Good news for Rifqa Bary, the 17-year-old Christian girl who fled her parents because she feared an honor killing. The circuit court judge handling her case in Orange County, Florida, has ordered her to stay in the state at least until September 29, the date of her next hearing.
Rifqa’s case made national headline when she fled her home near Columbus, Ohio, after, she alleges, her father threatened to kill her because she became a Christian in 2005. “If you have this Jesus in your heart, you’re dead to me,” Rifqa says her father warned. “You’re not my daughter.… I will kill you.” She sought refuge with a couple she met in a prayer group on Facebook.com. For their part, her parents say they are no danger to the girl, and their Islamic allies have said a cult kidnapped and brainwashed the girl.
Child welfare authorities in Florida and Ohio say the parents pose no danger to Rifqa, the Orlando Sentinel reports. As well, the paper reported, Rifqa needs therapy, a diagnosis with which the judge agreed. He ordered Rifqa into counseling. He also ordered Rifqa and her parents into mediation.
Ultimately, the case turns on one question: is Rifqa Bary telling the truth about her father?
