Thank you for your coverage in GulfWeekly of the gymnastic competition in Qatar which my daughter was involved in.
I was a very proud mummy. I think everyone could hear me scream and I have to admit I was crying with happiness for her but also with sadness as well. Adam should have been there to watch his sister, but instead, although we were in Qatar, we could not see or speak to him as I am not allowed any contact outside the four-hour visitation I have with him twice a week. To be so close and yet so far. I was thrilled for Alex as she won a silver medal for the vault but so sad at the same time knowing we were together and that Adam would have loved to be there enjoying family time. He is missing out on so many things in his life, sometimes I try not to think about it as it cuts me to pieces but most nights I lay awake thinking of all the things he should be doing and all the things he isn’t. He is so unhappy and I am powerless at the moment to stop it. The World Gymnastics Championships in Qatar were amazing, the stadium where it was held was top class with world class facilities and it was very well organised. Qatar is the richest country in the world in terms of wealth. It can buy anything but it’s a very different case when it comes to human rights, in my opinion. I have been told so many times just wait until he is 18, he will come back to you but that is easier said than done. Adam has already lost four-and-a-half years of his childhood. He is miserable, failing at school but most importantly missing out on love and affection from loving parents. I want to treasure him. They want to hold him regardless of his happiness as they feel they have to show everyone they have done the right thing. Who matters here? Surely Adam’s happiness should come first? His late father Jamal must be looking down in pure agony at the way his son’s life has turned out. He had the opportunity legally to take Adam from me when I remarried but he didn’t because he knew Adam would have the best life with me. He was right as I love Adam more than anything in the whole world. It’s so wrong that he has been taken and held against his will. I saw on TV news that Britain is to bring out a new law that parents can go to jail for up to 10 years for not giving their children love and affection. There is no shortage of that for my son. I love him with every bone in my body and would gladly die for him if it meant he could be happy again. I’m not looking for sympathy; please don’t get me wrong, but the way Adam and our family have been treated in Qatar is wrong. During the competition in Qatar we were all given score boards and bless them, the whole team, instead of writing the scores, they wrote: BRING ADAM HOME. The cameras picked it up and it was shown on the massive screen and covered by the press. Such an impressive event and very well organised by Qatar; hats off to them for that, however, human rights violations appear to be ignored. It needs to stop. Money can buy you a lot and give you power and that’s what Qatar has … money. Where is the compassion for a small child who has begged to come home? Surely, that is more important!
