Rifqa Bary Ordered Returned to Ohio

Rifqa Bary


Rifqa Bary, the 17-year-old Sri Lankan immigrant who converted to Christianity and fled to Florida in fear that her father would kill her, has been ordered by a Florida judge to be returned to Ohio. Florida authorities have disregarded her fears of death. It appears at this point that she will be transferred to a foster care facility in Ohio. Left unresolved is documentation as to whether her family is in the US legally.

The fate of this girl is a story that we should all follow. The family of this girl has denied that they intend to do her any harm over her conversion. We shall see. The couple that sheltered Rifqa in Florida is claiming that a Facebook site has asked for volunteers to carry out an "honor killing" and quickly received over 100 volunteers before shutting down the site.

To me, there are two important issues at play here. First and foremost is the fate of Rifqa. Her safety should be the most important consideration. There is a legitimate fear that there are people in this country, possibly among her family or circle of friends, who intend to do her harm, as punishment for converting from Islam.

It also seems to me that this case is a matter for concern among American Muslims in general. Obviously, they must be cognizant of the fact that if harm comes to this girl over her conversion, it will be a stinging indictment of Islam in America. The very idea that a human being in the United States would be killed because of religious conversion is contrary to everything we stand for as Americans. The idea of religious freedom is a pillar of our nation-notwithstanding our Judeo-Christian heritage. We accept the freedom to practice the religion of one's choice or no religion at all.

All I can hope for and pray for is that Rifqa is allowed to continue her life in safety and be free to worship as she pleases. That she be allowed to do so would be a credit to the American Muslim community as a sign that they are assimilating into American society and accepting American values as organizations like the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) are always telling us.

Make no mistake, however. Should harm come to Rifqa Bary, we will make sure that her case gets the widest dissemination possible-including CAIR's alleged role in representing the Bari family in this matter behind the scenes.

We are watching this case very closely.