Ohio judge: Ruling due Thursday in case of Christian convert at odds with Muslim parents

Ohio judge delays ruling in Christian runaway case

COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio juvenile court judge says she’ll issue a decision Thursday in the case of a runaway Christian convert at odds with her Muslim parents and trying to avoid deportation.

The judge Wednesday told attorneys for 17-year-old Rifqa Bary and her parents to submit arguments before the court rules on whether Bary, an illegal immigrant from Sri Lanka, can receive special immigration status allowing her to stay in the U.S. Bary’s attorneys say the girl is battling uterine cancer.

Bary ran away from home last year saying she feared harm for converting to Christianity. Judges placed her in foster care. The immigration status of the parents, who live in Columbus, is unclear. Attorneys have been under an order not to talk about the case.