Fathima Rifqa Bary, the Muslim-Christian convert who ran away, is to be in court in Orlando Thursday
The attorney for an Ohio runaway who said her Muslim father would kill her for converting to Christianity, on Monday said the real danger is her father's mosque.John Stemberger, attorney, conservative Christian activist and leader of the Florida Policy Council, said the mosque, Noor Islamic Cultural Center, has ties to terrorists.It is a home to radical Muslims, he said, and Fathima Rifqa Bary's father is a member and subject to its influence. Rifqa ran away, Stemberger said, after other mosque members contacted the girl's father and pressured him "to deal with this matter immediately."That "matter" was Rifqa's conversion to Christianity.She ran away July 19, saying her father, Mohamed Bary, 47, had threatened to kill her.The Barys do pray at Noor, the girl's father said, but it's not clear that Noor is a threat to Rifqa.It is one of the most liberal mosques in the city, according to Columbus-area Muslims. It sponsors blood drives, a food pantry and next month, a health clinic.
Earlier this month, it hosted a day-long interfaith session on homeland security that was sponsored by the Ohio Department of Public Safety.A hearing is scheduled Thursday in Orlando about what to do with the girl. Stemberger said he wants her to stay with a Christian foster family here until next August, when she turns 18.When asked Monday to name people at Noor who want Rifqa dead, Stemberger did not, saying "the totality of circumstances present a danger to her."There were radical Muslims in Columbus, including three who are now serving federal prison terms for conspiring with suspected terrorists to blow up the Brooklyn Bridge, a Columbus-area shopping mall and unspecified targets in the U.S. and Europe.Those men -- Iyman Faris, Nuradin Abdi and Christopher Paul -- worshipped at another Columbus mosque near the Ohio State University campus, according to Fred Alverson, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Columbus...more..http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/orl-bk-rifqa-teen-convert-mosque-083109,0,1185471.story
Earlier this month, it hosted a day-long interfaith session on homeland security that was sponsored by the Ohio Department of Public Safety.A hearing is scheduled Thursday in Orlando about what to do with the girl. Stemberger said he wants her to stay with a Christian foster family here until next August, when she turns 18.When asked Monday to name people at Noor who want Rifqa dead, Stemberger did not, saying "the totality of circumstances present a danger to her."There were radical Muslims in Columbus, including three who are now serving federal prison terms for conspiring with suspected terrorists to blow up the Brooklyn Bridge, a Columbus-area shopping mall and unspecified targets in the U.S. and Europe.Those men -- Iyman Faris, Nuradin Abdi and Christopher Paul -- worshipped at another Columbus mosque near the Ohio State University campus, according to Fred Alverson, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Columbus...more..http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/orl-bk-rifqa-teen-convert-mosque-083109,0,1185471.storyAttorney Targets Alleged Terror Ties in Case of Runaway Girl
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