(Compass) – The Muslim guardian of Christian widow Siham Qandah’s minor children failed to appear yesterday before the Al-Abdali Sharia court in Amman , Jordan . Abdullah al-Muhtadi, Qandah’s estranged brother who converted to Islam in his youth, was to have been questioned regarding his alleged misuse of a large portion of the children’s trust funds. In al-Muhtadi’s absence, the court declared that, if necessary, a police escort would be sent to ensure his attendance at the next hearing, set for October 10. Last month the Supreme Islamic Court of Jordan accepted an appeal against a lower court decision to award custody of Qandah’s children to her brother, and required the Al-Abdali court to investigate al-Muhtadi’s use of nearly 12,000 Jordanian dinars ($17,650) he took from the trust funds.