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Muslim Convert Rifqa Bary Makes Her First Public Statement

Today, Rifqa Bary's first public statement was released since she turned 18 years of age, on August 10, 2010. Rifqa's statement, which took the form of a sworn affidavit, praises the professionalism and work of Florida attorney John Stemberger and decries the attacks on her and her other attorneys by Omar Tarazi.

Tarazi is the Columbus lawyer who represented Rifqa Bary's parents in the Ohio Dependency case. Stemberger represented Rifqa in the initial legal proceedings in Orlando, Florida before the jurisdiction of the high profile case was transferred to Ohio. Bary's statement was attached as an exhibit to the official response filed by Stemberger to the Bar complaint which was initiated by and originated with Tarazi.

Rifqa Bary, made international headlines in fall of 2009 when she fled her home in Columbus, Ohio to Orlando, Florida after her devout Islamic Father threatened her life for not renouncing her conversion to Christianity which she hid from them for three years before being discovered on Facebook by leaders of the Noor Islamic Mosque. The case brought the discussion of the Islamic practice of honor killings to a national audience. After Rifqa's legal team secured her status as a U.S. Legal Resident and prevailed in the Dependency case, Omar Tarazi retaliated against Stemberger by filing a ten million dollar defamation lawsuit against him in federal court and then bringing grievance charges against him with the Florida Bar. Tarazi's primary complaints come from last 30 seconds of a Fox News interview that Stemberger agreed to do, where Tarazi's name was not even mentioned.

Rifa Bary states that her attorney, Stemberger "behaved in a very professional and ethical manner during the entire time he represented me." She continues saying that, Stemberger "played a major role in my eventual safety... and securing my position as a Legal Permanent Resident of the United States. I am grateful to this lawyer for his pro-bono service to me...and was completely satisfied with his legal services."

Of Tarazi's behavior, Rifqa laments, saying he "conducted himself unprofessionally and harmed my ability to reunite myself with my parents in a number of ways..." She then alleges ten things Tarazi did in the Ohio case that she felt was improper, unethical and or illegal. Among those include, filing criminal charges against her and her Ohio lawyer Angie Lloyd; intercepting and opening her personal mail in violation of federal law; moving to hold her in contempt of court; trying to stop her from getting Christmas cards from friends and supporters; trying to have her computer monitored; and encouraging Rifqa's parents to release her diary to The Orlando Sentinel to publish and print "my inner most personal and private thoughts...and the secrets of my heart to the whole world."

The scathing two page document, which redacts the state and county where the statement was made, also refutes several of the allegations Tarazi has brought against Stemberger in the Bar complaint.* *Bary ends the affidavit with, "Attorney Tarazi behaved very inappropriately and he is the one that ought to be severely disciplined, not Mr. Stemberger." A full copy of Rifqa's affidavit along with the Fox News video in question can be found under the "News" and "Questions" tabs of the website www.StembergerDefense.com.

Bary also made a separate statement weeks ago in support of Stemberger's legal defense fund asking people to "help her friend and lawyer" raise funds to offset the cost legal fees. The legal defense fund website also contains endorsements from national conservative leaders including former Army General Jerry Boykin; Historian David Barton; Former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich; Family Research Council President Tony Perkins; and Evangelist Lou Engle of the Call.

John Stemberger: An AV Rated Orlando attorney, a marriage and family advocate, received his Juris Doctorate of law from the Cumberland School of Law at Stamford University, founder of the Institute for Conservative Studies (ICS) - a think-tank at Florida State University, a consultant to state, federal, and presidential campaigns, political campaign director, a public speaker, former appointee to the Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) for the Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida where he served for eight years screening and recommending new judge candidates in Central Florida and is a member of the Council for National Policy and the Arlington Group in Washington, DC.

In addition to the private practice of law, in 2004 Stemberger became the President of the Florida Family Policy Council (FFPC) and has appeared on many media outlets including ABC News Nightline, Fox News, C-SPAN, MSNBC, Court TV, and has been quoted in the New York Times, The Economist, on National Public Radio and more. Most recently, Stemberger received national media attention for representing Rifqa Bary - the Muslim teenager from Columbus, Ohio, who fled to Florida after she was threatened to be killed by her father for not renouncing her faith after her conversion from Islam to Christianity was discovered. Contact Korie Kapal at 407-251-1957, FrontDesk@OrlandoLawyer.TV.