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
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Rifqa Bary update--Parents File Case In Ohio To Try To Get Her Back by Lydia McGrew
Rifqa Bary's parents have filed a claim against her in Ohio stating that she is an "incorrigible minor" in an attempt to return jurisdiction--and more importantly, Rifqa herself--to Ohio. Judge Dawson in Florida has thus far claimed his court has jurisdiction on the grounds that no court in Ohio claims jurisdiction. This could change all that.
An "incorrigible minor" claim is, from what I've been able to glean, a claim on the part of parents that they cannot control their own child and need the help of the state to do so. Some of the actions that can support such a claim are refusing to obey "reasonable" parental orders, repeatedly running away, being truant, or using drugs or alcohol. Obviously, several of these don't apply to Rifqa, and she has run away only once. Of course, her parents have in one sense "lost control" of her, since she escaped from them! But when the juvenile claims abuse and danger from the parents, there must be (I assume) some mechanism for the court to consider these counterclaims rather than simply returning the child to the parents. The courts can order any number of things if a child is found to be an "incorrigible minor," from house arrest (particularly bad in this case) to foster care. (Unfortunately, I did not keep the most useful link I found on the definition of an "incorrigible minor.")
Commentators here and here at Atlas Shrugs seem to be under the impression that Rifqa will be returned to Ohio but not to her parents. Moreover, this commentator indicate that an "incorrigible minor" claim can be met by a counterclaim for emancipation by Rifqa. I had previously been under the impression that Ohio does not permit emancipation claims, but according to this commentator, what it does not permit is only spontaneous emancipation filings by minors. A minor can, however, try to be emancipated in response to an "incorrigible minor" claim. But is Rifqa financially independent? Would her lack of financial independence scotch an emancipation claim?
More to the point, this article from the Orlando Sentinel, Sept. 2, claims that "Ohio child welfare officials already have concluded it is safe for Rifqa to return. They want to place the girl in therapy and reunite her with her family." This doesn't sound like it supports the positive talk about the responsible and serious actions to be expected from the Ohio authorities. Several news stories have said that Rifqa's parents have consented for her to be put in foster care in Ohio, but not all have added that this is "for at least thirty days." If the Ohio authorities send her back to her parents after thirty days rather than extending the foster care, she could simply be spirited out of the country, a result all the more likely as it appears she is presently here illegally. (That is, of course, not her fault--so are her parents, by the way.)
All of these considerations are, of course, in addition to concerns about her increased danger if she is returned to Ohio at all, even to foster care.
September 14--Pamela Geller at Atlas reports that Rifqa's Sept. 29 hearing date in Florida has been postponed. I am a pessimist by nature and am concerned that this may indicate Florida's willingness to relinquish jurisdiction to Ohio.
Courtesy of: http://www.whatswrongwiththeworld.net/2009/09/rifqa_bary_updateparents_file.html
An "incorrigible minor" claim is, from what I've been able to glean, a claim on the part of parents that they cannot control their own child and need the help of the state to do so. Some of the actions that can support such a claim are refusing to obey "reasonable" parental orders, repeatedly running away, being truant, or using drugs or alcohol. Obviously, several of these don't apply to Rifqa, and she has run away only once. Of course, her parents have in one sense "lost control" of her, since she escaped from them! But when the juvenile claims abuse and danger from the parents, there must be (I assume) some mechanism for the court to consider these counterclaims rather than simply returning the child to the parents. The courts can order any number of things if a child is found to be an "incorrigible minor," from house arrest (particularly bad in this case) to foster care. (Unfortunately, I did not keep the most useful link I found on the definition of an "incorrigible minor.")
Commentators here and here at Atlas Shrugs seem to be under the impression that Rifqa will be returned to Ohio but not to her parents. Moreover, this commentator indicate that an "incorrigible minor" claim can be met by a counterclaim for emancipation by Rifqa. I had previously been under the impression that Ohio does not permit emancipation claims, but according to this commentator, what it does not permit is only spontaneous emancipation filings by minors. A minor can, however, try to be emancipated in response to an "incorrigible minor" claim. But is Rifqa financially independent? Would her lack of financial independence scotch an emancipation claim?
More to the point, this article from the Orlando Sentinel, Sept. 2, claims that "Ohio child welfare officials already have concluded it is safe for Rifqa to return. They want to place the girl in therapy and reunite her with her family." This doesn't sound like it supports the positive talk about the responsible and serious actions to be expected from the Ohio authorities. Several news stories have said that Rifqa's parents have consented for her to be put in foster care in Ohio, but not all have added that this is "for at least thirty days." If the Ohio authorities send her back to her parents after thirty days rather than extending the foster care, she could simply be spirited out of the country, a result all the more likely as it appears she is presently here illegally. (That is, of course, not her fault--so are her parents, by the way.)
All of these considerations are, of course, in addition to concerns about her increased danger if she is returned to Ohio at all, even to foster care.
September 14--Pamela Geller at Atlas reports that Rifqa's Sept. 29 hearing date in Florida has been postponed. I am a pessimist by nature and am concerned that this may indicate Florida's willingness to relinquish jurisdiction to Ohio.
Courtesy of: http://www.whatswrongwiththeworld.net/2009/09/rifqa_bary_updateparents_file.html
Rifqa Bary and the Plot To Destroy Our Constituion Submitted by Kyle
on September 15, 2009 - 12:43pm
Yesterday we noted that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's investigation into the wild allegations made by right-wing activists who have rallied in defense of 17 year-old Christian convert Rifqa Bary reported that their claims were false and that Bary would face no danger if she were returned to her parents in Ohio.
The summary has been posted on-line [PDF] and the St. Petersburg Times' Michael Kruse provides this report on its findings:
So, of course, that means that the FDLE report itself is now a danger to Bary and places the United States on the road to Islamic totalitarianism, as Frank Gaffney explains:
Yesterday we noted that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's investigation into the wild allegations made by right-wing activists who have rallied in defense of 17 year-old Christian convert Rifqa Bary reported that their claims were false and that Bary would face no danger if she were returned to her parents in Ohio.
The summary has been posted on-line [PDF] and the St. Petersburg Times' Michael Kruse provides this report on its findings:
In her interview in the FDLE's investigation, Bary said her father threatened her by holding her laptop over her head, saying he was going to kill her. Her father denied threatening her. He said he grabbed the laptop and lifted it to throw it, but reconsidered because it was expensive.It appears as if just about every claim made by right-wing activists in this case has turned out to be unsubstantiated according the FDLE investigation, which concluded that there is no evidence of any abuse and no indication that she's in danger if she is returned to her Muslim parents in Ohio.
Bary also said her father once hit her in the face for interrupting a conversation, and on another occasion hit her for not wanting to wear the Islamic head scarf called the hijab, but that he hadn't hit her since middle school. Her father denied ever having hit her. Her mother and her brother said they had never seen him hit her. A spokesman at the school district where the girl goes to school told the FDLE investigators that no abuse or suspected abuse was ever reported.
Bary told investigators that she had told a teacher at her school about her fears and that the teacher offered her home as a haven. The teacher told investigators that she made the offer because Bary had told her she was uncomfortable with some of the parties her older brother was having when their parents weren't home.
Bary told investigators that she hitchhiked to the Greyhound station. One of her friends, Brian M. Williams, told FDLE that he picked her up from another friend's house and took her to the bus.
Bary told investigators she used money she had saved from her part-time job at a Chinese restaurant to buy her bus ticket. But someone in Orlando bought the ticket, according to the report, using "a fictitious name."
Bary told investigators that her parents didn't know that she was a cheerleader. Her father told the FDLE investigators that he knew about her cheerleading, approved of it, and sometimes took her to practice. In the Bary home in Ohio, the report noted, pictures of the girl in her cheerleading uniform were "prominently displayed in the family living room."
So, of course, that means that the FDLE report itself is now a danger to Bary and places the United States on the road to Islamic totalitarianism, as Frank Gaffney explains:
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is supposed to be in the business of saving lives. Yet, a just-released report by FDLE investigators may prove to be a death sentence.So, in short: the FDLE report concluded that Bary was in no danger and that pretty much everything her right-wing supporters had been claiming was false, which, according to those right-wing supporters, only proves that the FDLE and others are engaged in a conspiracy to kill Bary and "replace our Constitution and the liberties it enshrines with the brutal and repressive program known as Shariah."
...
Unfortunately, the Florida investigators failed to perform their assignment. They found “no conclusive reports of threats” against Rifqa Bary. At best, their report is incomplete. At worst, it is misleading, possibly fatally so.
...
Should such a restoration take place in this case, it will be further evidence that America is succumbing to the stealth jihad that is inexorably insinuating that seditious Islamic program into our society, in Florida and elsewhere across this country. In that event, the result of failing to fight the Islamists in this case may prove to be not just a death sentence for Rifqa Bary. It could turn out as well to be an important milestone in the submission of all Americans to the program that explicitly seeks to replace our Constitution and the liberties it enshrines with the brutal and repressive program known as Shariah.
The Rifqa Bary FDLE Report
This is the summary of the investigation that was done by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement regarding the alleged claim by Rifqa Bary that her life was in danger in the state of Ohio. Following link gives the report.
http://media.myfoxorlando.com/documents/FDLE_RifqaBary.pdf
http://media.myfoxorlando.com/documents/FDLE_RifqaBary.pdf
Monday, September 14, 2009
Fathima Rifqa Bary: Orlando pastors that let Fathima Rifqa Bary into their home 'reorganizing' church
Amy L. Edwards, Sentinel Staff Writer
3:50 p.m. EDT, September 9, 2009
Blake and Beverly Lorenz comforted teenage Christian convert Fathima Rifqa Bary but are no longer associated with Global Revolution Church. They're not saying what prompted the change.
The pastors who made national headlines after taking in a teen Muslim-to-Christian convert from Ohio are reorganizing their Orlando church.
What that means isn't clear, though pastor Blake Lorenz is upbeat.
"The lawyers are trying to figure out which way it's going to go," he said. "It's not like a negative thing. We're having to reorganize and restructure." He wouldn't say why.
Pastors Beverly and Blake Lorenz took in teen convert Fathima Rifqa Bary after she ran away from her parents, saying her life was in danger because she converted -- a claim her family denies.
The Lorenzes helped start Global Revolution Church in October after spending more than 15 years at Pine Castle United Methodist Church, located south of downtown Orlando on Orange Avenue. Global Revolution has been meeting in a theater inside the Cinemark at Festival Bay.
Blake Lorenz said his church will get a different name and a new meeting spot but it will still have the same congregation. He would not say what prompted the change.
"The church is still going great," he said. "We're still pastoring. We're doing great. It's really good."
Attempts to reach the church's corporate officers have been unsuccessful.
"I hesitate to say anything," Lorenz said during the phone interview this morning.
3:50 p.m. EDT, September 9, 2009
Blake and Beverly Lorenz comforted teenage Christian convert Fathima Rifqa Bary but are no longer associated with Global Revolution Church. They're not saying what prompted the change.
What that means isn't clear, though pastor Blake Lorenz is upbeat.
"The lawyers are trying to figure out which way it's going to go," he said. "It's not like a negative thing. We're having to reorganize and restructure." He wouldn't say why.
Pastors Beverly and Blake Lorenz took in teen convert Fathima Rifqa Bary after she ran away from her parents, saying her life was in danger because she converted -- a claim her family denies.
The Lorenzes helped start Global Revolution Church in October after spending more than 15 years at Pine Castle United Methodist Church, located south of downtown Orlando on Orange Avenue. Global Revolution has been meeting in a theater inside the Cinemark at Festival Bay.
Blake Lorenz said his church will get a different name and a new meeting spot but it will still have the same congregation. He would not say what prompted the change.
"The church is still going great," he said. "We're still pastoring. We're doing great. It's really good."
Attempts to reach the church's corporate officers have been unsuccessful.
"I hesitate to say anything," Lorenz said during the phone interview this morning.
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