The name of Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi, who famously threw his shoe at former U.S. President George W. Bush years ago, has resurfaced recently. Lebanese journalist Mariam Yaghi launched an online campaign under the hashtag "I Want My Daughter" to explain her suffering with her ex-husband, who kidnapped their daughter, Amidia, from her and has kept her from visiting for more than two years.
In a video she posted last night on her Facebook account, Yaghi spoke about her ordeal with al-Zaidi, who took their daughter from Lebanon two years ago after she had secured custody rights according to Iraqi law.
She stated to "Al Arabiya.net" that her ex-husband has used various means to prevent her from seeing their daughter for the past two and a half years, attempting to blackmail her with videos that forced the child to say things against her mother. Yaghi emphasized that he pressured their 7.5-year-old daughter to claim she did not want to live with her mother and even incited the idea of harming her.
Moreover, she insisted that she did not leave any diplomatic avenue unexplored in her efforts to regain "Amidia," even seeking help from a "Sheikh" to find a solution in the girl's best interest. However, according to Yaghi, her ex-husband always resorted to procrastination and delay tactics.
After failing to reunite with her daughter, Yaghi turned to social media as her only platform to raise awareness and rally public support to help her regain the right to embrace her child.
She shared, "I kept silent about my right to Amidia's custody for two years and did not wish to appear in the media to avoid making my daughter a subject of publicity or a means of provocation, as children's rights are sacred to me".
Conversely, according to Yaghi, Muntadhar al-Zaidi began sending photos and videos to blackmail her, claiming that Amidia did not want to return to her and that Yaghi had abandoned her.
Yaghi referred to this as "injustice and slander,” adding, "My ex-husband is violating Amidia's childhood by first depriving her of her mother’s embrace and second, forcing her to record videos against her."
Yaghi continued, "After two years of Muntadhar abducting my child, I traveled to Iraq to see her after extensive negotiations with her father, but he demanded that I not take pictures with Amidia or share them on social media and that I sign a formal commitment to return her to Iraq, which I flatly refused, as signing would mean consenting to the abduction of my child despite my custody rights."
Despite all this, Yaghi complied with her ex-husband's conditions for the sake of seeing her daughter, except for signing the commitment. She visited Amidia at her school and embraced her without capturing photos. Yaghi also rented a house in Iraq to stay close to her and enjoy her motherhood while asserting that she will remain until she secures residency that would allow her to file for custody.
She concluded, "What I'm going through is injustice and slander. Amidia needs me, and I will do everything possible for her to be with me."
It is noteworthy that the video Yaghi posted on her Facebook account has received widespread interaction from journalists and activists on social media, expressing their empathy for the mother who has faced difficulties for two years, even though Iraqi law grants her custody rights until the child turns 15.
