The British mother did not see her son, six, two years old after her ex ‘kidnapped him’ and moved to Saudi Arabia – while she points her finger at the police because she does not listen to her warnings

While she walks past the school playground, the tears flow down Ranem Elkalidis cheeks. She cannot tolerate the sound of children laughing and screaming, because although the playground should be a safe space for children, this is the last place that Ranem has ever seen her son.

Ranem, 27, from Wirral, was destroyed when her ex-husband, Hamzah Faraj, their six-year-old son, Ibrahim, kidnapped, and took him with him Saudi -Arabia in November 2022.

In the months before, Ranem had repeatedly warned the authorities that her ex would probably try to take their son, but she was convinced that it couldn’t happen.

Ranem has not seen or spoken to her little boy since he dropped him off at school two and a half years ago and has led himself tirelessly to take him home.

Ranem, 27, said: ‘I miss Ibrahim every moment of every day, I wake up and shouts his name. I dream of him, I reach out to hug him, but he is not there.

“I knew that Hamzah might try to take him and I warned the courts, social services, the embassy. But because I had the passport of Ibrahim, they told me he was safe.

‘Ibrahim is British, he was born here and he only speaks English. He will be completely lost in Saudi Arabia. On missing children’s day I hope that the governments will do the right thing and bring my boy to his mother. ‘

Ranem, a chef, saw her son for the last time when she dropped him at school on Friday, November 11, 2022.

She said: ‘Normally I hug him and tell him that I love him. But I was distracted that morning because I had to talk to his teacher to let her know that his father would collect him that afternoon.

‘Ibrahim ran away, with his friends, completely happy. I had no idea that it was the last time I would see him. It breaks my heart that I couldn’t tell him how much I love him. ‘

Ibrahim, now eight, would spend the weekend with his father, but on Monday morning alarms were raised when he did not arrive at school.

Ranem said: ‘I had a busy weekend, doing extra-shifts while I got the chance, and I was really looking forward to seeing Ibrahim again on Monday afternoon after school.

“When they called to say he was absent, I just knew. I was hysterical. I called Hamzah’s phone, but it was out of use and he had blocked me on social media. I hurried to his house, but his flat was cleaned up.

“The police assured me that he could not have left the country because I had the passport of Ibrahim. I couldn’t let anyone understand how urgent it was.

“But it happened later Hamzah had applied for a passport of Saudi Arabia for him. They had flown from Manchester Airport that weekend. ‘

Ranem and Hamzah met through family in Saudi Arabia and married when she was 16. They came to England, where Hamzah studied computer science and was 18 years old, Ranem gave their first child.

She said: ‘I was a young mother, so it was a big learning curve, but I was overjoyed. Ibrahim was a beautiful baby and I loved him.

“He grew into a happy, lively little boy, he loved his friends and loved animals and cars. He was a typical British boy. ‘

But the marriage was unhappy and the couple split in 2020. They agreed for the shared custody before the court, with limitations to prevent Hamzah from taking out his son.

Ranem said: ‘I was worried that he took Ibrahim; I felt he could try something. I told everyone that I could think of, but they all said that Ibrahim would be safe because I had all his travel documents.

‘But on that Monday morning, when his school called, I immediately knew what had happened. I called my mother in Turkey and she did her best to comfort me, but I felt so alone.

“I called the police, the embassy, ​​my parliamentary member. The police were not worried, as he was with his father. By the time they discovered that he was out of the country, it was too late.

‘I have set up a social media campaign, called’ Missing Son ‘that I argued for help in the media, I wrote to the governments here and in Saudi Arabia. But I was Stonewalled every time.

‘In 2023 I saw a message on social media from a university in Saudi Arabia, with a photo of the father of Ibrahim with an educational qualification. I immediately noticed that he had taken my son, but the mail was quickly removed and I was blocked.

‘Now I just feel absolutely helpless. As an asylum seeker I can’t go to Saudi Aarabia to look for him and anyway I don’t even know where Ibrahim is.

“I have no idea if he’s still with his father. He is in a foreign country, a different culture, a different language, without the things he loves. I can’t imagine how afraid he felt.

‘I think of him every minute of the day. I wake up at night, sob and shout for him.

“I have trouble cinging the head. I want to rely on the authorities in Saudi Aarabia to send my son home.

‘Ibrahim was born British, he went to school here, he had swimming lessons and he has many friends.

“He likes hot wheels and monster trucks. He has been removed from everything he knows. The worst of all is that he has taken over from his mother. He needs his mother.

‘When I started my campaign, it was about Ibrahim. Now it is also about the rights of all women.

‘I ask Saudi Arabia to stand with me and to stand with all women. I will never give up my son and I hope they will support me. ‘

Ranem’s Lot was raised in parliament and she receives support from her MP Matthew Patrick.

The case is also subject to a Supreme Court procedure, with a publicity order through which Ibrahim can be identified and enables Ranem to talk to the media in an attempt to bring her son home.

A spokesperson for the Cheshire police said: ‘On Monday, November 14, 2022, the police received reports that a child had been taken from the country by their father without their mother’s permission.

“It was reported that seven-year-old Ibrahim Faraj had been brought to Saudi Arabia by his father, who was contrary to the guardianship order that was done on Liverpool Family Court on November 3, 2022.

‘According to the reports, officers are closing closely with both parents, but despite their efforts, he has not yet been reduced to the UK.

‘That is why the child’s father is now spread as searched for child abduction in the National Police database.

“All the right authorities have been informed and officers continue to do everything to bring the child back to the UK.”

The Ranem support page can be found here.