As long as they are fit to be mothers, children belong with their mums, not with some relative who doesn’t have the child’s interests at heart. Obviously this is not how Shariah courts in Arab countries view it.

43-year-old Brit Rebecca Jones moved to Bahrain when she was 18 to live with her father, who was with the Merchant Navy. In 1998 she married Jamal Al Madhaiki, converted to Islam (though there is no mention whether she still is) and had a young son, Adam. Although Rebecca and Jamal divorced a year later, they apparently stayed friends until 2005, when Jamal died in a motorcycle accident. In the meantime, Rebecca remarried in 2003 and had a little girl.

Fast forward to October 2009, when Rebecca says she was tricked into visiting her ex-in-laws in Qatar, with Adam, and signing papers effectively giving the in-laws custody of the boy. According to Rebecca, the relatives handed her some papers they claimed were regarding Adam’s inheritance, which she initially refused to sign since she doesn’t speak Arabic. But when an uncle of Adam’s, Fahad Al Madhaiki, whom she trusted assured her the papers were about Adam’s share, she complied. It turns out Fahad blatantly lied, and the papers were actually a court order giving the sick 77-year-old grandmother, Miriam Al Juma, full custody. Since then, Rebecca has been in a major battle to regain custody of a boy she considers “abducted”.

“It is a kidnap, they’re still holding him. They don’t let him go out, he’s not been going to school for nearly three months now,”

Initially she was denied visitation rights, although that was later changed where she was allowed to visit her son for 3 hours. Fahad refused, so it wasn’t until November 26th when she finally was able to visit with her son. She is now allowed to visit Adam twice a week. In the meantime, Fahad has filed an injunction against Rebecca for changing Adam’s name from Arabic.

she is due to appear before Qatar’s Public Prosecution today [December 8th] after the 10-year-old boy’s uncle Fahad Al Madhaiki allegedly accused her of unlawfully changing Adam’s name from his Arabic one. Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society secretary-general Faisal Fulad said he was concerned that Mrs Jones would have to face prosecutors, adding he feared for her safety in the Qatari capital. “This news is very worrying and this step has been on the agenda for a long time, it is disappointing that Adam’s uncle has chosen to go ahead with it,” he said. “It is completely unnecessary, especially considering that Adam was born in Awali Hospital in Bahrain and none of his Qatari relatives, including Adam’s father, were present at his birth.”

According to Rebecca the reasons for the abduction are for not very honorable reasons

“I have to take police with me for my own protection,” Jones said, adding she had received threatening phone calls and emails from the family. It’s so sad, because for 10 years they had absolutely nothing to do with us. They don’t want my son they just want my money,” she said.

And it seems being on good terms with her late ex-husband and his family wasn’t quite so good. Apparently the late husband took out a Qatari passport for his son without her knowledge, which facilitated the “kidnapping” of her son. One can only hope Rebecca can bring her son Adam home, soon!

For the full story and to sign a petition go to the facebook page created for Adam.