COLUMBUS, OHIO -  MY Project USA, Ohio’s largest Muslim-led social services organization, is appealing to the broader public to help connect Khaula Zafar and Faraan Qureshi with legal assistance as they seek answers, accountability and justice for the improper and unethical separation of their son from his biological brother, as well as the discriminatory treatment they faced as the case unfolded. 

 

After months of documented direct appeals, advocacy, research, and legal counsel, they are running out of time and options to receive the legal support they need. They need immediate legal assistance to help them navigate the unique and complex position they find themselves in. This is a situation the attorneys, legal scholars, and court staff they have consulted thus far find baffling—the facts don’t add up in this case, which suggests that there are deep ethical and legal deficiencies in our current child welfare system. 

 

Background:

A child whose evident ethnic background is affiliated with a largely Muslim population, was denied placement with Zafar and Qureshi, his biological brother’s adoptive parents, despite many key considerations including the importance of sibling connections, the parents’ status as active foster parents connected to the child’s natural family as shown within statewide information systems such as SACWIS, and the additional benefit of the family’s similar minority background (ethnic and religious). 

 

Instead, the child was placed in the home of a caucasian couple who have been very vocal and visible in the Catholic community press as foster parents with a mission to expose children to their faith. Additionally, one of these parents has direct access to vulnerable children through their profession. This parent has been publicly expressing their desire to take children they interact with in a professional capacity into their home. One such statement, “Who is going to help this little one? We have room in our home for another child,” was made only weeks prior to the initial placement. While the sentiment of such assertions may not be malicious, the ethical implications are severe, especially given the unethical and likely illegal actions these caregivers then took to keep the child in their care. 

 

Accountability: 

Some of the questions Zafar and Qureshi want answers to include:  

• Why did their two years of outreach to two separate counties not lead to the brothers’ reunion despite any initial mishandlings?

• Why did the agency, Franklin County Children Services (FCCS), reverse a decision to transition the child’s placement and keep the siblings together on the basis that “a statute says the agency may place siblings together but not that they must" and that because one child has been adopted the biological brothers "aren't legally siblings" and therefore placement with his family wouldn't be kinship? 

• Were the agency's actions in line with typical procedures and state laws such as Ohio Revised Code Section 2151.411?

• Did adoptive placement decision makers take into account third party investigations or foster parent rule violations as explicitly outlined by Ohio Administrative Code Rule 5180:2-48-16? 

• Do violations of the Foster Child Bill of Rights equate to abuse or neglect? 

• The agency was notified repeatedly throughout the course of the case of the family’s concerns of ongoing identity-based discrimination and serious ethical violations. Additionally the agency was directly requested several times for meetings to receive explanations on the many mishandlings, inconsistencies and rights violations. The agency was requested by the family to facilitate conversations with all involved parties in order to create clear pathways for communication and understanding in service of working together for the sake of the child. Why did the agency refuse to take clear action on any of these notifications or requests prior to this month, after making the final decision? We recognize the agency’s recent reporting and filing with the Bureau of Civil Rights of the concerns and discrimination claims, but why at this stage when fears of discrimination were expressed directly to the client rights office as early as March? 

 

Impact:

“We want clarity and accountability for the practices, treatment, and decisions witnessed and experienced throughout our interactions with the agency on this case,” said Faraan, “We don’t take publicly speaking on any child’s private stories lightly- especially not our son’s- but we have been forced into this course of action by a system counting on people not speaking truth to power. We must get him and his brother justice in some way.”

 

“For our family this decision and everything preceding it has not just been disappointing—but devastating. The pain of witnessing a huge traumatic wound being inflicted upon children whom we love and have made every effort to protect is unbearable. The loss these children have been forced to bear at the hands of this agency is enormous, cruel, and unjust.” lamented Khaula. “The treatment we have received—despite a long record of being exceptional foster parents—because of our minority identity backgrounds has been shattering and has had a deeply negative impact on our desire to work with FCCS in the future.”

 

“Losing Khaula and Faraan as an option for foster parents is a terrible disadvantage to our community given the agency’s lack of access to other foster parents who bring the (well documented) level of commitment they do, bring the cultural background they do, bring the specialized education and understanding they do, and take in the wide range of underserved children they do” shared Zerqa Abid, Executive Director of MY Project USA and the grandmother of one child. “At a time when FCCS is in desperate need of more foster parents who match the diverse backgrounds of the children they serve, they have chosen to repeatedly discriminate against and alienate the one Muslim / South Asian family truly active in their system. This is especially disturbing in a case where the child in question also shared a similar identity background. What is the message they want to send to the rest of our community?”

 

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Khaula and  Faraan have been licensed foster parents since November of 2019. In 6 years they have fostered 13 children ranging from 5 days old to 17 (and pregnant) when they came into their care. They are licensed for children with exceptional needs, take in sibling groups, and have worked with 3 counties so far (Franklin, Licking and Montgomery county) as well as a few agencies contracted with FCCS.  Successfully driven by a mission of supporting reunification and family preservation, the couple has only formally adopted 1 child and consistently demonstrated extreme commitment to maintaining relationships of children with their natural families and other important kinship relationships.

 

At MY Project USA, we believe all children have the right to a safe, enriching environment that will allow them to reach their full potential as productive citizens. To achieve this, we become the catalyst to protect and empower underserved youth. We build capacity and uplift families through education, social services, civic engagement and advocacy, creating compassionate youth who will build a safer, stronger, just and more inclusive America.

 

This statement has been reviewed and approved by MY Project USA Board of Directors:

 

Zerqa Abid, President 

Uzair Qidwai, Treasurer

Rabbia Pasha, Secretary 

Fauzia Chuhadry, Member 

Saad Ijaz, Member