17-Year-Old Runaway Christian Convert Allowed To Stay In Florida

Miami, FL (AHN) – A 17-year-old Ohio girl who said she feared for her life after converting from Islam to Christianity will be able to stay in Florida, a judge ruled Friday.

Rifqa Bary said she ran away from home after her father threatened to kill her after her conversion. Her parents, Mohamed and Aysha Bary, say they would never harm their daughter.

Rifqa was reported missing by her family earlier this summer and was found in early August living with Rev. Blake Lorenz and his wife in their Orlando home. Lorenz is the head of the Global Revolution Church. Rifqa met the couple through the social networking site, Facebook.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the case. She is living with an assigned foster family, not the Lorenzes, until the end of the investigation.

The case has drawn international attention. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that Rifqa has received more than 1,800 supporters on her Facebook page, and Gov. Charlie Crist has received more than 400 e-mails urging him to protect her from her family.

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