Ibrahim Faraj's mother to meet with foreign office

Ranem el Khalidi will travel to London alongside her local MP, Mike Amesbury, to meet with three officials from the Consular Assistance Department at the Foreign Office headquarters.

The meeting will see Ranem and Mr. Amesbury seeking advice and support for how to proceed best in returning Ibrahim to Ranem.

The Helsby resident has not seen her son Ibra since November of 2022, coming up on eight months.

Ranem’s ex-husband, Hamzah Faraj, a Warrington resident abducted Ibra shortly after the pair agreed joint custody of him.

Hamzah took his son to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, despite a court order preventing him from taking Ibra out of the country. Saudi Arabia does not have an extradition treaty, meaning despite warrants out for Hamzah’s arrest, he cannot be returned to the United Kingdom.

This meeting follows Mr Amesbury, the MP for Weaver Vale, raising the issue in parliament in a session of questions to Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.

In an exclusive interview with the Warrington Guardian, she said: “I still have a nightmare every single night this.

“Sometimes it’s just that I can't find Ibra, sometimes I'll be sitting and then he [Hamzah] will attack me. But I’ve never had Ibra in my nightmares, he’s never there.

Ranem and Ibrahim (Image: Mike Amesbury)

“About a month ago, I was doing so badly mentally. It was at the point where I was nearly self-harming, but I spoke to a mental health doctor who gave me antidepressants.

“Since I started taking them, I can feel myself getting better mentally.

“I’m just trying to keep on going now, to keep on fighting.”

The Warrington Guardian exclusively released the identity of Ibrahim, with a high court intervention required to overrule a family court document that forced Ranem into silence on the issue.

Since then, Ranem has spoken to the BBC, Daily Mail, The Guardian, and ITV, trying to spread the word about Ibrahim to get her son home.

She spoke in our interview of now being a beacon of hope for other mothers, with her now providing support to parents who have contacted her going through similar situations.

On the upcoming meeting with consulate staff, MP Mike Amesbury said:
“My team has been supporting Ranem, a constituent, who is clearly very distressed at being separated from her beloved seven-year-old son Ibrahim, who was born in the UK.

 “She has not seen or heard from Ibrahim since last November when, in breach of a court order, he was abducted by his father and taken to Saudi Arabia.

 “Unfortunately, there is no legal agreement between Saudi Arabia and the UK that would allow Ibrahim to be brought home to his mum.

 “I have raised the case on the floor of the House of Commons and the Foreign Secretary agreed to provide access to senior officials from the Consular Assistance Department, which is happening at a meeting on Tuesday.

“Ranem and I will be seeking advice but also urging our Government to use its diplomatic channels to talk to the Saudi authorities in a bid to resolve this matter given the strong trading relationship between our two countries.

 “My heart goes out to Ranem. In an ideal world, I would like the father to read online about all the hurt and upset his actions have caused and reach out so that some kind of agreement can be struck that would allow Ranem to see her son again.

“For everyone concerned, I hope this situation can be resolved somehow and that Ibrahim can be reunited with his mother.

“As a father myself, I can only imagine the anguish she must be going through and also the distress and confusion little Ibrahim must be going through at being torn away from the mum he loves so much.”