Rifqa Bary, a 17 year old from a Muslim family who has become a Christian, should not be returned to her parents and US authorities will be gravely remiss if they make her go back to Ohio. Her return to her family is a death sentence.
As yet the networks have not covered this story and of course one wonders why. Fox News as covered it. Where are the women’s organizations? Where are the human rights organizations such as the National Organization for Women? I see nothing on their website–no press release, nothing. If Rifqa were fleeing her parents to get an abortion, support from such organizations and coverage by the mainstream press would be making the news, and would most likely be the lead. The fact that she has converted to Christianity is the reason for the underwhelming national attention in the press. Her freedom of religion, a human and civil right the last time I checked, and her bodily safety are apparently not important enough issues for the likes of Katie Couric or Charlie Gibson.
Every day in this country Muslim young women are held hostage, abused and oppressed by their families because they assert their right to freedom and self determination in some way, often times very small ways. It is a hidden oppression of which the American public needs to know. Young women who are born here or who have lived here since childhood are frequently isolated by their families if they begin to show signs of independence and non-conformity to cultural norms. Of course, there is a continuum and degree of abuse in such situations. Let’s be plain: this is domestic abuse and often child abuse and it’s fairly common. There are organizations which minister to South Asian of all ages who find themselves abusive family situations.
The problem will grow as these young women live in the US and become educated about what it means to be free. There are now a number of agencies in over 13 states which aid South Asian women in need. One such agency in St. Louis Missouri is SAWERAA whose mission “is to serve women of South Asian descent who are victims of domestic violence through support, education and empowerment.”
These young women’s assertions of freedom should be supported by our culture and by all women since freedom is the bedrock of our society and one of our core values as a nation.
And by the way, if there ever were a teachable moment and a situation where the world is truly watching, especially the women of the world, this is it.
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on Sunday, August 23rd, 2009 at 12:34 am and is filed under Uncategorized.
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