Jamie Glazov, FrontPageMagazine editor, interviewed intrepid journalist, Pamela Geller of the blog Atlas Shrugs, regarding the proposed Rally for Rifqa Bary to occur at the start of the dependency hearing on November 16^th before Franklin County, Ohio   Juvenile Court Magistrate, Mary Goodrich.  Geller has promoted the Rifqa Bary rally to draw attention to the plight of the 17 year old apostate from Islam.  We reported on (See:  “Rifqa Bary: Justice Delayed is Justice Denied”)a last minute deal that failed on the cusp of her return to Ohio sabotaged in part by her parents and Muslim counsel, Omar Tarazi.  Geller noted in the FrontPage Magazine interview her palpable reasons for the protest rally:

Eric Fenner, the executive director of Franklin County Children Services, said that he has “no reason to believe Rifqa wouldn’t be safe with her parents” — with the father who according to Rifqa said, “If you have this Jesus in your heart, you’re dead to me. You’re not my daughter . . . I will kill you.”

I am organizing a “Rally for Rifqa” in co-operation with Robert Spencer, bestselling author and director of Jihad watch, and Dr. Andrew Bostom, author of The Legacy of Islamic Jihad. It will be held on November 16th, the day of Rifqa’s dependency hearing in support of the reinstatement of her rights and freedom of religion. . . .

It’s not just Rifqa’s battle. She is our proxy in the battle for freedom of religion and individual rights. Rifqa Bary’s case is the landmark case in the civil rights battle of this new century.

Who will be speaking at this proposed Rally for Rifqa?  Geller’s list of speakers includes:

Simon Deng, an ex-slave from Sudan;

Nonie Darwish, Executive Director of Former Muslims United;

James Lafferty, chairman of the Virginia Anti-Sharia Task Force;

Joyce Kaufman, Talk Show Radio Host;

Jamal Jivanjee, apostate, Pastor and Rifqa’s friend; . . .

Wafa Sultan will make a statement.

But then Geller whips up the passions by citing “Rifqa’s imprisonment;”

 Rifqa Bary’s civil rights are being violated. She is being held prisoner: no phone, no internet, and no public school. Why? What is her crime? She is being held under house arrest in accord with Sharia law, which stipulates that female apostates are to be imprisoned until they recant. Ohio is effectively practicing Sharia law.

In the run up to the Rifqa Bary rally it is important to keep in mind the conditions of her current foster care as regards her ability to communicate with outsiders.

Let us deal with the issue of her communication restrictions.

Her cell phone is not tapped, and she can phone whom she chooses. 

Her internet access is not restricted to approved sites, or officially monitored by anyone.

There are two exceptions.  As per the Franklin County Court order all the parties to the case (not just the attorneys) are gagged.  As a party to her own case, Rifqa cannot discuss the proceedings with anyone other than her attorneys or foster parents.  So when she is visiting with friends, whether by phone, or online, she cannot talk about the case. The foster parents determine the amount of time she can spend on the phone and internet chats, based on time required for homework and chores. This amounts to responsible parental supervision.

The other concern is whether this proceeding in Franklin County Juvenile court is simply ‘profoma’. That is the re-unification deal is a foregone conclusion and would occur on the hearing date, November 16^th.  Sources close to the legal team indicate that even if that occurs, there will still be appeals and other legal filings that would cause a delay of upwards to sixty days before that might eventuate.

Let us now focus on the appropriate messages that the Rifqa protest rally should convey.

The petition before the court is for dependency, because Rifqa fears being sent home to her family. Her fears reflect a history of abuse, of being taken back to Sri Lanka and the distinct possibility of her being fatally punished under Sharia law for her apostasy as a Muslim who converted to Christianity.  If the dependency petition filing is approved then Rifqa would become a ward (dependent) of the State of Ohio.  She would then be automatically eligible for a fast track to obtain a Green Card under US immigration rules, regardless of the immigration status of her parents.

Her parents, Mohammed and Aysha have stayed beyond the limits of their 2005 Visa. They are here illegally under US immigration rules.  Further, they have not complied with several court orders in Florida to produce their visas and passports.  These facts – and not the family’s tax problems - are evidence of her parents' unlawful behavior.  If anything her parents’ tax problems make it more likely they would return immediately to Sri Lanka if the Ohio court ordered Rifqa returned.  She is obviously afraid of being taken back there.  Her parents therefore do not fear a US ICE order to leave America.

So the message at the protest rally should be to support the dependency petition so that Rifqa can remain in this country and become a US citizen.

Sources inform us that the large Muslim community in Columbus, estimated at over 70,000, including a large Somali contingent, may be prepared to come out in force to counter demonstrate against “outsiders.”  Then there are the extremists   at the Bary family Noor Mosque.   The Protest Rally for Rifqa might trigger something more than the ‘stealth jihad’ aimed at reunifying  Rifqa with her  parents teetering on the brink of fleeing the US for their native Sri Lanka.  That flight could be imminent if the Franklin County Juvenile Court Magistrate Hearing overturns the petition for dependency on the grounds of abuse by her family, and immigration authorities encourage their departure.