custody

Husband attaching conditions to divorce

Q: My husband and I are seperated and he sent a letter that states that if I sign this than only divorce will go throught.i als have a 2 year old girl.

1. In that letter it states that once a month on weekend he is allowd to take my daughter and from fri to Sunday. My daughter is too small and doesn't leave my side. islamically is this allowed?

2. Do I have to pay half of my childs needs including education food etc?

3. In the list of what was mine in the house its not complete and there is no mention of the mehr. Is he allowed to keep the mehr?

Not living with the new husband out of fear of losing custody of one's children

Q: I have a Muslim co-worker that got married a few months. She was a divorcee. The man she married has a teenage son from a previous marriage. She herself has 2 pre-teens. One being a girl. She does not live with this man as she's scared her ex-husband (whose been married for over 6 yrs now) will gain custody of the children. How valid is that marriage? The new husband is building a house so that her daughter can have her own room and bathroom in the house. By the time the house is built the girl will be 12 and the new husband's son will be 14. Is that allowed in Islam?

Custody of the children and providing maintenance

Q: In the case of divorce, which parent has the right of custody of the children and up to what age? If a certain parent has the right of custody then can that parent prevent the other parent from visiting the children? Similarly, I would like to know which parent has to provide maintenance for the children. If the children have wealth, can their wealth be used for the maintenance? What exactly does maintenance entail and will the expenses of the children's education also fall under maintenance?