continually renewed the permit.
         Sami and Tina met in Kuwait, and married in 1978. During his testimony before the IJ, Sami
first stated that because he was Shiite Muslim and she was a Syrian Christian, they could not marry
in Kuwait, but rather, had to elope to Lebanon. However, when later questioned by the IJ, Sami
stated that they were in fact legally married in Kuwait. Tina testified that she had to feign
converting to Islam in order to get married. In 1979, Tina gave birth to a daughter, Saly.
       According to the Berris, their problems began in Kuwait. Sami testified that in 1988, while
going home from work on his lunch1 break, Kuwaiti security forces arrested him becausethey
believed he was a member of Amal, a group believed to be working to overthrow the Kuwaiti
government. For nineteen days, Sami was incarcerated in a small room and treated harshly. Sami
and Tina both testified that during this period, he was not allowed to have visitors, although in his
asylum application Sami stated that Tina visited him while he was captive.
       After his confinement, Sami was transferred to a hospital where he was force-fed, and then
moved to a detention camp with 300 other individuals for one or two weeks. With the permission
of Kuwaiti Government officials, the Berri family was allowed to leave Kuwait and return to
Lebanon. Sami testified that he had to leave everything behind in Kuwait, although in fact, he
already had an apartment