Fathima Rifqa Bary conversion and custody controversy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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

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

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?