Fathima Rifqa Bary is a 17-year-old convert to Christianity. That in itself is not remarkable. The reason it is of concern is that she was raised in a devout muslim family. She is currently the center of a case that will determine if she is to be returned to from Florida to her family in Ohio who she claims will be obliged to kill her in an honor killing if she returns. Read about it below and see photos and a video of Rifqa speaking about her ordeal.
Fathima Rifqa Bary
Rifqa Bary is 17-years-old and ran away from home after her father found out she had converted to Christianity from the family’s religion of islam. Her devout muslim family is obligated to kill her, as an honor killing, under Sharia law. That is the islamic law practiced by many muslims. In the case of honor killings, the family is required to kill a daughter who has dishonored the family to prove that their religion is more important to them than their child.
Rifga’s family has attempted to get her to return home, putting her in the middle of a battle between her family and the State of Florida while she pleads not only for her independence from her family, but for her life.
She has been referred to as a ‘dead girl walking’ with every expectation that she would be forced to return to Ohio and her family, and certain death at the hands of her father and brothers. As she explains in the video below, its not that the want to kill her, its that they have to kill her as dictated by the practices of their religion.
At this point, she has been given a reprieve. Florida Judge Dan Dawson has ruled that she will stay in foster care in Florida until September 3, 2009 while the case is being decided and while law enforcement continues to investigate. The parents, Mohamed Bary and Aysha Bary have impressed law enforcement in Ohio as loving parents who are only concerned about the well being of their daughter. The family moved to the United States for Sri Lanka in 2000 to get medical treatment for Rifga who had damaged one of her eyes when she fell on a toy. The father is a jeweler and they have stayed here since then.
Honor killings are common among devout muslims. As Rifga explains in the video below, it is required of the family of girls who stray from the behavior expected of them under Sharia Law. If they live in the West and become too Westernized, talk to boys that are not muslim, wear Western clothing, or behave as Westerners do, the father and brothers are obligated to kill them to retain the family’s honor. Fathima Rifqa Bary, the 17-year-old convert, converting to another religion would certainly be a serious infraction, requiring action on the part of the males in the family.
Fathima Rifqa Bary - Photos
Fathima Rifqa Bary - Video
August 23rd, 2009 at 3:51 am
Now, that you have finished with all your inputs and glorious concern about this child well being, close your eyes and think now that she was converting from christianity to islam. Would your glorious concern and interest for her well being be the same. I doubt that very much
August 23rd, 2009 at 4:05 am
“Her devout muslim family is obligated to kill her, as an honor killing, under Sharia law.”
please get your facts right before quoting such absurd false statements. your bias against islam is very obvious. besides there has never been a single case of honour killing in sri lanka recorded. ever.
August 23rd, 2009 at 4:26 am
wht a crap…being a part of a muslim family even thn she converted means she will not stay a true christian either, its just the temporary charm….honor killing is done by people and it is not told to them by islam…its just people’s lack of knowledge and wrong interpretation…if she has run away thn let he live the way she want to..y making it a mess…looks like a propagenda to me
August 23rd, 2009 at 4:34 am
i need to point out that it’s that she’s a girl who strayed away from the path of right in sharia law then she should be killed … u r making it sound like Islam always punishes the women and treat them as lower creatures .. if a Muslim BEING converted from Islam to any other religion or believe is to be killed unless got back to Islam … that’s the rule , not quoting:
“As Rifga explains in the video below, it is required of the family “of girls” who stray from the behavior expected of them under Sharia Law. If they live in the West and become too Westernized, talk to boys that are not Muslim, wear Western clothing, or behave as Westerners do, the father and brothers are obligated to kill them to retain the family’s honor.”
it is never about the girls, it’s about the Muslim being wither boy or girl!!! look how they poisoned her mind into talking nonsense! and totally false statements
August 23rd, 2009 at 4:48 am
I haven’t heard any thing called ”honour killing” in sharia law.This is senseless and may be delebarate attempt to miss interpret Islam and its followers. Converting to any other relegion is someones personal choice and his/her own responsibility.
August 23rd, 2009 at 5:18 am
Honor killings is CULTURAL…Big difference between culture and Religion. Culturally everyone is turning gay in UK, including preists..but Christianity does not accept gays. Under the context of who wrote this article i am just in saying Christianity does accept gays as then i will be mixing Culture with Religion
August 23rd, 2009 at 5:40 am
Interesting how all these responses are from Moslems claiming that there is no such thing as honor killings. I live in a country that is 20% Moslem and there are honor killings all the time! A young woman is SUSPECTED of seeing a man that was not chosen for her by her family and her brothers kill her. YES, Moslems DO kill women for what they FEEL is disgracing their family. And coverting to Christianity is most definitely a disgrace for a Muslim. Poor girl, PROTECT HER!
August 23rd, 2009 at 5:57 am
She has the choice of converting to other religion, its true that she will dishonor her family, but that will not give her family the right to kill her. Only Allah judges us for our actions, not us. So, even her parents don’t have the right to kill her under the name of Islam. Islam is a religion of peace, not violence and killing.
August 23rd, 2009 at 6:15 am
# 7 tobie,
It is spelled Muslim
August 23rd, 2009 at 6:24 am
OK I’ll spell it Muslim if all the honor killings will stop, if all the MUSLIM fathers stop urging their sons to kill a daughter who is SUSPECTED of improper behavior. What do you say?