Convert leaves state custody as she turns 18

August 11, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

An Ohio judge released a runaway Christian teenager from state custody Tuesday, her 18th birthday, ending an ugly legal battle that failed to reunite her with her Muslim parents.

Rifqa Bary declined to talk after the short hearing at which Magistrate Mary Goodrich of Franklin County Juvenile Court ended the involvement of the county children’s services agency.

Bary, who had argued that she feared harm from her parents because of her religious conversion, planned to celebrate her birthday privately with friends, her attorneys said.

“She looks forward to preaching the word to all the nations — and those are her words,” said Angela Lloyd, one of her attorneys.

Bary ran away from her home in suburban Columbus to Florida shortly before her 17th birthday last year with the help of Christian ministers she met on Facebook. Police investigations in Florida and Ohio found no evidence she faced harm because of her conversion.

Her case has drawn national attention, especially among bloggers, with anti-Islam groups warning she could face death and some Muslim groups saying she’s being exploited by outsiders. Dozens of supporters of the girl rallied outside the courthouse this year before a hearing.

Her attorneys wouldn’t say what she’ll do next or where she’ll live. They also declined to discuss Bary’s attempt to avoid deportation as an illegal immigrant from Sri Lanka.

Goodrich last week ruled that a reunion with Bary and her parents was not possible before Bary turned 18, allowing her to apply for a special immigration status for underage illegal immigrants.

The immigration status of her parents, who live in the Columbus area, is unclear, although attorneys for them and their daughter have said in court the entire family is seeking legal status here.