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IN BATTLE OF THE BIRDS, ISU TOPS GREEN BAY

BLO-NO WELCOMES CHANGES NEWS 6

SPORTS 8

videtteonline

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2016 Vol. 129 / No. 05

ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSIT Y’S NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1888

ISU crushes Crusaders in home opener see page 8 for story

Illinois State players celebrate their seasonopening, 50-13 win over Valparaiso Saturday night at Hancock Stadium. Photo by BRET FARRELL | Vidette Social Media Manager | @farrell_bret

Check out the related photo gallery and video on videtteonline.com

Freshman escapes Palestinian marriage, comes to ISU Story by AVE RIO Vidette Editor-in-Chief @avegrio

Y

a s m i n e Koenig is one of the 3,632 new freshmen at Illinois State University beginning the college experience this year. Her life before she got here, however, was very different from the lives of most of her collegiate peers. She grew up for her first 15 years with Muslim parents, who she describes as “very extreme” and “stuck in the past of Islamic culture.” She wasn’t allowed to hang out with boys or date anyone. But a self-proclaimed rebel, Yasmine went on a date to Chipotle with a boy from school. After the date, the

boy showed up at her house where her mother answered the door. Her mother was furious, and yelling ensued. After that incident, her family tricked her into going on a “vacation” to Palestine. Instead of a vacation, though, her family forced her to marry a 25-year-old man she did not know and who did not speak English. Refusing to live like this and after much research, Yasmine got hold of the U.S. Embassy and was in contact with someone for several months while they determined everything she needed to get back to the United States. Finally, Yasmine

How is your first semester going?

because I wanted to be able to talk to my little sister. But she basically said I had to pick a family. She literally said I would have to come back to Palestine to live with her in order to be able to talk to my little sister. And I’m like Oh yeah, that’s a great idea, let me just go do that.

I love it here, although classes are a little overwhelming; it’s kind of a wake up call. I’m studying communications, but I’m mostly just taking Gen Eds now.

How are things going with your adoptive family? I’ve lived with them since January 2014, so a little over two years. I don’t call them Mom and Dad, but it’s a normal family situation. I just wasn’t birthed by them. They are coming to family weekend in September.

was able to meet with the worker from the Embassy and “Tom Cruised right out of there,” as she puts it. Once back in the United States, she was entered into the foster care system, where she lived with several families. “It’s not as bad as it sounds, but it’s not awesome,” Koenig said. She shared her story with Children’s Rights and Seventeen magazine in May. Three years after marriage in Palestine, she is now 19 years old and living in Watterson Towers. She came to The Vidette building and spoke to Editor-in-Chief Ave Rio about her experience.

Tell me about your other siblings. Yasmine’s eighth-grade graduation photo

Are you still in contact with your birth mom? I used to be, a little bit after I came back, just

I have three sisters and one little brother. The two older sisters are still in Palestine and I talk to them occasionally, but I don’t like to because I feel like they just report everything back to my mom. And then I have my younger sister who I talk to and my younger brother who both still live with my biological mom.

see continued Q&A on page 3

Photo submitted by Yasmine Koenig

Yasmine Koenig on her wedding day at age 15.


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