Florida has a knack for turning family dysfunction into national spectacle. Ten years ago it gave us the Elian Gonzalez mess; five years later came the Terri Schiavo debacle. Now we have a new domestic dispute that threatens to become another culture-war circus, complete with a clash-of-religions angle to boot: the battle for Rifqa Bary, a 17-year-old girl from Columbus, Ohio, who ran away to an Evangelical church in Orlando, Fla., because, she claims, her Sri Lankan Muslim family has threatened to kill her for recently converting to Christianity.
The saga began in mid-July when Rifqa, after a dispute with her parents, bolted from her home and rode a bus to Orlando. There she took refuge with the Rev. Blake Lorenz, the pastor of a conservative Christian congregation, the Global Revolution Church, and his wife Beverly, whom the cheerleader and honor student had met on Facebook. Almost three weeks later, on Aug. 6, the Lorenzes finally let authorities and Rifqa’s frantic parents know the girl was with them. Then, a few days later, Rifqa dropped a bombshell to an Orlando television station: she had run away, she claimed, because her family, angry about her conversion to Christianity, had “threatened to kill me.”
Rev. Lorenz should have let the parents know right away their daughter was with them-not three weeks later. Imagine the worry and distress of the parents.
I also take this with a grain of salt; She’s a 17 year old runway. She may just be saying she converted to Christianity to get out of the house because of stresses with parents. It’s possible that they threatned her and it’s also possible they did not.
The Washington Times today posted an article that has a very different slant than some of the other MSM pieces. Yes, she was a runaway. But if she really is in fear for her life because her father threatened an honor killing, then that changes things dramatically.
The Times article is here: [url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/aug/25/stay-of-execution/?feat=article_related_stories]Stay of Execution[/url]
When the life of a person may be at stake, particularly a child, it is a criminal action on the part of the authorities, local, state or federal to ignore the possibility of an ‘honor killing’ taking place.
It doesn’t need to happen in the USA, the father or other male relatives may take her to a Muslim country where that kind of murder is not considered to be murder.
I read the Washington Times and Time reports – Rifqa’s parents allowed her to be a cheerleader and knew that she was a Christian for two years? What changed that she had to run away?
Hey JGeorge, I just watched a video of the young lady here:
http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=96ccab6067d81ee5bbc6
and in the video she said she was hiding her Bible from her parents for a couple of years so I’m not so sure they knew. And from what I’ve heard from a friend who has done mission work among Muslims in Egypt, it wouldn’t surprise me too much if some Muslim parents would allow their child to be a cheerleader but would come down very hard on her for converting. I think it’s pretty lame that Christians are so quick to doubt her story – I’m glad she found some Christians who didn’t.
It’s hard to tell what the truth is here. On the face of it, normally if a 17-year-old runs away to someone she met just weeks before on Facebook, we’d be looking for the possibility of abuse at that end. And while I am alert to the possibility of honor killings for apostasy, previous reports I’d read couldn’t find friends who said the girl seemed frightened of her parents. The girls who were (allegedly) killed by their father in Texas, for instance, had told friends on numerous occasions that they were afraid. According to the Washington Times article linked above, the Florida court is going to do some investigation of the parents’ mosque and community. I hope they are also looking closely at the Florida connection.
In Egypt conversion is both illegal and very risky. Whether Sri Lankan immigrants in the USA would take the same attitude towards a daughter is unknown. They won’t approve, but whether they would murder her is the question, and it should not be automatically assumed that they would.
Katherine (#6.) said,
“They won’t approve, but whether they would murder her is the question, and it should not be automatically assumed that they would.”
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The problem is that we are not sure that she won’t be murdered in an honor killing.
The Muslims have done this to themselves. They have permitted “honor” killings to occur frequently enough for such murder to be an ‘expectation’ rather than an ‘exception.’
#7, particularly in the US, saying “The Muslims have done this to themselves” is to paint every Muslim with the same brush. I am no apologist for Islam; far from it! But there should be some evidence in the form of statements from this girl before she fled or from the parents, or some history of violence or unreasonable restrictions against her, to justify leaving her in the custody of people to whom she is not related and whom she met over the internet very recently. Wouldn’t even Christian parents be right to be suspicious about this?
8, the problem is that if you are wrong and the girl is returned and killed there is no taking it back. What do you say then, “Oh I am so sorry?” We do do know that honor killings take place. The girl is almost an adult. I would like to see her reach 18. If there is to be an error let’s error on the side of her living.
I think Florida is correct to investigate this matter.
But, Br. Michael, your approach says that under-eighteen children can be kept from their parents absent any evidence of abuse or threats. Because there are in the US some Muslim parents who might kill an apostate child, you are saying that therefore all Muslim parents are an imminent threat to their children. Keep in mind that there are some people now in charge of the federal government and many states who think that traditional Christian beliefs are not good for children. Where does this kind of thing stop?
Greetings.
I must agree with [b]Katherine[/b] here. We are a nation of [i]laws[/i], and there is one law for Muslims, Christians (even Westboro Baptist members) and everyone else. I am no more an apologist for radical Islamofascism than is [b]Katherine[/b], but there is legal process for this kind of thing. Let it be followed.
regards,
JPB
I may have to change my opinion here, but it’s based upon evidence being reported. According to this [url=http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/aug/27/apostate-girls-father/]opinion column[/url] dated 27 August, the girl’s parents have filed affidavits in Florida claiming they are indigent so the Florida courts will appoint lawyers for them. They are in fact apparently the owners of a jewelry business making in excess of $230k per annum plus a custom bridal veil business commanding good prices for work the mother does. The jewelry business was liquidated in July following the family’s discovery of the girl’s continued Christian belief. This does raise a reasonable suspicion that the family intends to take the girl to Sri Lanka, their country of origin, where her fate may be in question.
Again, parental authority should not be questioned because of the nature of the parents’ beliefs but only because of actions and evidence which indicate the child may realistically be in danger. For instance, it is not illegal to raise children as members of a faith-healing sect, but courts will intervene if parents refuse the child treatment for things like diabetes or cancer.