AL-KHOBAR – The family of an Al-Khobar girl who allegedly embraced Christianity has appointed a lawyer to represent them in the case against a Lebanese expatriate who was accused of converting her and helping her to flee the country. The man is currently in custody at an Al-Khobar jail. The man is accused of sending the girl, identified as 17-year-old Maryam, to a Christian group in Lebanon. The group then took her to Turkey, Sweden and finally to London. The family also gave the lawyer, Humood Al-Khaldi, a power of attorney to file a lawsuit against the Saudi citizen who helped the girl to travel to Bahrain and then to Lebanon without the family's knowledge. Al-Khaldi offered his services pro bono and received a copy of the power of attorney from the Al-Khobar District Court Saturday. “The court is likely to look into the case after Eid Al-Fitr holidays. I will defend the girl in the court,” Al-Khaldi said. The girl's father and brother told the lawyer that they wanted her to return to the Kingdom and her family. They even signed undertakings to this effect. They also said the girl's mother was going through difficult time and her health was deteriorating since the disappearance of her daughter. The girl met the Lebanese and the Saudi at her workplace. The former convinced her to convert to Christianity.
