Billing Statement

Another credible witness.

I want to thank each and every one of you who took the time to write, call, email, fax, Governor Crist and the Attorney General and the Secretary of State to save this girl’s life. You made a difference.

Rifqa is a prayer warrior and is very strong in her faith, but could use encouragement from those who support her. If you want to send her a note of encouragement or a prayer, they will be compiled into a notebook and given to her. You can email your notes to info@grcorlando.org or mail them to the church at P.O. Box 533961, Orlando, Fl 32853.

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS

The church that gave Rifqa sanctuary is setting up a trust fund for Rifqa and her cause. All monies collected will go towards Rifqa, her legal defense, and her cause. Not one dime will be retained by Global Revolution Church and all funds will be administrated and disseminated by a third party.

If you would like to financially contribute to Rifqa and her cause, you can do so in a couple ways.

1. By credit card or debit card on the GRC website. Make sure to designate in the comments section that the funds are for ‘The Rifqa Bary Trust’.

2. By mail. Send check or money order (no cash please) to the church at P.O. Box 533961, Orlando, FL 32853. Be sure to designate the check for ‘The Rifqa Bary Trust’ on the memo line.

You could also arrange for your church, Bible study, local organizations, etc to take up a collection for Rifqa.

UPDATE: STATEMENT BY HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER ADAM HASNER ON THE RIFQA BARY CASE

House Majority Leader Adam Hasner issued the following statement on todays court ruling regarding Rifqa Bary, a young Christian convert who fled her parents home in Columbus, Ohio. She is currently in Orlando, Florida.

I appreciate the efforts of Secretary Sheldon and the Department of Children and Families, Attorney General Bill McCollum, and the countless advocates who have worked tirelessly to put the safety of Rifqa Bary first. The courts decision and the forthcoming involvement of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement facilitated by the Attorney General to investigate this young girls safety if she is forced to return to Ohio may save her from an unthinkable fate.

No one, child or adult, should have to fear for their lives because of their religious choices, and I am hopeful that Rifqas best interests will be safeguarded as this process moves forward. I will continue my communications with General McCollum and Secretary Sheldon, and will be closely monitoring the ongoing investigation and developments in this matter until there is a final resolution that guarantees the permanent safety of this young girl.

UPDATE: And this from MARCO RUBIO COMMENTS ON RIFQA BARY CASE (Rubio is running for Senate this fall, if I was a Floridian, he’d get my vote);

Miami, FLU.S. Senate candidate and former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio today issued the following statement regarding Rifqa Bary’s court case:

“America has a rich tradition of religious freedom that is enshrined in our First Amendment. Today in Florida, this freedom could be at stake as a court considers the case of 17 year-old Rifqa Bary.

“This young woman fled from Ohio to Florida, fearing she would be killed for converting from Islam to Christianity. As the court weighs the facts of this case, I hope it will take her expressed fears seriously and not rush to an irreversible decision that may ultimately endanger her.

“It is imperative that state officials use every legal tool at their disposal to properly evaluate Rifqa’s best interests. Florida has a responsibility not only to protect her innocent life, but also to defend her sacred right to worship freely.”

GOVERNOR CRIST: THANK YOU!

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The World Health Organization expressed “heightened concern” on Friday over more than 800 “influenza-like” cases reported in Mexico, after seven cases of a severe respiratory illness were confirmed in two U.S. border states.

WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl told CBC News on Friday that health officials are dealing with three separate events in Mexico, with most of the 828 cases in and around the capital, Mexico City.

At least 24 cases have been reported in the central region, while four have been reported in the north. The mystery illness has led to at least 20 deaths in the country.

Most of the cases have occurred in healthy young adults, Hartl said.

“Because these cases are not happening in the very old or the very young, which is normal with seasonal influenza, this is an unusual event and a cause for heightened concern,” Hartl said in an interview from WHO headquarters in Geneva.

It is also rare to see such high flu activity so late in the season, he said.

“The end of April, especially in a place like Mexico, you would think that we would see quite a steep decline,” said Hartl.
All classes cancelled in Mexico City

A Mexican Health Ministry statement issued on Thursday afternoon said the country “was in the presence of a new influenza virus that constitutes a respiratory epidemic which is controllable, so far.”

But laboratory tests on the 828 Mexican cases have yet to confirm the patients are suffering from influenza, or what strain it might be, Hartl said.

The Mexican government ordered that all classes in Mexico City and the surrounding state be cancelled on Friday, from pre-schools to universities. It also has warned the public to avoid gathering places and major events.

On Thursday, Canadian health officials issued a travel advisory warning travellers who have recently returned from Mexico to be on alert for flu-like symptoms that could be connected to the illness.

In the U.S., health officials were scrambling this week to deal with a new strain of swine flu, which has been diagnosed in seven people in Texas and California.

The states share a border with Mexico not far from a town where two deaths were reported.

The U.S. cases are unusual, because it appears none of the patients had contact with pigs, and the virus is one that health officials have never seen before.

No cases of this swine flu have been found in Canada.
Samples positive for influenza A and B

The cause of the illness has not been confirmed. Mexican health officials said samples so far have tested positive for influenza A and B.

People infected with the virus initially suffer flu-like symptoms that include: * Fever. * Cough. * Sore throat. * Muscle and joint pain. * Shortness of breath.

The illness may elevate to a severe respiratory illness within about five days.

In Canada, the travel advisory includes the same advice given to all travellers: Get a flu shot and take precautions such as covering coughs and staying home when sick. But it also adds locations in Mexico where cases of a severe respiratory illness have occurred.

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