Family Needed to Adopt Muslim Boy and Girl Toddlers

I received a disturbing phone call last friday from a mother who said, "Can you help me find a Muslim family to adopt my 2 kids?" It was a rather chilling conversation with this mother who had been told that she would be losing custody of both her children in September. She was frantic and wanted to make sure they would be raised Muslim. She understands that her legal rights will be terminated as a parent but wants to ensure the safety and religion of her two young children-a 3 year old boy and 2 year old girl. This has to be the hardest thing a mother has to go through. May Allah keep her strong and give her patience.

I assured the mother that I would try my best to help find a Muslim family willing to adopt both of her children. The obstacle is that the family must be already licensed as a resource parent in order to qualify.

The hearing is in mid-September and we need to be able to provide the state with a licensed Muslim family or a family that has completed or is in the process of completing the homestudy evaluation.

It is imperative that we act now and step up. There have been many cases like this that we lost due to our slow response as a community and many more similar cases will arise in the future.

You can help today by signing up to become a resource parent and joining our database so we have something to present to the state when a child is taken into custody.

You can call 1-877-NJFOSTER to begin the process or email me directly at lalbana@gmail.com

H.R. 6021, the “Rehab and Ahmed Amer Foster Care Improvement Act of 2012"

For Immediate Release

Date: Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Contact: Matthew Morgan – 202-226-5543

Conyers Introduces Legislation to Improve Placement Decisions in Child Foster Care Programs  

(WASHINGTON) – Today, Representative John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) introduced H.R. 6021, the “Rehab and Ahmed Amer Foster Care Improvement Act of 2012.”  The Act will enhance the existing federal policy of encouraging state foster care programs to place children in the care of willing and able relatives.  This legislation accomplishes this goal by requiring States that receive federal funding for foster care programs to add certain procedural enhancements to their foster care programs so as to ensure a more fair placement decision-making process.  Rep. Conyers released the following statement following the bill’s introduction:

“In 1985, Rehab and Ahmed Amer lost two of their children to Michigan’s foster care system after Rehab had been subject to criminal charges related to the death of her two-year-old son Samier, who died because of head injuries resulting from a fall in a bathtub.  Although Rehab had been acquitted in August 1986 of any criminal wrongdoing in connection with Samier’s death, the State refused to return the Amers’ other two children to them and, in fact, removed a third child from the Amers’ custody four months after Rehab’s acquittal.

“As a temporary alternative, Rehab’s brother petitioned to be a foster parent to the Amers’ three children, but was denied his petition even though he had previously served as a foster parent for other children.  It is important to note that the Amers are Muslim.  Nevertheless, the State, rather than placing the Amers’ children with a foster family of the same faith and cultural background, sent them to live with an evangelical Christian family, which re-named the Amers’ children –  Mohamed Ali, Sueheir, and Zinabe – with Christian names and raised them as Christians.

“Today, only the oldest of the Amers’ three living children, Mohamed Ali, now known as Adam, communicates with them.  In reaction to the Amers’ story, Michigan enacted what became known as the ‘Amer Law.’  That law requires foster care placement agencies in Michigan to consider and give special preference for relatives when making a foster care placement decision.

“The Amer Law is consistent with federal foster care policy, which also seeks to give preference to a child's relatives and, for Native American children, a family of the same cultural background as the child, when making placement decisions.  The Amer Law, however, has several provisions that go beyond current federal law to ensure due process.  In sum, this law gives parents, relatives, guardians, and the child in certain cases additional procedural rights, including the right to written notice and an explanation of a placement decision.  In addition, it authorizes judicial review of a placement decision by a foster care agency. 

“My legislation simply adds these enhanced due process features of the Amer Law to existing federal foster care law.

               

“The best interests of the child should always be the overriding consideration when making foster care placement decisions.  That standard, however, should also require foster care agencies to give special preference to placing a child with relatives, where the child can be raised in the same culture or religion as his or her own, all other things being equal.

               

“I thank Rehab and Ahmed Amer for bringing this issue to light and for their tireless efforts to make the foster care placement process fairer for everyone, first in Michigan, and, now, nationally.”

The Rehab and Ahmed Amer Foster Care Improvement Act of 2012 would require that a State, within 90 days after it makes a foster care placement decision, to provide notice of such decision to the following affected parties:

                ●             the child’s parents;

                ●             relatives who have informed the State of their interest in caring for the child;

                ●             the guardian;

                ●             the guardian ad litem of the child;

                ●             the attorney for the child;

                ●             the attorney for each parent of the child;

                ●             the prosecutor involved; and

                ●             the child if he or she is able to express an opinion regarding placement.

Additionally, States must establish procedures that:

                ●             allow any of the parties who receive notice of the State’s placement decision to request, within five days after receipt of the notice, documentation of the reasons for the State’s decision;

                ●             allow the child’s attorney to petition the court involved to review the decision; and

                ●             require the court to commence such review within seven days after receipt of the petition and conduct such review on the record.

Bill 2448 Approved!

Assembly panel approves bill regulating home-schooling of foster children despite outcry

Published: Tuesday, May 15, 2012, 7:30 AM

 By Susan K. Livio/Statehouse Bureau 
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TRENTON — An Assembly panel approved two bills Monday intended to protect the rights of foster children to receive an education and to practice their religion. At the same time, parents who home-school their children expressed concern about the state intruding on their privacy.

The more controversial of the two bills (A2881) would require foster parents to obtain approval from the state Division of Youth and Family Services to home-school any child placed in their home.

More than 50 parents and their children urged the Assembly Women and Children Committee to delay the vote until the bill could be rewritten to more clearly state that only children removed from their homes because of suspected abuse or neglect would be affected.

New Jersey is one of 11 states that does not regulate home-schooling.

"We don’t like giving DYFS any more power than they already have," said Rabbi Andrew Dinnerman of Fairview, who was accompanied by his 15-year-old son, Tristan, who is home-schooled. "I want you to pause — to slow down and not make any rash decisions."

But Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt (D-Camden), the committee chairwoman, insisted the bill be put to a vote, and assured parents they were not the focus of her attention.

The measure was inspired by a case nine years ago of four brothers who were adopted by a Collingswood foster family. The family removed the boys from public school and deprived them of food and medical care until their growth was stunted.

"This has everything to do with making sure children in DYFS care have another set of eyes," Lampitt said moments before the bill was approved by a vote of 5 to 2.

The committee also approved a measure by a 6-1 vote that would requires DYFS "to the maximum extent possible" place children in a foster or adoptive home with families willing to maintain their religious identity and instruction.

Sponsored by Lampitt and Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic), the bill (2448) comes at the request of a Muslim man whose son was placed with a family that changed the boy’s name and converted him to Christianity before his parental rights was severed.

"They told him his name was not good enough for him," said Aref Assaf, president of the American Arab Forum. "This was done under the watchful eye of DYFS."

Upcoming Workshop

Foster Care Parenting:

What every Muslim Family Needs to Know

Saturday, June 9, 2012

3:00pm-5:00pm

NBIC

1330 Livingston Avenue

New Brunswick, NJ 08902

www.nbic.org

CONFIRMED GUESTS:

-Dr. Aref Assaf, NJ Voices, Arab American Forum (www.aafusa.org)

-Dr. Shadee Elmasry

-Delisa Burns, DYFS recruiter

This workshop is to raise awareness in the community of the urgent need to understand the foster care process in the state of New Jersey and what actions we can take as individuals and families.

Please Note: Foster care is the temporary custody of a minor. We will not be discussing Adoption. They are 2 different things.

For more information, please visit:

http://muslimfosterandfamilyservices.blogspot.com/

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO INIVITE ANY FRIENDS OR FAMILY THAT MAY BE INTERESTED.

Update: Samina Khokhar Reunited with Children

February 1, 2012

 http://www.icna.org/update-samina-khokhar-reunited-with-children/

 

Jamaica, NEW YORK (February 1, 2012)- ICNA Relief is extremely pleased to report that Samina Khokhar and her children have been reunited. The children were recently taken from their mother’s care after allegations of neglect from the Administration of Child Services (ACS).

After complying with court mandated bereavement counseling and parenting classes, the court ruled Samina was capable of caring for her children. Mother and children were reunited on January 26, 2012 after weeks of separation.

See previous article on this issue.

Samina's Family with ICNA Relief's case worker, Shahid Farooqi

It was recognized by the court that the professional support that ICNA Relief provided for Samina was sufficient to allow for the return of her children. ICNA Relief was able to offer responsive services for the family that adhered to the standards of the court, and will continue to do so as the family heals.
While the children have been reunited with their mother, they will remain under the scrutiny of the child welfare system. ICNA Relief will continue to monitor the case and provide all necessary support to ensure the family remains together and gains some level of self-sufficiency after the passing of its sole provider. These services include an in-depth service plan, continued counseling services, medical care and financial support.
Please visit ICNA Relief to support such services.

Foster Care Workshop at ISCJ 2/11/2012

An interfaith effort to protect foster care children

Published: Tuesday, December 13, 2011, 5:42 PM     Updated: Thursday, December 15, 2011, 9:52 PM

By Dr. Aref Assaf/NJ Voices The Star-Ledger

Abdulrahman, born in 2004 to Muslim parents. When the state placed him with a non Muslim family, the child's faith and name were changed without permission from the birth parents. Even visits to religion services were not permitted.

Can the State force the change of a child’s religion? An opinion piece I wrote on the relevance of the religious dimension of foster care children has formed the foundation for an important legislation in New Jersey. The column was the result of a painful interview I had with the parent of a Muslim child who tearfully related the details of how his son, after being placed with a Christian family, had his faith changed and his name was no longer ‘Abdulrahman” but “Joshua.” Even before the father lost his parental rights, the conversion process was fully underway despite the stern objection of the birth parents.

That such a conversion of child’s faith would occur under the watchful eyes of the state is a case of deliberate negligence at minimum. Delving further, I discovered that our current laws give no credence to the pivotal role of religion in a child self-identification and sense of self worth. The State has in effect become complicit in furthering the trauma and anxiety of children under its care.

The piece argued that the foster care laws were either misunderstood or misapplied. I argued that a “change to New Jersey laws, we hope, will affirm rather than abrogate the duty of parents to choose and maintain the faith of their biological children because such a right is a natural one superseding those of the state. We should no longer accept the religious preference to be the right of the child only because children are inherently dependent on their parents for physical, moral, and spiritual fulfillment.”

I spared no effort to plead my case to those who cared to listen.

It was the good will of Imam Mohammad Qatanani, the spiritual leader of the Islamic Center of Passaic County, which led to a most fruitful relationship with Assemblyman Gary Schaer from Passaic (D-36). Asm. Schaer and I held many and long discussions (and with the support of our staff). The collaboration culminated in the drafting of legislation, (A-4354) which, if passed, will provide a foundational legal precedent that ensures the continuity of the child's religious traditions. The bill will “permit agencies and courts to place a child in a setting of a different religion only with a written statement from the child birth parent or legal guardian.”

Before our Governor Christie can sign a bill into law, it will require the approval of both chambers of NJ Legislature. The Assembly Bill will soon have companion bill in the NJ Senate. We are thrilled that Senator Tony Bucco (R-25) has formally agreed to act as the key sponsor of a similar bill early next year to coincide with the new session of the Senate. We also know that other Assemblymen and Senators have expressed their readiness to sponsor and vote for the bill when introduced.

It is worth noting that a prominent Jewish agency, Ohel Children's Home and Family Services, Inc, that helps children has also come aboard to support the effort. Several other ethnic and religious groups have joined our efforts as well. The legislation is, after all, faith-neutral and it will protect children of all faiths. From the start, CAIR NJ, the Council on American Islamic Affairs was a formidable supporter of the initiative.
The expected law will not be retroactive and thus it will not help the child whose fate has so touched me. It will, I hope, prevent other children and their parents form enduring such pain.

 The significance of all these efforts is not lost on me escpaillcy during this holiday season. Here you have elected politicians from both major parties lending their heartfelt support for amending the current laws to benefit all citizens. Here you have a Muslim reaching out to a Jew, and so passionately supported by a Christian and people from other faiths- but all are citizens of the United States, joining hands to lessen the trauma wrought upon our little citizens. These moments sustain my faith in America and its ability to refocus its moral compass when injustice is rendered.

   

Dr. Aref Assaf is President of American Forum and an Advisory Board Member of The Council on American Islamic Relations, NJ. Reach him at http://www.aafusa.org/

Here is a video of another travesty that befell an American family. Ultimately justice prevailed.
Click here for the draft copy of the Bill http://www.aafusa.org/DYFS-Bill-A-4353-Adoption-Foster%20Care-Religion%20Drafted%20bill.pdf

 

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