Fathima Rifqa Bary conversion and custody controversy
Encyclopedia
Fathima Rifqa Bary, born on August 10, 1992, is a U.S. resident of Sri Lanka
n origin who drew international attention in 2009 when she ran away from her Ohio home at age 16 saying that her Muslim
parents were going to kill her for becoming a Christian
. Her story was broadcast on TV and discussed on partisan blogs. It became a focal point in a culture clash between Evangelical Christians and Muslims.
suburb of New Albany
with her older brother Rilvan and her little brother Rajaa. She and Rilvan attended New Albany High School
. At the school Rifqa was a Straight A Student, a Cheerleader, and a member of the Track and field
team. During her spare time she wrote poetry
and took guitar
lessons. Bary's parents have said that they are Muslims and pray five times a day. Her attorney, John Stemberger, who is the leader of a Christian advocacy group, claimed that the Bary family were members of the Noor Islamic Cultural Center
(NICC), near Columbus. In an official statement, NICC denied it was familiar with Rifqa Bary or her family and stated that their records showed she attended the cultural center's Sunday School only three times in 2007.
Rifqa became a Christian in 2005 when she was 13. In July 2009, Bary was secretly baptized in Big Walnut Creek
, at Hoover Dam Park by her mentor and friend Brian Michael Williams, an aspiring pastor and college student while her family wasn't at home. Rifqa eventually became a member of Columbus Korean United Methodist Church.
In July 2009 she ran away from her parents' home to the home of Orlando, Florida
Christian pastor Blake Lorenz and his wife, Beverly with whom Rifqa had communicated on Facebook
. Rifqa had told Beverly Lorenz that her parents would kill her for converting to Christianity. Williams drove her to a bus station where a ticket was purchased under an assumed name for her bus ride to Orlando, Florida. Bary lived with the Lorenzes for 10 to 21 days (reports vary) before they contacted child welfare authorities, though Florida law required that they contact authorities within 24 hours of receiving Rifqa into their home.
Her case drew attention when she appeared on television and declared that her father said, "He would kill me or send me back to Sri Lanka," describing herself as the intended victim of an honor killing
.
Her parents said they never threatened to harm her. Her father, a jewelry salesman who travels to weekend trade shows in the south and midwest, told a reporter that, "Honestly, we didn't know why she left." Regarding the death threat described by his daughter, he said, "She doesn't know what she's talking about," and, "I want her to come back home. I love my daughter whether she's Christian, or anything else. I want my daughter back."
for the mother, and a lawyer from the state Florida Regional Council for the father. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement
report states that they found no credible evidence of physical or verbal abuse. In the report, Bary's father states that he did pick up his daughter's laptop to throw it, but did not throw it due to the cost of the laptop. The FDLE report also listed several statements by Rifqa Bary which were not supported by evidence. Rifqa Bary stated to them that her father did not know that she was a cheerleader, but the FDLE report states that pictures of her in uniform were prominently displayed in the family's home three days later when the police visited and interviewed them. Furthermore, Mr. Bary signed the permission slip for her to be a cheerleader when Mrs. Bary would not. Rifqa Bary stated that a teacher offered her refuge due to the abuse she suffered. The FDLE report states that the teacher was unaware of any abuse and was concerned about parties with alcohol consumption that Rilvan was having when their parents were away. The FDLE report also stated that they did not investigate anyone in the larger Ohio Muslim community and that Florida authorities relied in part on the investigation done by authorities in Ohio. The FDLE report has been criticized by John Guandolo, a former FBI agent writing for the Center for Security Policy
who said that under Islamic law apostasy
is a capital offense. The FDLE responded that it had conducted a "thorough investigation."
On October 13, 2009, Orange County (Florida) Judge Daniel P. Dawson ruled that he would return Bary to Ohio pending a settlement of her immigration status. Emergency custody continues in Ohio.
On December 22, 2009, a magistrate of the Franklin county juvenile court denied Bary's parents' request for forced mediation and set the date for the dependency hearing for the end of January. The hearing was canceled on January 19, 2010, when a deal between the parties was reached with Bary becoming a dependent of the State of Ohio in exchange for admitting that she broke the rules when she ran away. On January 29, 2010, once it was learned that Bary would be allowed to contact Reverend Lorenz and his wife, Bary's parents, on the strict advice of their lawyer, requested to back out of the deal. On March 2, 2010, Judge Elizabeth Gill denied their request and ordered them to continue their counseling sessions so that Rifqa could return home to her family before she turned 18.
In June 2010 Rifqa graduated from Focus Learning Academy. Rifqa was diagnosed with advanced Uterine cancer
. She had three successful surgeries to remove the Cancer. Rifqa was supposed to have Chemotherapy
for 45 Weeks, but she quit getting Chemotherapy because the Cancer Treatments made her sick and weak and unable to focus on the case. Rifqa's parents asked the Judge to force their daughter to continue her Chemotherapy, but she refused. Rifqa is Cancer Free and she's working with her doctors to make sure that the Cancer doesn't come back. The Doctors are hoping that Rifqa will get Chemotherapy again when she's stronger.
On August 10, 2010, Bary became 18 years old and Franklin County Children Services' custody of her ended.
After the gag order was lifted on her hearings, her father and mother alleged that Bary had sent them a video two weeks prior, along with candy and music, saying she loved them. They also stated that Bary sent them letters including one where she thanked them for helping her be a successful student. Despite these alleged communications, the parents' Ohio attorney, Omar Tarazi, indicated that Barys have not had a private face-to-face conversation with their daughter, even in the presence a family counselor, since she ran away. In September 2010, Rifqa received permanent residence status and can apply for United States citizenship once she turns 23. In February 2011 Rifqa spoke to the public 7 months after winning her freedom. Omar dropped his law suit against Rifqa's lawyer, but he's continuing to sue Pamela Geller.
and point of "hostility between some Christians and Muslims." Ms. Bary's case has become a focal point in a culture clash between Evangelical Christians and Muslims, worldwide.
Imam Muhammad Musri of the Islamic Society of Central Florida claimed that the controversy was caused "by far-right religious groups" portraying Islam and Muslims as extreme fundamentalists who might kill a child. Harry Coverston, a professor of religion, theorized that some individuals must have an enemy. Dr. Hany Saqr of the Noor Islamic Cultural Center stated that paranoid and manipulative "Islamophobes" were pushing the story. Writing in FrontPage Magazine, Robert Spencer described the whole incident as a "slow-motion honor killing" while Charlie Crist
and Marco Rubio
made statements in support of Bary. Mathew Staver
, president of the Liberty University School of Law
and lawyer for the Lorenzes said, "Lorenz had a legitimate reason to believe Rifqa Bary was in fear of her life because she'd converted to Christianity
.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n origin who drew international attention in 2009 when she ran away from her Ohio home at age 16 saying that her Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
parents were going to kill her for becoming a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
. Her story was broadcast on TV and discussed on partisan blogs. It became a focal point in a culture clash between Evangelical Christians and Muslims.
History
Rifqa Bary, is the daughter of Mohamed and Aysha Bary. Her parents initially came to the U.S. to seek medical care for Rifqa after she became blind in her right eye. She grew up in the ColumbusColumbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
suburb of New Albany
New Albany, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,711 people, 1,263 households, and 1,030 families residing in the village. The population density was 415.7 people per square mile . There were 1,424 housing units at an average density of 159.5 per square mile...
with her older brother Rilvan and her little brother Rajaa. She and Rilvan attended New Albany High School
New Albany High School (Ohio)
New Albany High School is a public high school located in New Albany, Ohio, part of the New Albany-Plain Local School District. New Albany is a four-year comprehensive high school accredited by the Ohio Department of Education. It has been nationally recognized as a School of Excellence...
. At the school Rifqa was a Straight A Student, a Cheerleader, and a member of the Track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
team. During her spare time she wrote poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
and took guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
lessons. Bary's parents have said that they are Muslims and pray five times a day. Her attorney, John Stemberger, who is the leader of a Christian advocacy group, claimed that the Bary family were members of the Noor Islamic Cultural Center
Noor Islamic Cultural Center
The Noor Islamic Cultural Center is a mosque located in Columbus, Ohio. Building was started in 2001, and completed in 2006. NICC is the first Islamic center to become an polling place in Central Ohio....
(NICC), near Columbus. In an official statement, NICC denied it was familiar with Rifqa Bary or her family and stated that their records showed she attended the cultural center's Sunday School only three times in 2007.
Rifqa became a Christian in 2005 when she was 13. In July 2009, Bary was secretly baptized in Big Walnut Creek
Big Walnut Creek
Big Walnut Creek starts near Mount Gilead, Ohio in Morrow County. It flows south to eastern Delaware County and parallels Alum Creek. It passes to the east of Sunbury and into Hoover Reservoir. The reservoir crosses into Franklin County and flows through Gahanna and Whitehall...
, at Hoover Dam Park by her mentor and friend Brian Michael Williams, an aspiring pastor and college student while her family wasn't at home. Rifqa eventually became a member of Columbus Korean United Methodist Church.
In July 2009 she ran away from her parents' home to the home of Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
Christian pastor Blake Lorenz and his wife, Beverly with whom Rifqa had communicated on Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
. Rifqa had told Beverly Lorenz that her parents would kill her for converting to Christianity. Williams drove her to a bus station where a ticket was purchased under an assumed name for her bus ride to Orlando, Florida. Bary lived with the Lorenzes for 10 to 21 days (reports vary) before they contacted child welfare authorities, though Florida law required that they contact authorities within 24 hours of receiving Rifqa into their home.
Her case drew attention when she appeared on television and declared that her father said, "He would kill me or send me back to Sri Lanka," describing herself as the intended victim of an honor killing
Honor killing
An honor killing or honour killing is the homicide of a member of a family or social group by other members, due to the belief of the perpetrators that the victim has brought dishonor upon the family or community...
.
Her parents said they never threatened to harm her. Her father, a jewelry salesman who travels to weekend trade shows in the south and midwest, told a reporter that, "Honestly, we didn't know why she left." Regarding the death threat described by his daughter, he said, "She doesn't know what she's talking about," and, "I want her to come back home. I love my daughter whether she's Christian, or anything else. I want my daughter back."
Law enforcement investigations
Rifqa Bary was taken into custody by Florida child welfare authorities while an investigation was conducted. The court appointed attorneys for her parents: private practitioner Craig McCarthyCraig McCarthy
Craig Alan McCarthy is a lawyer and politician from Orlando, Florida. He moved to Florida in 1979, and graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1989, serving as a member of the Berlin Brigade until returning to the United States to attend law school at Florida State University College...
for the mother, and a lawyer from the state Florida Regional Council for the father. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Florida Department of Law Enforcement
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is a Florida government agency. FDLE is composed of five programs: Executive Direction and Business Support, Criminal Investigations and Forensic Science, Criminal Justice Information, Criminal Justice Professionalism, and the Florida Capitol Police...
report states that they found no credible evidence of physical or verbal abuse. In the report, Bary's father states that he did pick up his daughter's laptop to throw it, but did not throw it due to the cost of the laptop. The FDLE report also listed several statements by Rifqa Bary which were not supported by evidence. Rifqa Bary stated to them that her father did not know that she was a cheerleader, but the FDLE report states that pictures of her in uniform were prominently displayed in the family's home three days later when the police visited and interviewed them. Furthermore, Mr. Bary signed the permission slip for her to be a cheerleader when Mrs. Bary would not. Rifqa Bary stated that a teacher offered her refuge due to the abuse she suffered. The FDLE report states that the teacher was unaware of any abuse and was concerned about parties with alcohol consumption that Rilvan was having when their parents were away. The FDLE report also stated that they did not investigate anyone in the larger Ohio Muslim community and that Florida authorities relied in part on the investigation done by authorities in Ohio. The FDLE report has been criticized by John Guandolo, a former FBI agent writing for the Center for Security Policy
Center for Security Policy
The Center for Security Policy is a Washington, D.C. think tank that focuses on national security issues. The Center was founded in 1988 by Frank Gaffney, Jr....
who said that under Islamic law apostasy
Apostasy in Islam
Apostasy in Islam is commonly defined in Islam as the rejection in word or deed of one's former religion by a person who was previously a follower of Islam...
is a capital offense. The FDLE responded that it had conducted a "thorough investigation."
On October 13, 2009, Orange County (Florida) Judge Daniel P. Dawson ruled that he would return Bary to Ohio pending a settlement of her immigration status. Emergency custody continues in Ohio.
Return to Ohio
On October 27, 2009, Bary was returned to Ohio and temporarily placed in the custody of Franklin County Children Services. The public agency was to monitor her internet and phone use. and hoped to reunite the family before August 10, 2010, when Bary would turn 18-years-old. A case-management plan was filed on December 1, 2009, stating that Bary and her family needed to have face-to-face talks about their understanding of Christianity and Islam as one step toward reunification.On December 22, 2009, a magistrate of the Franklin county juvenile court denied Bary's parents' request for forced mediation and set the date for the dependency hearing for the end of January. The hearing was canceled on January 19, 2010, when a deal between the parties was reached with Bary becoming a dependent of the State of Ohio in exchange for admitting that she broke the rules when she ran away. On January 29, 2010, once it was learned that Bary would be allowed to contact Reverend Lorenz and his wife, Bary's parents, on the strict advice of their lawyer, requested to back out of the deal. On March 2, 2010, Judge Elizabeth Gill denied their request and ordered them to continue their counseling sessions so that Rifqa could return home to her family before she turned 18.
In June 2010 Rifqa graduated from Focus Learning Academy. Rifqa was diagnosed with advanced Uterine cancer
Uterine cancer
The term uterine cancer may refer to any of several different types of cancer which occur in the uterus, namely:*Uterine sarcomas: sarcomas of the myometrium, or muscular layer of the uterus, are most commonly leiomyosarcomas.*Endometrial cancer:...
. She had three successful surgeries to remove the Cancer. Rifqa was supposed to have Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
for 45 Weeks, but she quit getting Chemotherapy because the Cancer Treatments made her sick and weak and unable to focus on the case. Rifqa's parents asked the Judge to force their daughter to continue her Chemotherapy, but she refused. Rifqa is Cancer Free and she's working with her doctors to make sure that the Cancer doesn't come back. The Doctors are hoping that Rifqa will get Chemotherapy again when she's stronger.
On August 10, 2010, Bary became 18 years old and Franklin County Children Services' custody of her ended.
After the gag order was lifted on her hearings, her father and mother alleged that Bary had sent them a video two weeks prior, along with candy and music, saying she loved them. They also stated that Bary sent them letters including one where she thanked them for helping her be a successful student. Despite these alleged communications, the parents' Ohio attorney, Omar Tarazi, indicated that Barys have not had a private face-to-face conversation with their daughter, even in the presence a family counselor, since she ran away. In September 2010, Rifqa received permanent residence status and can apply for United States citizenship once she turns 23. In February 2011 Rifqa spoke to the public 7 months after winning her freedom. Omar dropped his law suit against Rifqa's lawyer, but he's continuing to sue Pamela Geller.
Public debate
The situation drew international attention and became a cause célèbreCause célèbre
A is an issue or incident arousing widespread controversy, outside campaigning and heated public debate. The term is particularly used in connection with celebrated legal cases. It is a French phrase in common English use...
and point of "hostility between some Christians and Muslims." Ms. Bary's case has become a focal point in a culture clash between Evangelical Christians and Muslims, worldwide.
Imam Muhammad Musri of the Islamic Society of Central Florida claimed that the controversy was caused "by far-right religious groups" portraying Islam and Muslims as extreme fundamentalists who might kill a child. Harry Coverston, a professor of religion, theorized that some individuals must have an enemy. Dr. Hany Saqr of the Noor Islamic Cultural Center stated that paranoid and manipulative "Islamophobes" were pushing the story. Writing in FrontPage Magazine, Robert Spencer described the whole incident as a "slow-motion honor killing" while Charlie Crist
Charlie Crist
Charles Joseph "Charlie" Crist, Jr. is an American politician who was the 44th Governor of Florida. Prior to his election as governor, Crist previously served as Florida State Senator, Education Commissioner, and Attorney General...
and Marco Rubio
Marco Rubio
Marco Antonio Rubio is the junior United States Senator from Florida . A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives ....
made statements in support of Bary. Mathew Staver
Mathew Staver
Mathew D. Staver, J.D., is an American lawyer, academic, professor, and former Seventh Day Adventist pastor. He has been a founding member and Chairman of Liberty Counsel since 1989, and dean of Liberty University School of Law since 2006.-Biography:...
, president of the Liberty University School of Law
Liberty University School of Law
The Liberty University School of Law is the law school of Liberty University, a private Evangelical Christian university in Lynchburg, Virginia. Liberty University School of Law is fully accredited by the American Bar Association.-Founding:...
and lawyer for the Lorenzes said, "Lorenz had a legitimate reason to believe Rifqa Bary was in fear of her life because she'd converted to Christianity
Apostasy in Islam
Apostasy in Islam is commonly defined in Islam as the rejection in word or deed of one's former religion by a person who was previously a follower of Islam...
.
Further reading
Opinion article written by Rifqa Bary's attorney Opinion article written by Mohamed Bary's (Rifqa's father's) attorney- Rifqa Graduates!
- Muslim Convert, Rifqa Bary, Makes Her First Public Comments Since Turning 18
- Police say Ohio runaway's helpers broke laws
- Christian Convert's Helpers Won't Be Charged, Prosecutors Say