An American woman is fighting Saudi Arabia for custody of her 4-year-old daughter after a Saudi judge ruled that she was too Western to be a suitable parent.
The judge awarded custody to Bethany Vierra's former mother-in-law. Vierra, 32, from Washington state, is appealing the decision., she said that she and her daughter had suffered abuse but she was the one who was still being punished by the courts. She also claimed that the Saudi Ministry of Justice had barred her from leaving Saudi Arabia for 10 years and that Saudi authorities had issued a warrant for her arrest.
“What is my crime? Doing a handstand? Not being Saudi? Not covering my body while I was on vacation in the United States of America?” she wrote in the post. “There aren’t many things I do well, but being mother to Zaina is one thing I know that I was divinely designed to be,” she wrote. “She’s my everything, my purpose, my sidekick and my joy.”
Vierra did not name her estranged husband and NBC News could not immediately confirm the ruling or get in touch with him. The Saudi Ministry of Justice did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Vierra said on Facebook that her daughter was now having nightmares and cries every time she leaves the room because she is afraid she could be taken away.“I think about that 4-year-old-little girl and what she's going through, and she doesn't understand it," she said."She sees her mom upset, and Bethany will not leave her daughter, she will fight for her."Asked about the case in March, a State Department official said the department was aware of reports of a U.S.
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