Beberapa hari yang lalu saya menerima email dari seorang ummahat di Texas. Beliau adalah seorang muallaf yang sedang membutuhkan pertolongan untuk memenangkan hak pengasuhan putranya yang juga sudah masuk Islam. Berikut isi emailnya:
The Non-Muslims are trying to take my baby!
October 18, 2005
A Salam W’laikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh,
InshaAllah, this letter finds you all in the best of health and Iman during this Ramadan.
My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, I am coming to you with a plea for help. My name is Sister Sarang, and I am a relatively new Muslim. I made Shahada just over a year ago, Alhamdulillah. I have a little boy named Kain/Qabeel who is 8 years old. His father and his family (non-Muslim) have sued me for custody of my child. They are anti-Islam and do not feel that Kain should be raised in an Islamic environment.
When I was initially sued for custody (Dec 2004), I was able to retain an attorney for $2500. We should have gone to court over a month ago (August 2005) but his attorney was granted an extension. Now that it is almost time to go to court again, they are requesting a trial by jury!
SubhanAllah. This is HIGHLY abnormal for a simple case like this! They believed the judge was going to rule in my favor, so they have decided to take the decision out of the judge’s hands, and put it into the hands of a jury of my so-called “peers”.
It is very hard in the state of Texas for a man to get custody of a child that has been in the care of his mother, and the presiding judge over my case is known as a “MOMMA’s judge” meaning he usually decides in the favor of the mother. The city that the trial is being held is in Killeen/Ft.Hood, TX, where I was raised. I do not feel that I will get a fair hearing because it is an ARMY city, because I am practicing and covering Muslim, and because we are in the middle of a war. They are using my appearance as a Muslimah as a tactic to take my child from me. These people want to put Islam on the stand and slander me.
Even though they will be unable to prove me an unfit mother, I am afraid they will be judging Islam and not me. Believe me when I say it is highly ABNORMAL for a child custody case to go into jury trial, which proves how intent these people are to get my child! I separated from Kain’s dad in 1999, and have provided for Kain all this time by myself, never asking him for child support. As a working mother, I have paid all health insurance costs, medical, dental…everything! I have NEVER abused, neglected or mistreated my child. His father moved over a hundred miles away from Kain on his own accord in 2000, so Kain does not see him as often as he should. Since he sued me for custody this year he has just now started paying me court-ordered child support!
With this case going into jury trial, my legal retainer fees have gone up! I now have to pay my attorney an additional $10,000 dollars, and I am asking for the help of my Muslim Ummah. If somehow these non-Muslims are granted custody of Kain, they will immediately begin to reverse all of the Islam in him.
Kain loves Allah! Kain loves being Muslim! He loves going to Islamic school, he loves praying with me, and looks forward to being my Mahram! He loves going to Masjid and being with the other boys his age. Kain loves going to Iftar. Kain loves waking up for Fajr prayer. Kain has already learned a couple of surahs and is learning how to read and write in Arabic and learning dua! Kain has expressed to me his desire to remain with me, he does not want to go to his non-Muslim father. Please, if anybody has the ability to help in this matter…my attorney is ready to help me, and he realizes what is at stake. I have a limited amount of time to get these fund together. InshaAllah, Islam will prevail in this matter! Allah tests the ones he loves, and I know I am being tested. This type of thing makes my Iman stronger. These people are trying to break me…force me to give up my child because I don’t have $10,000 dollars! My child is not for sale! SubhanAllah. JazakAllahu Khair for all of your efforts. Your sister in Islam – Sarang
Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets rewards for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned. “Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error, our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us (Jews and Christians); our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Pardon us and grant us Forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our Maula (Patron, Supporter and Protector, etc.) and give us victory over the disbelieving people.” Surah Al-Baqarah verse 286
InshaAllah, please send assistance in the form of personal check or money order to:
Sarang Douglas
2402 Brookdale Dr.
Arlington, TX 76014 U.S.A
If you need to contact me please call me Sis. Sarang or my husband Brother UbaaydDullah
(817) 375-8692 hm or (817) 385-3142 my work
or
Masjid Uthaymeen c/o Sarang Douglas
1452 Park CircleLancaster, TX 75134
(469) 567-1840
www.masjiduthaymeen.org
Saya pribadi mungkin tidak bisa membantunya secara finansial, tetapi saya berusaha mengirimkan dan mempublikasikan kepada saudara-saudara kaum muslimin yang saya kenal. At least, seandainya kita semua sama-sama mendoakan, semoga Allah mempermudah dan memberinya jalan keluar yang terbaik dari masalah yang menimpanya.....
