The Bolivar Commercial
August 26, 2009
OPINIONS
Florida governor goes to bat for 17-year-old runaway
Tuesday, Aug 25, 2009
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, his office inundated with e-mails, recently stood up for a 17-year-old
runaway who fled her Muslim family’s home in Ohio because she was afraid she might become the
victim of “an honor killing.”
Rifqa Bary, a Christian convert whose family immigrated to the United States from Sri Lanka,
fled to Florida after her parents, Mohamed and Aysha Bary, found out that she was baptized earlier
this year without their knowledge. The parents reported her missing to police in Columbus, Ohio, on
July 19. Using cell phone and computer records, police tracked the girl down weeks later.
“Anyone who converts from Islam is considered an apostate, and apostasy is a capital crime” in
the Muslim world, explained Dr. Phyllis Chesler, an author and professor of psychology at the
Richmond College of City University in New York. Chesler said she believes Rifqa would be in
danger if she were sent back to her parents.
In an tearful interview with WFTV in Florida, the teenager said she expected to be killed if she
was forced to return to Ohio. The interview was picked up Friday morning by Fox News, which urged
viewers to e-mail Gov. Crist and urge him not to extradite Rifqa back to Ohio.
Rifqa referred in the interview to previous victims of so-called “honor killings,” in which young
Muslim women were murdered for bringing dishonor to their families.
“I’m fighting for my life. You guys don’t understand. … I want to worship Jesus freely. That’s
what I want. I don’t want to die.”
Crist quickly weighed in. At 9:10 a.m. Friday his office replied to the sender of an e-mail that
“Due to the volume of e-mails sent to the governor, there may be a delay in responding to your e-
mail.”
That was followed by another e-mail, sent out from Crist’s office at 12:36 p.m. In it, Warren
Davis, of the Office of Citizen Services, said that the governor is committed “to protecting Ms. Bary’s
health, safety and welfare,” and that Crist directed George Sheldon, secretary of the Florida
Department of Children and Family Services, to petition the court to place Rifqa in a shelter under
protective custody by the department.
The court granted the request, sending Rifqa to a licensed foster care home, Davis said.
A third e-mail, which was also written by Davis, arrived at 6:42 p.m.
“Governor Crist today expressed his gratefulness to Circuit Judge Daniel Dawson for his
decision to grant Fathima Rifqa Bary the right to remain in Florida,” it said.
“In this case, the first and only priority of Governor Crist’s administration is the safety and well-
being of this child … Please be assured Governor Crist will continue to fight to protect Ms. Rifqa
Bary’s safety and well-being as this case moves forward.”
Rifqa’s story is one of those “only in America” kind of stories.
Where else would a political leader of Crist’s status go to bat for a runaway? And where else
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