November 8, 1998 There certainly is no integrity in politics. My child continues to be held by Extremists opposed to the current regime in Syria. Although this group is basically outlawed by the Bath party, they continue to operate right under their noses. Amnesty international complained that the Bath party had been cruel in retaining members of the Muslim Brotherhood and demanded the release of those unjustly persecuted. President Assad made a grand motion of releasing prisoners..but they were not members of the Muslim Brotherhood, but instead, Syrian dissidents...harmless by comparison. Nadia's case is complicated by the fact that the man holding my child is not only a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, but he is isolated and protected (as well as his true affiliation) by his powerful brother, Ali Medani, once the Syrian ambassador to Greece. Ali has worked for years in the Syrian government, pledging allegiance to Assad, when secretly, he lent great aid and support to the Muslim Brotherhood as long ago as when Assad attacked the Town of Hama. It was Assad that warned many of his family and friends in Hama that the attack was coming. However, Ali has managed for decades to disguise his true affiliation with the Brotherhood from the current regime. My Ex was not born in Syria. The son of Mohamad Chafik Al-Dabbagh from Hama, Syria Mohamad Hisham Dabbagh was born in Kuwait after his father fled Syria in open opposition to the Bath party. The question asked most often regarding Nadia is..."Is she with relatives?" Well, that is hard to say. Since they all marry cousin's, uncles etc...I suppose everyone may be related to everyone else in some way or another. My Ex was to take Ali Medani's daughter, Iya, for his second wife. I do not know if they ever married, but I certainly was not sticking around to find out. My Ex said he wanted to marry her because her mother own a medical laboratory in Damascus and therefore, he would be guaranteed employment as a lab tech if he were ever find himself forced to live in Syria. He depended heavily on Ali to get him into and out of Syria safely...a real task even for Ali. I guess Ali was not quit able to intercede on his behalf when he was thrown in Jail a few years ago.