Following the court judgment two days ago, some reactions have come out into the open. Misbah Rana, as she prefers to be known, has been absolutely scathing in her comments about the island of Lewis. Alleging racist abuse in the streets and busstation of Stornoway, Misbah has said she would flee again if forced to return to "that horrible, little place". She also said that she no longer loved her mother, as she had made it impossible for Misbah to live in accordance with the stipulations of the Muslim faith, or to see relatives.
The judge has said that Misbah's utterances were clearly made whilst under the influence of her father. Following the break-up of her parents' marriage, Molly Campbell (as she is known in Scotland) was placed in the temporary custody of her mother, Louise Campbell. As Molly was born in Scotland, which is also where her parents got married, she is a Scottish resident, and only an occasional resident of Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Louise Campbell's present partner was in court earlier this week on a charge of disorderly conduct and a breach of the peace. He is alleged to have shouted and sworn at his partner and denied her and her baby girl access to the house. The partner pled not guilty, and was bailed to be tried later this month.
Stornoway councillors have expressed surprise at Molly's accusations of racism. The town has a Pakistani community, which has been there for a number of decades. Although nasty comments may well have been passed, this may well have been within a context of girls growing up and bullying.
To me, this is a sad case of a family break-up, with kids being forced to take sides and being manipulated left, right and centre. In making a final decision on custody, the court will take Misbah's / Molly's wishes into consideration, but at the end of the day she is a child of 12. Neither parent deserves a commendation in this case.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Have followed this case ,since you first high lighted it on your journal ,how can you control a child who doesnt like you doesnt want to be there ,and her reception wont be pleasant if she has been calling the town names..not a good situation ..love Jan xx
ReplyDeleteI agree. And also she is a young teenager of 12 or 13, and at this age children or young adults do know where they like to live. They have reached an age where they have become self-aware. It is much much different from a child of 8 or 9 years old. The only power the UK have is the fact that she was born in the UK and stupidily she returned to the UK, as Pakistan did not help her stay, probably for political diplomacy. An individual of any age will not stay where they are forced to if they do not like it, unless they are imprisonned or attached. She is not a child as such in fact, she is a person with rights, and her rights are being diminished under the excuse of age. But the law does say that from 12 years old, they do take into account what the person wants and desire. Therefore, she has the right age, and perhaps they did wait for her to have that age (if it were planned). All this said, take out all the blablabla and just look at the body language. She says "I want to be there and not here" so, I say, let her live where she wants, and let her mother deal with her new role without this daughter. No need to spend so much money into this custody, unless there is much more undernieth about religion and political stuff that they want us to hear in this time of terrorism... I must say that her mother does look dodgy, if I can say.
ReplyDeleteValerie
I don't know much about this particular issue, but appreciate you keeping us up to date, Guido..
ReplyDeleteJackie
I read your entry with interest, obviously Molly/Misbah doesn`t want to return home as was judged yesterday and that should be her choice, however neither parent comes out of this unscathed. The mother doesn`t seem to be a suitable parent but the father also seems to have over-influenced his daughter. As Jan says, this is a difficult one indeed. Have a good weekend.
ReplyDeleteSandra xx
http://journals.aol.com/labdancer51/SandrasScribbles/
Depending on the circumstances, I wouldn't fight a child of that age. By that age they know where they want to live. But, that's just me. Thanks for keeping us updated on it. It's interesting.
ReplyDeletePam
Well said.
ReplyDeleteLori
http://journals.aol.com/helmswondermom/DustyPages
Well said, and well reported.
ReplyDeleteLori
http://journals.aol.com/helmswondermom/DustyPages