CAIR: South Dakota Woman Loses Child After Accepting Islam

Council on American-Islamic Relations press release via PRNewswire ^ | 7/9/02

[GeneD]

WASHINGTON, July 9 /PRNewswire/ -- A national Islamic advocacy group is raising the possibility of religious bias in the case of a woman in South Dakota whose child was taken away after she accepted Islam.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says the woman's parents were granted custody of her five-year-old boy after she converted to Islam, married an Egyptian man and planned to travel to Egypt. In an affidavit filed with the Third Judicial Circuit Court, the woman's father said she "has engaged in some bizarre behavior, including wearing Muslim garb and declaring herself a Muslim." The affidavit was accompanied by a photo showing the mother wearing a religiously-mandated Islamic headscarf.

In a recent hearing, the court awarded temporary custody to the Muslim mother's parents, claiming that she would otherwise travel to Egypt with her son. That ruling was made despite the fact that the mother offered to give up her passport so that she would be unable to leave the country.

A custody trial is scheduled for the end of July.

"The inclusion of Islamophobic statements in a court filing raises concerns about whether this case will be decided based on the best interests of the child, or on the prejudices of those involved in determining who will ultimately have custody. We ask that relevant authorities monitor the development of this case to ensure objectivity," said CAIR Civil Rights Manager Joshua Salaam.

Salaam added that CAIR is dealing with a number of similar cases and he urged American Muslims to register as foster parents to provide homes for Muslim children involved in custody disputes.

NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a journalist's window to the American Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called ISLAM-INFONET, receive news releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on issues of importance to our society.

To SUBSCRIBE to ISLAM-INFONET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/islam-infonet/

[cardinal4]

Islam sucks.

[goldstategop]

And here we thought Islam was the religion of peace. Now they endorse the kidnapping of children. Just like you'd see from a CAIR press release. Its the other Islamist front group Robert Mueller hadn't addressed yet.

[another cricket]

Where is the childs father?

a.cricket

[Cu Roi]

The fear here might be if she travels to a Muslim country her new husband may be given complete parental rights over her child contrary to any existing priviledges or visitation agreements already agreed upon in the US. The grandparents and the child's biological father could concieveably never see him again.

It doesn't sound like the boy's father is currently in the picture, but this is a press release and who knows what the complete story is at this time.

[CA Conservative]

The one thing that is unclear is whether or not the child is the son of the Egyptian man or not... If he is not, then custody should be given to the natural father and the mother should not be allowed to see the boy unsupervised - otherwise, the boy will probably be kidnapped, and the father will lose all rights to see his son.

[drjimmy]

Can you show us where in the press release it endorses kidnapping children?

[TADSLOS]

the woman's father said she "has engaged in some bizarre behavior, including wearing Muslim garb and declaring herself a Muslim."

I'd be concerned too if my daughter had endangered my grandchild by joining a cult.

[mhking]

concerns about whether this case will be decided based on the best interests of the child

CAIR doesn't care about the best interests of the child - they know that the second they set foot in Egypt, that the mother will never see the child again.

But Islam is the religion of peace....[rolling eyes]

[crystalk]

Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Muslims!

And if Mamas don't have enough sense, let us here 3 big FReeper cheers for Grandmas who DO have enough sense!

And what about their ETERNAL destiny. Don't build no heathen temples, where the Lord's done laid His hand!

[goldstategop]

I think if the child were forcibly taken to Egypt you'd know where CAIR stands. As it is what they really object to was the mother's non Muslim parents gained custody of the child. That to the Islamists at CAIR is flat out evidence of Islamophobia.

[drjimmy]

I take it from your reply that you cannot show where in the press release it advocates kidnapping children, as you had claimed.

[NYCVirago]

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says the woman's parents were granted custody of her five-year-old boy after she converted to Islam, married an Egyptian man and planned to travel to Egypt.

It sounds like the grandparents are trying to prevent a "Not Without My Daughter" situation.

[crystalk]

The child is described as blue-eyed, white, and as having an "American" for a biological father.

I think this means that she already had the boy, before she met and married the Egyptian.

America, and South Dakota, have every right to retain the child as an American citizen, and also ethnically, and religiously a Christian, like his four natural grandparents.

Otherwise he will be given to the heathen.

[Thoudothprotest]

What I don't understand is why everyone thinks that the man she REMARRIED would want to kidnap her child once they went to Egypt? Stepchildren are not at all favorable to a muslim male.

I would like to hear more about the child's real father before I made any assumptions about this case

[goldstategop]

From the boy's biological father. If he was non Muslim, he'd lose all rights to his own child if the mother travelled with him to Egypt and married an Egyptian man like she planned to. Interesting CAIR doesn't mention him which is just as well, cause if you're not a Muslim, your parental rights are irrelevant.

[RonF]

CAIR needs to look at American law. Let's say this woman had done none of these things. Let's say she then got married to a Christian of the exact same denomination as the biological father. Now let's say that the woman decided to move, not to a foreign land, but just out of state.

The father, for sure, and the grandparents, maybe, would STILL have grounds for restraining such behavior, so as to preserve the visiting rights of the father. So while it's pretty clear that no one involved on the father's side much likes Moslems, there's plenty of basis for what's been done without resorting to issues of religious bias.

[Thoudothprotest]

America and South Dakota, as entities, do not have any "right to retain the child".

What world do you live in? The State has a legal right to your child?

Gimme a break.

[SunStar]

Islamophobic

I knew this word was coming!

[What Is Ain't]

Perhaps the court is concerned the mother will strap a dynomite belt to the child.