Of course, but there is something more sacrosanct, and that is life itself.
IOW, if the family is endangering a child's life, the unit is no longer too sacrosanct to be broken.
That is the issue here IMO. If the court believes that the girl's life or safety is in danger, it has the right to remove her from the home.
To those who are convinced this is a black and white case, ask yourself this question: If this were a 17-year old girl from a fundamentalist Christian family running into the arms of an imam, would you still be sticking up for the girl and the mosque?
No but then I have not heard any recent cases of fundamentlist Christians murdering their own children or having themgang raped by a bunch of men because they dishonored some man in the family by looking at another man or some other silly violation.
The relevance here of the Branch Davidians escapes me. Using an Army tank as a battering ram and a blazing fire seemed to me an application of “over-kill,” no pun intended. The very lives of children in that compound were not threatened until the feds chose to apply lethal force, as a substitute for arresting the leader as he walked the streets of Waco, which, so far a is known, was not attempted.
First they came for the Branch Davidians, but I wasn’t a branch davidian. Then they came for the muzzie wuzzies, but I wasn’t a muzzie wuzzie...
A few of you have mentioned logic here, which is interesting because I see very little of it in your responses. Even if child abuse is proven, it does not follow that she will be killed. Her father has been charged with nothing so far. (go Google “Logic non-sequitur)
Under the constitution (remember that document?) some other muslim cutting off somebody’s head doesn’t make her father guilty. White men used to lynch black men. Does that make me a racist threat?
This is a plea for conservatives to think through an issue before knee-jerking. This is a complex case. In the wild-eyed stampede to attack Islam you could end up trampling the constitution.
Curiously, I noticed no one addressed this preacher who lured her from her home.
Finally, we are about 2 steps away from home-schoolers being declared religious nuts, forcing a showdown between parents in their home and the state that wants to herd everyone into public institutions.
Get a clue!
HELL YES, if there was a pattern of such murders in fundamentalist Christianity (there isn't, but there sure as HELL is in Islam), and if the girl herself believed her life to be in danger.
This particular girl believes her life is in danger. Given the teachings of Islam, this is a completely credible belief. WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO TELL HER OTHERWISE AND TO DEMAND THAT SHE MUST BE RETURNED TO THOSE WHO MAY MURDER HER?
Forgive me for pointing it out, but your arrogance in this matter appears to be just astonishing.
Even if child abuse is proven, it does not follow that she will be killed.
This is true. But credible evidence of child abuse - completely apart from her belief that her life is in danger - is by itself sufficient reason for her not to be returned to her home.
Finally, we are about 2 steps away from home-schoolers being declared religious nuts, forcing a showdown between parents in their home and the state that wants to herd everyone into public institutions.
First, a logical fallacy. Your statement does not follow from this case.
Second: We're not talking here about a case of children being dragged away by force from their families who love them. We're talking about a girl being dragged by force BACK TO a family that has abused her in the past and is now, by her personal report, ready to slit her throat.