ISLAMIC MOTHER IN CHILD-CUSTODY FIGHT
HANNAH ALLAM, St. Paul Pioneer Press, 7/10/02
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/local/3631655.htm
Muslims across the nation are protesting a South Dakota judge's decision to
remove a 5-year-old boy from his mother's home, saying the custody ruling
was based on the woman's recent conversion to Islam. The Council on
American-Islamic Relations in Washington, D.C., questioned the decision in
a news release Tuesday, although the case has been widely discussed on Twin
Cities Muslim e-mail groups and online forums for about two weeks.
Muslims claim the judge in sparsely populated Moody County showed an
anti-Islamic bias when he granted temporary custody to the boy's
grandparents...
Last week, some Muslim women from Minnesota helped raise money for
29-year-old Sally Barakat's effort to regain custody of her son, Trevor.
Barakat planned to move with Trevor from Flandreau, S.D. - about five miles
from the Minnesota border - to Egypt, where her husband lives.
She met the man, Osama, online about two years ago and married him during a
four-week trip to Egypt. She converted to Islam in February, after
returning to South Dakota.
Barakat's father and stepmother objected to Barakat's plans to move to
Egypt, and filed court papers in which they say she "engaged in some
bizarre behavior, including wearing Muslim garb and declaring herself a
Muslim," according to court papers...
"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," stated the Council on
American-Islamic Relations news release.
On June 20, Moody County Circuit Judge Rodney Steele granted temporary
custody of Trevor to his grandparents, and set a hearing date past
Barakat's planned departure for Egypt.
The judge's order, which included surrendering Trevor's passport, does not
state reasons for removing the boy from his mother's custody...
"They don't want me to raise my son as a Muslim," Barakat said. "They've
made that very clear."
At the next hearing, both sides will present arguments to the judge in
hopes of winning permanent custody...
"I want to move to a bigger city, where I'm accepted and understood," she
said. "I'm the only Muslim out here."
ACTION REQUESTED:
The Muslim community in South Dakota set up a bank account to help with the
mother's estimated $2,000 in legal expenses. Donations may be sent to:
The Barakat Fund
c/o Islamic Society of Brookings
804 13th St.
Brookings, SD 57006
E-MAIL: so_dakota_islam@hotmail.com
Please inform CAIR of any donations sent. E-Mail: cair@cair-net.org
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