A distraught father is claiming that because he is Muslim he was not awarded custody of his child.
According to sources, the man alleges that not only was he not awarded child custody of his 6-year-old son because his is Muslim, but that he also had to endure horrible comments made to him from a Division of Youth and Family Services worker.
The man is claiming the worker met him in a crowded restaurant and said things like “where is your bomb strapped to you?” and “where is your knife?” Another Muslim woman also backed up his story and claims that she was there and was also targeted by the Division of Youth and Family Services worker, who called them names, like a “terrorist” and a “Bin Laden lover.”
The father, who wants the division to investigate his allegations, said his ultimate goal is to just get his boy back, who he has not seen in the past year. According to sources, the child was taken away from the boy’s mother a year ago and is now living in foster care. Due to privacy laws, the reasons why he was taken away are unknown, but it is known that the father was not living with the mother when the 6-year-old was put in foster care and that he is still not with her.
As of now the Council on American Islamic Relations, known as the acronym CAIR, is backing up the father in his fight for custody. The Division of Youth and Family Services is also aware of the allegations and is looking into what happened.
This is also not the first time that a father has recently come forward claiming that a certain aspect of his life – that has nothing to do with the well-being and safety of a child- was used against him in the courts deciding a child custody case. Earlier this month, an Indiana man also claimed that he was not awarded custody of his two children because he is an agnostic.
Source: CBS New York, “NJ Dad: I Was Denied Custody Of Son For Being Muslim,” 21 Dec 2010
