Boston Dad Fights to Get Kids Back from Egypt

by Tom Henderson (Subscribe to Tom Henderson's posts)
Sep 1st 2010 1:00PM

Filed under: Divorce & Custody, In The News, Single Parenting

Colin Bower posts video messages to his sons on Facebook. He hopes they can see him, because he can't see them.

His ex-wife, Mirvat el Nady, violated their custody agreement, allegedly forged passport documents and ran off with their boys to her native Egypt. Bower hasn't seen Ramsay, 7, or Noor, 9, since Nady, who is listed as a fugitive by Interpol, picked them up for a scheduled on visit Aug. 9 of last year.

MSNBC reports Bower has traveled to Egypt six times. However, despite help from U.S. Sen. John Kerry and the State Department, the Boston resident doesn't know when -- or if -- he will see his sons again.

Bower started a Facebook campaign to get the boys back and tells "Today" he hopes his sons know about it.

"It is, frankly, therapeutic for me to communicate with them in some fashion after a year, because I haven't been able to see them at all," Bower tells "Today."

Bower was supposed to have sole custody of Ramsay and Noor after he and Nady divorced in 2008. The boys went for a visit with their mother on Aug. 9, 2009, and she was supposed to return them home a week later. Instead, using the last name "Power," she fled with the boys to Egypt two days later.

MSNBC reports an Egyptian court granted Bower visits with his sons twice a month, but Nady is nowhere to be found. There are international warrants for her arrest on kidnapping charges.

Although he's supposed to fly to Cairo for a third scheduled visit next week, Bower tells the show he's been told Nady won't show up for that visit, either.

David Goldman of New Jersey faced a similar problem when his ex-wife absconded with their son to Brazil. Father and son were reunited after a five-year legal and diplomatic battle. Bower tells MSNBC he hopes for a similarly happy ending on a shorter time line.

Just as Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak visited the White House this week, Bower was told a U.S. embassy official managed to visit Ramsay and Noor to check on their well-being. Bower tells MSNBC he was told the boys are in good shape and they reportedly talked excitedly about their friends and activities in Egypt.

But Bower tells "Today" he believes his sons "were well on-message and well-coached for that visit."

Even though Bower has an Egyptian court order for visitation on his side, he tells MSNBC there's little chance of him seeing his boys. "There's no one to enforce compliance on the Egyptian side," he says.

"I want them to be on an airplane tomorrow," he tells MSNBC. "She has the ability to do that. The Egyptian government has the ability to return these children tomorrow. And that's what I want. That's what they deserve."

Related: Facebook Reunites Mom With Kidnapped Kids

ReaderComments (Page 2 of 4)

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9-01-2010 @ 4:26PM

socaln8ive said...

It doesn't matter if they are foreigners or not. Japan is a perfect exemple of being a "Safe-Haven" for International Parental Abductions. There are people who are not citizens, or even have any heritage of being Japanese who the Japanese government harbors, condones, and financially rewards for the abductions of children from around the world. These abduction are by heartless, gutless, and selfish individuals. My son was abducted in June 2008 by his mother to Japan even though court orders were in place for my son not to be taken out of Orange County. My wife had lived in the US for 30 years. No one knows that this can happen, until you actually are involved in it. It is only afterwards that all you people have this great "Hindsight". Until the Justice Department, NOT State Department, begins to enforce US LAW 18, Part 2, Chapter 209, Section 3181, Paragraph 6, the issue of International Parental Abduction will continue to grow. House Resolution 1326 is waiting for a vote on the House floor to condemn Japan. HR 3240 will be reintroduced in the next congress which will have more enforcability. Contact your congressmnn/woman and senators to urge their support

9-01-2010 @ 4:29PM

CJ1209 said...

I believe the focus is the fact that these children were taken out of the country and away from their legal guardian (and there is likely a good reason he was awarded custody) and perhaps comments more constructive than "foreigners" causing trouble are needed. Maybe something to the effect of empathy would be nice.

That being said, those of you who are talking about the horrid act of Americans marrying foreigners should take a good look at your family tree because unless you are pure Native American you are a product of foreigners marrying foreigners. Ironicly by making such comments you become poster children for your little bigoted cause.
Next time, get a clue before you open your mouth.

9-01-2010 @ 4:56PM

Krystina said...

Just because someone is from another country other than America, doesn't mean they're bad people!! Thats racist, and cruel. And most American's are idiots for thinking they are. Look at yourself before you judge other people. You aren't the most perfect person in the world, ok?

WTF is wrong with you!?!?!?!!?!? Racist much!??! Why would you say something like that!? Thats just cruel.

9-01-2010 @ 5:01PM

Lisa said...

OMG Puffyzone! I hope you haven't reproduced your gene pool!

Bill said...

All the countries in the world that are not white christian dominated suck. Austrailia USA England are the greatest and every other country sucks I am just telling the truth. Name one country that is not white christian that does not suck I dare you.

9-01-2010 @ 7:29PM

Kali said...

Singapore
Japan
India
South Korea

9-01-2010 @ 7:32PM

Gabby said...

Japan, Chile, Costa Rica.

9-01-2010 @ 5:13PM

Judy said...

It is all too common in America for good and loving fathers to be forced from their own homes and away from their own children by an abusive manipulative gold digging deadbeat so called ex-wife. Then have his own children exploited by the deadbeat so called mom for unearned income as well as manic control. The gender bias against fathers courts MUST change this awful policy that aids deadbeat manipulative so called moms and forces the Father to be absent from his own children against his will.. This father should have his children where they belong. With him as all children should be. God bless America.

9-13-2010 @ 4:43PM

tony said...

perhaps a law nation wide thatthe physical custudy be made @ court house or police station.this way law enforcement is awhere what is going on.

9-01-2010 @ 5:52PM

jennifer stewart said...

i found out that so many women who marry people outside of their cultural norm's should be wary of what can happen too their offspring i met a guy in my apt building he married a japanese girl she got mad at him and return'd too tokyo with his son and has not come back he then remarried a girl from china he hasn't learn'd his damn lesson so all in all yeah he's an idiot i told him what white or black american women aren't good enough for you so you have too marry women from asia you my good sir are an idiot their i said it i am not married nor do i have kid's but i have a two year old nephew and if his mother ever got the idea too take him somewhere i wouldn't put it past my lil brother too kick her ever loving faluting ass i hope so so all in all stick closer too home good buddies bye

pat said...

What a shame that when i read these posts I hear so much bias. The only fact that is important is that two boys who belong with their father are not with him, regardless of whether the exwife was from Ny, China , or Egypt... There are awful people in every culture.. Good luck

this is why you should never ever marry some one from a foreing country foreigner's are what they are now i'm not gonna come off as a xenophobe but come on people why do that too yourself all i have too say is this was she that exotic in bed too lose your two son's possibly forever guess so thinking with wrong head huh buddy oh well now you effing learn grow up people i had an ex friend who met a guy from england he live'd two year's with her fleeced her dry stole all her belonging's and made her sick with worry and grief now he's back in england and she has too recoup her loss's and too think all the people from england are better than us american's well excuse me but we have what freedom of speech freedom of religion and oh freedom too not marry men or women from other countries so all in all i agree marry american and def keep it local either black or white

9-01-2010 @ 7:00PM

Don Sherline said...

ATTN LINK AND CAPTION WRITERS. LEARN THE CORRECT USE OF THE WORD "ALLEGED" AND ITS DERIVATIVES.
The caption above the link says, "...his ex-wife allegedly kidnapped
them and took them to Egypt." It is known fact, not unproven allegation that after he was granted sole custody she took the children and fled to Egypt. That constitutes kidnapping. Nothing alleged about it. Nothing alleged about whether she took them to Egypt, either.

9-01-2010 @ 5:58PM

Sarah said...

Let all those muslims go back home, stop taking more American time, please, we have enough of our own.

9-01-2010 @ 6:07PM

Jessica said...

It is hard to understand this situation because every story has two sides. A mother always going to be a mother and she shouldn't be blame so hard. She made a mistake but a mother always going to care and love her children no matter what. She should be forgiven and she should have the opportunity to be contact with her children.

9-02-2010 @ 8:34AM

Alicia said...

She was given an opportunity for contact. She obviously had visitation rights. Instead, she spirited them away from their father to a foreign country and began an international legal battle over them. Just the psychological and emotional stress alone must be traumatizing for them, much less the conditions they may be living in, if she's on the run from officials, as the article makes it sound like. That's not taking care of your children. Taking care of your children is dealing with the fact that your husband has custody and using the time your given with them to make sure they are happy, healthy and well-adjusted and have joyful memories of time with both parents. Parents who get divorced and then bad mouth their ex in front of their children or who kidnap them or who refuse to co-operate are not caring for their children. They're selfish and petty. My parents, when they divorced, continued to show respect towards one another and worked as a team, putting their differences behind them, to make sure I had everything I needed as a child and grew up healthy and happy. That's what parents should do.

9-01-2010 @ 6:09PM

Brooklynmom said...

That's what they get for marrying foreigners. Most of the time these women only want to marry an American to become a citizen anyway. When will these guys wake up????

Vera Chuckandave said...

How many of these stories must we read before everyone realizes DONT MARRY A MUSLIM!! They seem to always take the kids and run back to whatever Islamic Dictatorship they came from, and then the poor American spouse cant ever get them back! Didn't this guy ever see the movie "Not Without my Daughter" with Sally Field? Now every time he hears the song "Walk Like an Egyptian" he will worry about his poor little kids.

9-01-2010 @ 8:13PM

MSpradlin said...

They should air it every day of Rahmadon, how ever you spell it.

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