Meriam bint Abdullah Al-Khalifa (born 1980) is a member of the Bahraini Royal House of Al-Khalifa. She is best known for fleeing her family and native Bahrain to the United States to elope with US Marine Lance Corporal Jason Johnson, who was, at the time, stationed in Bahrain as part of a counter-terrorism unit providing security for expatriate Americans.
After being smuggled into the United States with help from Lance Corporal Johnson and getting threatened with deportation by the United States Customs, Meriam was permitted to stay and apply for asylum, claiming she was in fear of honor violence by her family in retaliation for fleeing her country and entertaining a romantic relationship with a non-Muslim.
Where Is Meriam Al-Khalifa Now?
Al Khalifa plans to apply for political asylum on the grounds that she faces persecution for marrying a non-Muslim if she returns to Bahrain, according to her attorney, Jan Joseph Bejar. Al Khalifa and her husband, who married in Las Vegas, live on camp Pendleton, a Marine base 40 miles north of San Diego, Calif.
