PLACEMENT OF SOMALI MUSLIM CHILD IN CHRISTIAN FOSTER HOME CAUSES FUROR: Mohamed Issak and Shamso Hirsi.
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By: CHRIS GOSIER, Associated Press Newswires, 7/03/1999
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Excerpts:
"PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - Mohamed Issak's rapid flow
of syllables becomes slow and uncertain when he switches
from his native Somalian dialect. His English is broken
and halting. His voice trails off.
"But his anguish over the taking of his daughter and
her placement in a Christian foster home transcends
any language barrier.
"A judge terminated Issak's parental rights to
protect 3-year-old Kafia from abuse including
broken bones. But Portland's Muslim community
says something else needs protecting: Kafia's
religious heritage.
"'It's very essential that she grow up in a
Muslim environment,' said Issak. 'Changing
the religion of our kids by force is not something
we can accept. We don't come here to change religions.
We come here for peace and a better life...'
"...When she was 2 months old, Kafia was placed
with foster parents after a public health nurse
discovered her leg was fractured, according to
court records. She returned home for six weeks
before more injuries were revealed: a broken collarbone,
another leg fracture, five broken ribs.
"A judge granted the state's request to terminate
the parental rights of Mohamed Issak and Shamso Hirsi.
"Kafia was sent back to her Christian foster parents,
where she has thrived and remains to this day, the judge said...
"...Issak said the first leg fracture was likely caused
by one of his sons, who jumped on Kafia while roughhousing
in their apartment. Issak did not know how the other
injuries occurred, but he contends they could have been
caused by social service workers.
"Portland's Muslims have protested the court decision
in front of the Islamic Center of Portland. Sebunya
said efforts are under way to register more Muslims as
foster parents in hopes of placing Kafia in one of their
households, something Issak said he would accept...
"...The Maine Department of Human Services has a
policy of seeking to place children with foster
parents of the same religion, but no registered
Islamic foster parents were available when Kafia's
injuries were discovered, agency spokesman David
Winslow said.
"After spending so much time with her current
foster parents, the agency does not support moving
her to another home, he said...
"...Muslim organizations claim judges can be
influenced by stereotypes and a Christian culture
that misunderstands their faith.
"'In past (child custody) cases, we've noticed
that the traditional judicial motivation to get
the children back with their families is somewhat
weaker when it comes to Muslim families,' said
Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council of American
Islamic Relations in Washinton.
"'In some cases we feel, anecdotally, that
the social workers are working in the opposite
direction, that they want the children out of
a Muslim environment,' he said...
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