asylum. Only a psycho therapist can suggest that a person be put in an asylum in Sri Lanka. No one can enter an asylum through their own fancies. Maybe this happens in USA but certainly not in Sri Lanka. And just like everything else Rifqa seems to have got this also wrong.
If the US government is so concerned about her life according to the alleged claims that she has made then why not send her through an independent body to Sri Lanka. Like the Interpole and the Sri Lankan embassy and let the court here in Sri Lanka find her a foster home until the ruling is clear. But under no circumstances and feeble excuses that this has to be taking place in the US specially titling her “The Ohio Teenager Who Fled home”, and stupidly naming her cause “Saving Rifqa Bary”.
Enough with all this misleading, incorrect media gimmicks.
Teenage confusion and Pastor Lorenz Blake
This mess in hand is not about changing of faiths or beliefs. This is a question of teenage confusion and all that which is associated with teenagers in growing stage. Many young children undergo a lot of questioning and a lot of learning takes place at this age through trial and error and not through examining facts leading to solid conviction about what is right and wrong.
It is not common at all that a young teenager would take any interest in religion. Be it Christianity, Islam or any other religion. It is only known that teenagers pay higher attention and show keen interest on entertainment, fun, games and alike. Therefore in this case there is a higher role played by who ever takes the figure of teacher/mentor/guide.
These teachers and guides come under two categories.
1. the ones truly authorized to do so with the full agreement and knowledge of the parents and the child for eg. A teacher in a school, a school counselor, sports coach.
2. The ones who are not authorized because they are total outsiders and they lack the approval of the parents to guide their children for eg. A pastor, a counselor not known to the family, a bus conductor, or any Tom, Dick and Harry.
It is important for a teenager that the sheep be in a sheep skin and a wolf in a wolf skin. A teenager certainly will not be able to identify a wolf in a sheep skin.
Hence a non authorized person in this case Pastor Lorenz Blake playing around with the mind of a young girl and disguising in the role of a guide/mentor to infuse his beliefs and vision into a teenager’s mind, must only be seen as deception.
We trust and expect good advise from professionals such as doctors, clergy and lawyers and they are under oath to act in our best interest. Where in this case do we see the pastor acting in best interest of the said child??? Instead what we see again is deception.
Pastor Lorenz used his status as a pastor and acted as a teacher/mentor to deceive Rifqa into following his personal beliefs and ideology, knowing very well that she is very vulnerable and confused teenager.
He infused her (already confused mind), with his questionable way of thinking. Thus today she follows him in confusion and not by truly being convinced in her new beliefs. What would a child of 17 years old know about Islam or Christianity?
We do hear of many cases of Christian people of knowledge like scientists and even Christian Priests coming into Islam through CONVICTION and not CONFUSION. Why is pastor Lorenz banking on teenage vulnerability in order to spread his ideology? This is a total disgrace and mockery to Christians around the world and Christianity must be away from this sort of cheap acts.
Why couldn’t Pastor Lorenz preach to a muslim man or woman of his age? Or is it that Pastor Lorenz is only good with kids and teenagers? Is Pastor Lorenz a Pedophile in disguise? Haven’t we heard enough of similar cases (child abuse) in Christian Churches in the United States?
Minor changing religion and Freedom of Choice
This is not a case of a minor changing religion nor a freedom of choice. A minor is not mature or wise enough to make such drastic changes. For eg. A child would not know the benefits of drinking milk or the harm of drinking coca cola. They just drink for the taste or fancy. Thus the role of a guardian is apparent and important. To teach them the difference between the two, in terms of food value.
You cannot expect a child or a teenager in their vulnerable ages to choose between going to school or playing football, between studying and watching TV, between eating healthy food which is good for them and junk food or letting them to have drugs and alcohol. Or is this also freedom of choice?
They need the guidance of the parents who are obviously most loving to their own children unlike the love shown by a complete stranger.
This is similar to what is stated in the common wealth law with regard to buying or selling or conducting any business with a minor. (It’s null and void), i.e. everything must be returned to it’s original state and original owner.
In this case Rifqa is not of a legal age (adult) to even enter a cinema to watch an “adults only” movies. So how about changing religions?
At this age not her nor any other teenager has fully understood the good from bad and the consequences of their actions. Thus a major change like this could only come through coaching, brain washing, deceiving and misguiding.
For eg in Sri Lanka there are four main religions. Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism. Yet dispite of the mixed schools each child is only allowed to go to the classes of their original religion.
Rifqa does not know enough of her own religion even in that she is confused. So how could she know that Christianity is better than Islam or vise versa at the tender age of 13 or 14. This is a clear way to understand that she has been merely picked it in a state of confusion and misguidance by one or a group of people. This is why it is not a question of a minor changing religion nor of freedom of choice but it is indeed a question of deception, misguiding and taking advantage.
If Rifqa was a girl of 21 years at the time of STARTING this conversion then we can say that she is old enough to understand the odds and her choice is made through conviction and not confusion, and deception will be a secondary question and not a primary one.
Honor Killing
Let me clear this wide spread nonsense, confusion of Honor Killing which she (sadly) being coached and mouth fed by Pastor Lorenz and his puppets keep harping on.
Honor Killing is more of a cultural phenomena than of a religious one. A muslim man cannot enforce a ruling of the Quran by his or her own. For eg. The family of the victim cannot kill the murderer of their victim and say that the Quran allows them to do it. Instead the Quran only allows the judge of the Islamic Court to execute the punishment through the rightful law enforcement agents after the murderer has been convicted.
Therefore a parent or a bunch of people acting on their own to enforce judgments and carry out executions at which any level that it may be under the name of honor killing is not in Islam. So don’t portrait Islam as a barbaric religion so you may find sympathy from ill minded, shallow people.
Hence what is mentioned in the Quran is only fully practiced in Saudi Arabia and Islamic countries which practice the Sharia law, which is only a handfull.
And leave honor killing alone. Don’t you American’s have enough of killings for no reason even in Schools which are supposed to be places of education. What do you call the bombing of Afghanistan and the atrocities in Iraq and Gaza? Explain that first.
Arabs kill even for saving the family name in the case of fornication and this doesn’t happen in Sri Lanka. Rifqa and her parents are Sri Lankans so where have you come up with the honor killing idea?
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