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
Showing posts with label Honor Killing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Honor Killing. Show all posts
Thursday, September 17, 2009
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
Saturday, September 12, 2009
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.
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
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
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
Islam, Honor Killing and Western Hypocrisy
This is the reply of a Muslim American revert to the YouTube video by Nonie Darwish's Women In Islam.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nsLPSaTb5g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nsLPSaTb5g
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!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
The Huffington Post - Rifqa, The Reverand and Apostasy
By Salam Al Marayati
Posted: August 18, 2009 12:43 PM
Fathima Rifqa Bary, who goes by Rifqa, is a 17-year-old from Columbus, Ohio who ran away from home -- not an uncommon occurrence for 17-year-olds. But the circumstances surrounding her story have opened a host of legal, cultural and theological issues.
Her Muslim parents moved the family to the U.S. from Sri Lanka in 2000, seeking medical attention for Rifqa, who had lost her right eye playing with a toy. Rifqa, who the Columbus Dispatch reports was a cheerleader at her high school, joined a Bible study group on Facebook earlier this year and was baptized at a local church.
See the story here.
Last month, she hopped on a bus to Orlando to meet with Rev. Blake Lorenz, who she met through a Facebook prayer group for the couple's non-denominational Global Revolution Church.
Her parents reported their daughter missing and local news covered her disappearance for a full two weeks before police were able to trace her to Lorenz's Orlando church.
Here's what happened when Rifqa was found: Lorenz decides to remain silent and displays Rifqa to a local television news station. She launches into an emotional plea to save her life from Islam. She claims that her parents "love God more than me" and therefore have to perform an honor killing on her. She argues "it's in the Quran". No it's not, sweet little Rifqa. It's not in the Quran. Whoever told you that is either ignorant or a liar. You should look it up yourself before claiming it's in the Quran.Rev. Lorenz is then quoted in a local television station report saying that if a Muslim leaves his religion and does not return to Islam in a couple of days, then he must be killed. He claims that someone showed him the verse. There is no such verse, Rev. Lorenz. In every faith, apostasy is shunned but ultimate judgment is left to God, not people.
Religious conflicts occur in some countries where there are volatile and tense relations between faith groups, particularly where war and ethnic conflicts occur (the Balkans, the Middle East, South Asia). The United States of America is different. Let's preserve the tradition of American religious pluralism and not fall into religious or cultural warfare.
The issue of apostasy is actually addressed in a controversial and oft-misunderstood law. Centuries ago, the apostasy law was actually a treason law, created to address what should happen when a soldier in a Muslim army converts to the other side and then fights against a Muslim country. That's the equivalent of an American working for the Soviet Union during the Cold War, or for the Nazis in World War II. Under U.S. law, treason is punishable by death. Now, state authorities in Florida and Ohio will have to clear up the mess and determine Rifqa's residence. Her father, Mohamed Bary, has a strong endorsement by Sgt. Jerry Cupp of the Columbus Police Department. Cupp told the Associated Press that Bary "comes across to me as a loving, caring, worried father about the whereabouts and the health of his daughter."
For his part, Bary told the Associated Press: "We love her, we want her back, she is free to practice her religion, whatever she believes in, that's OK. What these people are trying to do is not right -- I don't think any religion will teach to separate the kids from their parents."
Mohamed Bary allowed his daughter to become a cheerleader and says she can practice any faith she wants -- clearly, he is not a fundamentalist. He is a concerned father who believes his daughter was brainwashed and kidnapped. Let's see how this story unfolds.
Posted: August 18, 2009 12:43 PM
Fathima Rifqa Bary, who goes by Rifqa, is a 17-year-old from Columbus, Ohio who ran away from home -- not an uncommon occurrence for 17-year-olds. But the circumstances surrounding her story have opened a host of legal, cultural and theological issues.
Her Muslim parents moved the family to the U.S. from Sri Lanka in 2000, seeking medical attention for Rifqa, who had lost her right eye playing with a toy. Rifqa, who the Columbus Dispatch reports was a cheerleader at her high school, joined a Bible study group on Facebook earlier this year and was baptized at a local church.
See the story here.
Last month, she hopped on a bus to Orlando to meet with Rev. Blake Lorenz, who she met through a Facebook prayer group for the couple's non-denominational Global Revolution Church.
Her parents reported their daughter missing and local news covered her disappearance for a full two weeks before police were able to trace her to Lorenz's Orlando church.
Here's what happened when Rifqa was found: Lorenz decides to remain silent and displays Rifqa to a local television news station. She launches into an emotional plea to save her life from Islam. She claims that her parents "love God more than me" and therefore have to perform an honor killing on her. She argues "it's in the Quran". No it's not, sweet little Rifqa. It's not in the Quran. Whoever told you that is either ignorant or a liar. You should look it up yourself before claiming it's in the Quran.Rev. Lorenz is then quoted in a local television station report saying that if a Muslim leaves his religion and does not return to Islam in a couple of days, then he must be killed. He claims that someone showed him the verse. There is no such verse, Rev. Lorenz. In every faith, apostasy is shunned but ultimate judgment is left to God, not people.
Religious conflicts occur in some countries where there are volatile and tense relations between faith groups, particularly where war and ethnic conflicts occur (the Balkans, the Middle East, South Asia). The United States of America is different. Let's preserve the tradition of American religious pluralism and not fall into religious or cultural warfare.
The issue of apostasy is actually addressed in a controversial and oft-misunderstood law. Centuries ago, the apostasy law was actually a treason law, created to address what should happen when a soldier in a Muslim army converts to the other side and then fights against a Muslim country. That's the equivalent of an American working for the Soviet Union during the Cold War, or for the Nazis in World War II. Under U.S. law, treason is punishable by death. Now, state authorities in Florida and Ohio will have to clear up the mess and determine Rifqa's residence. Her father, Mohamed Bary, has a strong endorsement by Sgt. Jerry Cupp of the Columbus Police Department. Cupp told the Associated Press that Bary "comes across to me as a loving, caring, worried father about the whereabouts and the health of his daughter."
For his part, Bary told the Associated Press: "We love her, we want her back, she is free to practice her religion, whatever she believes in, that's OK. What these people are trying to do is not right -- I don't think any religion will teach to separate the kids from their parents."
Mohamed Bary allowed his daughter to become a cheerleader and says she can practice any faith she wants -- clearly, he is not a fundamentalist. He is a concerned father who believes his daughter was brainwashed and kidnapped. Let's see how this story unfolds.
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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