A Washington state mother risks having her 8-year-old daughter sent back to Saudi Arabia—four years after their risky breakout from the kingdom.
“Terrifying,” “enraging,” and “overwhelming” is how Bethany Alhaidari described the prospect of sending her eight-year-old back toThe 36-year-old American activist from Washington stateback in 2019 when she escaped the kingdom with her daughter, Zaina, after going through a contentious divorce, losing a grueling custody battle, and being placed under a travel ban for violating the visitation rights of her ex-husband.
But her risky getaway was far from the end of the nightmare ordeal. Another custody battle for Zaina is currently playing out on U.S. soil—and it culminates in a hearing on Oct. 24 that could end in a court ruling that the child must be sent back to Saudi Arabia, as first reported by“It is so egregious to me.
“Discrimination in the context of child custody remains deeply entrenched in Saudi Arabia. As a result, Bethany is likely to face discriminatory judgments as well as a significant risk of prosecution for her peaceful advocacy and allegations of blasphemy, apostasy, and ‘moral’ crimes,” the briefing states, referring to Alhaidari’s advocacy work and allegations her ex-husband made against her during their legal battles in the kingdom.
In the lead-up to the court hearing next month, Alhaidari said she was trying to protect her daughter from the emotional and mental toll of the custody battle, adding that friends of Zaina from school have been talking about the case in front of the 8-year-old.
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