As she walks past the school playground, tears stream down Ranem Elkhalidi’s cheeks. She cannot bear the sound of children laughing and shouting, for though the playground is supposed to be a safe space for children, this is the last place Ranem ever saw her son.
Ranem, 27, from Wirral, was devastated when her ex-husband, Hamzah Faraj, abducted their six-year-old son, Ibrahim, and took him to Saudi Arabia in November 2022.
In the months prior, Ranem had repeatedly warned authorities that her ex was likely to try to take their son, but she was assured it could not happen.
Ranem has not seen or spoken to her little boy since dropping him off at school two and half years ago and has been campaigning tirelessly to bring him home.
Ranem, 27, said: ‘I miss Ibrahim every moment of every day, I wake up sobbing, calling his name. I dream of him, I reach out to hug him, but he is not there.
‘I knew Hamzah might try to take him, and I warned the courts, social services, the embassy. But because I had Ibrahim’s passport, 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 the governments will do the right thing and bring my boy home to his mother.’
Ranem, a chef, last saw her son when she dropped him at school on Friday, November 11, 2022.
Ranem Elkhaldi, 27, from Wirral, has voiced her devastation after her ex-husband, Hamzah Faraj, ‘abducted’ their six-year-old son, Ibrahim (pictured), and took him to Saudi Arabia
The 27-year-old mother-of-one (pictured right) last saw her son in 2022 when she dropped him off at the school gates
Ranem said that her ex-husband, Hamzah Faraj (pictured), ‘abducted’ their six-year-old son and took him to Saudi Arabia
She said: ‘Normally, I hug him and tell him I love him. But I was distracted that morning because I needed to speak to his teacher, to let her know his dad would be collecting him that afternoon.
‘Ibrahim ran off, with his friends, perfectly happy. I had no idea that was the last time I would see him. It breaks my heart I didn’t get to tell him how much I love him.’
Ibrahim, now eight, was due to spend the weekend with his father, but on Monday morning alarms were raised when he failed to arrive at school.
Ranem said: ‘I’d had a busy weekend, doing extra-shifts whilst I had 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 service and he had blocked me on social media. I rushed to his home but his flat was cleared out.
‘The police assured me he could not have left the country because I had Ibrahim’s passport. I couldn’t get anyone to grasp how urgent it was.
‘But it later transpired Hamzah had applied for a passport from Saudi Arabia for him. They had flown out, 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 aged 18, Ranem gave birth to their first child.
Ranem said that the police previously assured her that her ex-husband could not take their son anywhere because she had his travel documents
Ranem, a chef based in Wirral, split from her former husband in 2020 because the marriage was unhappy
The mother-of-one said her son only speaks English and is likely scared living in Saudi Arabia without her
Ranem said that when she contacted the police, they were not concerned because her son is with his father
She said: ‘I was a young mum so it was a big learning curve but I was overjoyed. Ibrahim was a beautiful baby and I adored him.
‘He grew into a happy, lively little boy, he loved his friends and he liked animals and cars. He was a typical British boy.’
But the marriage was unhappy and the couple split in 2020. They agreed shared custody in court, with restrictions in place to prevent Hamzah taking his son out of the country.
Ranem said: ‘I was worried about him taking Ibrahim; I sensed he might try something. I told everyone I could think of, but they all said Ibrahim would be safe because I had all his travel documents.
‘But on that Monday morning, when his school called, I knew instantly what had happened. I called my mother in Turkey, and she did her best to comfort me, but I felt so alone.
‘I rang the police, the embassy, my MP. The police were not concerned, as he was with his father. By the time they discovered he was out of the country, it was too late.
‘I set up a social media campaign, called ‘Missing Son’ I pleaded for help in the media, I wrote to the governements here and in Saudi Arabia. But I was stonewalled every time.
‘In 2023, I spotted a post on social media from a university in Saudi Arabia, showing a picture of Ibrahim’s father with a teaching qualification. I immediately commented that he had taken my son, but the post was quickly deleted and I was blocked.
Hamzah applied for a passport from Saudi Arabia for his son and they flew there from Manchester Airport
The mother-of-one said that she feels ‘helpless’ and is ‘struggling to cope’ without her son with her
‘Now, I just feel absolutely helpless. As an asylum seeker, I cannot go to Saudi Arabia to look for him and anyway I don’t even know where Ibrahim is.
‘I have no idea if he is still with his father. He’s in a strange country, a different culture, a different language, with none of the things he loves. I cannot imagine how scared he has felt.
‘I think of him every minute of the day. I wake up at night, sobbing and crying out for him.
‘I am struggling to cope. I want to appeal to the authorities in Saudi Arabia to please send my son home.
‘Ibrahim is British born, he went to school here, he had swimming lessons, and he has lots of friends.
‘He loves hot wheels and monster trucks. He has been taken away from everything he knows. Worst of all, he has been taken from his mother. He needs his mum.
‘When I started my campaign, it was about Ibrahim. Now, it is about the rights of all women too.
‘I am asking Saudi Arabia to stand with me, and to stand with all women. I will never give up on my son and I hope they will support me.’
Hamzah (pictured) took his six-year-old son, Ibrahim, and moved to Saudi Arabia in November 2022
Ranem’s plight was raised in parliament and she is receiving support from her MP Matthew Patrick.
The case has also been subject to High Court proceedings, with a publicity order issued allowing Ibrahim to be identified and Ranem to talk to the media in a bid to bring her son home.
A Cheshire Police spokesperson said: ‘On Monday 14 November 2022, police received reports that a child had been taken out of the country by their father without permission from their mother.
‘It was reported that seven-year-old Ibrahim Faraj had been taken to Saudi Arabia by his father, which was in breach of the custody order which was made at Liverpool Family Court on 3 November 2022.
‘Following the reports officers have been engaging closely with both parents, but despite their best efforts he has not yet been returned to the UK.
‘Therefore, the father of the child has now been circulated as wanted for child abduction on the national police database.
‘All the appropriate authorities have been made aware and officers are continuing to do all they can to return the child to the UK.’
Ranem’s support page can be found here.
