Weighing-in on Rifqa: Let the Flames Begin…
ByI’ve resisted weighing-in on the Rifqa Bary issue on Daily Uprising because I believe that the Rifqa case has the potential to divide and create bad blood amongst members of the new conservative and libertarian coalition online.
Nevertheless, with politicians commenting and, now, Time Magazine dedicating substantial copy to the case, I couldn’t resist commenting.
First, however, for those who haven’t been inundated with the Rifqa Bary story already, we’ll provide some background. For the last few weeks, Christian conservatives have been circulating online an emotional interview with Rifqa, a young girl who fled her muslim parents after converting to Christianity:
Rifqa is from Colorado, where some sources say that her parents belong to a more radical islamic community that included, for some time, a prominent intellectual with conspiracy theories about 9/11. She met the Christians she is staying with in Florida via Facebook, ran away from her parents on a bus to Florida, and is quickly becoming a new media sensation. We haven’t seen a lot of proof that Rifqa’s parents intend to murder her or that murdering converts is something that the Islamic community in Colorado tends to do a lot of. Nevertheless, there is reason to be concerned that she won’t receive a joyful homecoming if she is eventually ordered home.
At the outset, I should state that the persecution of Christians abroad is terrible, but the persecution of Christians here at home is unacceptable. Just as I would not have voluntarily agreed to return Elian Gonzales to slavery in Cuba, my conscience would not allow me to return Rifqa to danger after she has told me that a radical Islamic community in Colorado wishes to harm her and more than a few experts concerning that community and faith have told me she has reason to be concerned.
We’d like to think that everyone on the Right would stand with us, but we know that won’t be the case. There is a strong parent’s rights movement on the Right. The movement sided with Communist Fidel Castro after the bearded dictator propped up Elian’s estranged and violent father during the Elian Gonzales dispute. If they could do that, the movement will also probably side against Rifqa in this dispute. We think they’ll see her as a teenage drama queen whose fight with her parents — probably over something like cell phone usage or driving privileges — is causing her to slander her parents as extremists when, in fact, they signed the permission slip to allow her to “shake her booty” as a high school cheerleader in Colorado. While we don’t agree based on the facts we’ve seen and heard, we have to acknowledge that the parent’s rights movement is often and usually correct. And we certainly don’t like the idea of the state seizing children or “protecting them” from parents based merely on the fact that children decide that they don’t subscribe to their parent’s religious or political beliefs. If Rifqa is merely a runaway, she shouldn’t be treated differently from other runaways merely because her parents are devout Muslims.
Still, I just can’t imagine sending her back if she’s testifying that her father may feel obligated to kill her and that he has said as much to her. It may be politically correct to accuse Rifqa of furthering dangerous stereotypes, but we just can’t dismiss the possibility that in this case the stereotype might be true.
At any rate, feel free to flame away in the comments… or to add insight.
That submission of yours took guts.
The worst problem that the libertarian coalition has always had, is enemy identification. The prevailing theory seems to be that the only enemies worth worrying about, are enemies within–and that the only enemies we have outside the country, are enemies we made. And that we can unmake them just by pulling ourselves in and becoming Fortress America, with maybe some licensed pirates (privateers, as in letters of marque and reprisal) to handle any power projection that any of our merchants might be willing to privately contract for.
That kind of Kum-Bah-Yah stuff is going to get us all killed.
Why is this relevant to the case of in re Rifqa Bary? Because the enemy from without that I speak of is Islam.
If I had the credentials of a lawyer, I'd be filing an amicus brief right now, introducing into evidence key passages from the Koran that practically order Rifqa's father to kill her in order to preserve the family honor. And I would cite a number of honor-killing cases that we have had right here in this country.
The same whacked-out ideology that prompted nineteen men to fly airplanes into buildings (or try to; one crew didn't make it, remember?), also tells Mr. Bary to kill his daughter for leaving the faith.
And by the way, to any Muslims who might be reading this: I eat pork chops for dinner!
Right on! You are absolutely correct that this will be played as some sort of "teenage angst".
As Americans we often forget how lucky we are to live in a country where we have the freedom worship as we please. We love our children and want the best for them, and will often project that feeling on to others.
Islam teaches its adherents to kill others if they are not Muslims. They kill innocents all the time for the crime of being born Jewish or Christian. It is a fact that Muslims are involved in most of the wars/conflicts in our world. It's a religion of peace…NOT.
Anyone who doubts that the parents will kill her for converting is not paying attention. If the parents are devout (and the appear to be) then it is MANDATED that they kill their daughter for converting. And if the parents prevail, her blood will be on the hands of everyone who are defending her parents.
This took guts. I agree with Temlakos. Thank you.
Charlotte and Temlakos: Thank you for your kind words! We'll continue to try to follow the story in the future.