IMPORTANT SURVEY: WE NEED YOUR INPUT!
RAHAMA highly encourages our Muslim community to complete the important survey below and send to others in your contacts. Peaceful Families (www.peacefulfamilies.org) and Project Sakinah (www.projectsakinah.org) have teamed up to conduct a national survey assessing Muslims Attitudes about Domestic Violence. They would like to reach as many people as possible in order to have a representative sample of Muslims in the US. Please help us by forwarding this email to your contacts and taking the survey at www.muslimsurveys.org. Also, consider posting the link on any social networking sites that you participate in. This research is extremely important as part of our work to prevent domestic violence in Muslim homes by better understanding the attitudes surrounding it.
RAHAMA highly encourages our Muslim community to complete the important survey below and send to others in your contacts. Peaceful Families (www.peacefulfamilies.org) and Project Sakinah (www.projectsakinah.org) have teamed up to conduct a national survey assessing Muslims Attitudes about Domestic Violence. They would like to reach as many people as possible in order to have a representative sample of Muslims in the US. Please help us by forwarding this email to your contacts and taking the survey at www.muslimsurveys.org. Also, consider posting the link on any social networking sites that you participate in. This research is extremely important as part of our work to prevent domestic violence in Muslim homes by better understanding the attitudes surrounding it.
Local Domestic Violence Awareness EVENTS:
October 06: Telling Amy’s Story – A Domestic Violence Awareness Event. Documentary Screening and discussion. 5:30pm - 8pm. Location: WNED Studios - 140 Lower Terrace, Buffalo, NY
October 11th: *Purple Hijab Day- Muslim Students Association is holding
Purple Hijab Day to help bring awareness and an end to domestic violence. People of all faiths and backgrounds are encouraged to wear purple in solidarity. A bake sale will be held from 10-4pm in the Student Union Lobby at the University at Buffalo. All proceeds will go to Resources And Help Against Marital Abuse (RAHAMA).
October 13th: *Film Screening and Discussion in NSC 218 at 6:30pm.
"A Garment for Each Other". (Click on flyer below to enlarge)
Tahirih Justice Center’s Survey on Forced Marriage in Immigrant Communities in the United States
Tahirih’s Forced Marriage Survey was taken by over 500 respondents from 47 states (and Guam), and provided a wealth of information about agencies’ experiences with forced marriage situations in the United States. The full report and other information can be found on their website at http://www.tahirih.org/.
| survey_results_-_forced_marriages_in_the_us.pdf |
Defining “Forced Marriage” - Tahirih Justice Center
A forced marriage is one that takes place without the full and free consent of one or both parties. It can happen to either gender, at any age. It may be a marriage that is threatened, or one that has already taken place, either in the United States or abroad.
An individual’s lack of consent or lack of ability to give informed consent may be caused by a
variety of factors, including but not limited to the individual being:
‐ Younger than the legal age to marry
‐ Subject to some other incapacity or disability
‐ Subject to force, fraud, or coercion
Force, fraud, or coercion can take many forms, including psychological manipulation, emotional
blackmail, deception, and physical threats or violence, and—in some cases—even kidnapping or
death threats.
An arranged marriage is not the same as a forced marriage. A forced marriage, in which an
individual feels she has no ultimate right to choose her partner and/or no meaningful way to say no to
the marriage, is distinguishable from an arranged marriage, in which the families of both parties (or
religious leaders or others) take the lead, but ultimately, the choice remains with the individual.
(This definition was used in Tahirih’s Forced Marriage Survey, and is used in Tahirih’s work.)
A forced marriage is one that takes place without the full and free consent of one or both parties. It can happen to either gender, at any age. It may be a marriage that is threatened, or one that has already taken place, either in the United States or abroad.
An individual’s lack of consent or lack of ability to give informed consent may be caused by a
variety of factors, including but not limited to the individual being:
‐ Younger than the legal age to marry
‐ Subject to some other incapacity or disability
‐ Subject to force, fraud, or coercion
Force, fraud, or coercion can take many forms, including psychological manipulation, emotional
blackmail, deception, and physical threats or violence, and—in some cases—even kidnapping or
death threats.
An arranged marriage is not the same as a forced marriage. A forced marriage, in which an
individual feels she has no ultimate right to choose her partner and/or no meaningful way to say no to
the marriage, is distinguishable from an arranged marriage, in which the families of both parties (or
religious leaders or others) take the lead, but ultimately, the choice remains with the individual.
(This definition was used in Tahirih’s Forced Marriage Survey, and is used in Tahirih’s work.)
Divorce in the Muslim Community - article by Soundvision
See the full article:
http://www.soundvision.com/info/marriage/conflict/muslimdivorcesurvey2010.asp
Marriage: Conflict
Divorce in the Muslim Community:
2010 Survey Analysis By Taha Ghayyur - Updated: July 22, 2010
If you attended six Muslim weddings this summer, chances are that two will end up in divorce sooner or later. This is based on research conducted in the early 1990s by the late, New York-based sociologist Ilyas Ba-Yunus, who estimated the North American Muslim divorce rate stood at 31.14 percent, which was three times higher than the highest divorce rate in the Muslim world at that time (10 percent in Egypt and Turkey).
The situation hasn’t gotten better in North America over the last two decades. In fact, Imams, counselors, and lawyers are constantly indicating an increase in Muslim clients seeking help for marital crises and filing for divorce.
To understand this disturbing phenomenon, Sound Vision conducted an online survey from October 15, 2009 to January 15, 2010, in which 405 individuals across North America shared their divorce experience, including the factors that lead to divorce, as well as how they dealt with it.
Here are the detailed results of this survey for the benefit of social service providers, family counsellors, Imams, Muslim educators and the Muslim community at large.
Demographics:
Of those who responded to this survey:
For a third of the participants, marriage lasted two to five years; for a quarter of them, it lasted less than one year. About 20% of them stayed married for six to 10 years, 16% for 11 to 20 years, and 6% for 21 to 40 years.
The fact that majority of divorces occurred within the first five years of marriage clearly illustrates the need for spouses to work harder to protect, strengthen, and nurture their relationship. It is in these initial years that most of the challenges that shake the foundation of a marriage arise.
Current Marriage Status: More Men Re-Married
Out of the 405 respondents, only 31.63% were currently married; 56.55% were currently divorced and 11.82% were separated.
Not surprisingly, a far higher percentage of men (47.06%) re-married, compared with women (26.78%). This finding reinforces the common observation that women in the Muslim community in particular have a harder time re-marrying due to the stigma attached to women getting divorced.
More Women Initiating Divorce
About two-thirds of the participants initiated the divorce themselves, versus the one-third whose spouses started the process.
The fact that 64.32% of Muslim women respondents admitted that they initiated the divorce process beckons a new trend in the North American Muslim communities. More Muslim women are making crucial decisions involving marriage and divorce on their own. Unlike in traditional Muslim societies, North American Muslim women speak their mind, make more informed decisions, and are less likely to tolerate spousal or family abuse.
Incompatibility: #1 Reason for Divorce
Incompatibility was the most cited reason for divorce (16.38%), followed by abuse (13.12%), financial disputes (10.41%), family / in-laws interference (10.20%), sexual infidelity / adultery (8.79%), and others.
If we add the results of “religious incompatibility: lack of practice” and “religious incompatibility: extreme practice” to the general “incompatibility” factor, it comes out to 25.71%.
While every warring couple could cite multiple reasons for the break up, there is always one major factor that leads to the death of a marriage. Some of these factors are detectable and even preventable before the marriage. Compatibility or lack thereof between potential spouses can be determined with good scrutiny prior to official union.
The compatibility factor becomes more pronounced when one spouse was born and raised in North America and the other in the Muslim world. In our survey, over 50% of the respondents were born in North America, while only one third of the ex-spouses were born on the continent.
It can be argued that ‘incompatibility’ is also a convenient excuse or scapegoat some couples use to end their marriage due to relatively minor lifestyle inconveniences they go through after marriage.
Emotional Abuse: Most Common form of Abuse
Those who indicated abuse as one of the reasons for divorce chose emotional abuse as the most common form of abuse they experienced. About one-third (32.32%) of individuals chose emotional abuse, while one-fifth (21.80%) selected verbal abuse, followed by financial abuse (14.79%), physical abuse (13.87%), spiritual abuse (8.99%) and sexual abuse (5.79%).
Surprisingly, a slightly higher percentage of men indicated emotional abuse (37.70%) to be the main form of abuse they suffered, as opposed to 31.26% women. This is similar to the findings for verbal abuse: 24.59% men cited it as one of the forms of abuse they experienced in their relationship, while 21.49% women chose the same.
Understandably, more women than men ranked financial abuse, physical abuse, and spiritual abuse as a higher form of abuse they experienced in the marriage.
Emotional abuse and verbal abuse, the most common forms of abuse cited, are also perhaps the most dangerous because they are often not as overt and explicit as other types of abuse. A spouse may continue to silently suffer under emotional and verbal abuse for years until one day it becomes intolerable.
Moreover, the abuser may not even know at times that his or her actions, based on cultural upbringing or nature, are hurting his or her spouse’s feelings and could be detrimental to their relationship. This is why clear communication about expectations even before one decides to get married is crucial.
Children from the Marriage
Over two-third of the divorced individuals reported that they had children from the failed marriage, out of which 22.19% had disputes over the custody of children.
Three-quarters of the women surveyed had children living with them and only a quarter of the men surveyed had children living with them. The rest of the respondents indicated that their children were split between mother and father; others would have their children stay with one parent certain days of the week and on other days with the other parent.
About a quarter also had children from earlier marriages.
Family Support
A decisive majority of the participants (82.12%) had their family’s support and blessing in the process of divorce. Women seemed to have more support from their family (84.68%) than men did (67.39%). This again points to a shift in the Muslim community away from traditional ideas, where parents abhor and resist the idea of their children divorcing at any cost and spouses (especially wives) are encouraged to bear with a miserable relationship for the sake of the family’s honor or reputation, and the couple’s children.
Family and relatives were also ranked highest by respondents as those from whom they sought help to resolve the differences with their spouse before initiating divorce: 28.27% approached their family / relatives, 22.44% went to their Imams or local religious leaders, and 21.53% asked their friends for help, followed by a Muslim counselor (8.82%), a lawyer (7.52%), and a non-Muslim counselor (7.39%).
The fact that about half of the couples approached their families or local Imams for help reflects the urgent need for equipping family members and community leaders, in particular, with tools and resources for family counseling and the knowledge of Islamic marriage laws, as well as the legalities of marriages and divorce in the country they are living in. Professional marriage counselors in the community should also be known to the wider community and should work closely with Imams for referrals as needed.
Community Response
In response to “What was your local Muslim community’s reaction to your divorce?”, 24.84% indicated negative, 12.74% received positive reaction, and 31.85% felt the community reaction was neutral. It is revealing to note that 30.57% of the participants did not publicize the divorce in the community, hence there was no reaction.
While divorce is not something encouraged by Islam, especially when all the means of reconciliation have not been exhausted, it is not something to be kept hidden from the community. The fact that about a third of the respondents decided to keep their divorce hidden, shows how much stigma divorce still carries in our community.
Moreover, when asked “Did you feel your local Muslim community gave you the support you needed while divorcing?” most said no (49.34%), 27.63 indicated yes, and 23.03% received some support.
For the majority of the couples, divorce was processed by a lawyer (48.08%) and for 19.55% it was handled by their Masjid or an Imam. The rest (32.37%) resorted to other means, including a professional mediator, judge, Shariah council/arbitrator, friend, or “verbal Talaq pronouncement three times.”
Current Level of Happiness
The response to “Are you better off today than you were in this marriage?” was a resounding YES (90.61%).
Of those who indicated they were happy with the decision to divorce, 31.64% were currently married, 57.45% were not married, and 10.91% were separated.
Moreover, of those who are happier today, 66.19% initiated the divorce themselves.
Interestingly, the income level of participants did not seem to emerge as a factor in the frequency of divorce. Our survey respondents were quite evenly distributed across all income levels, from “under $15,000” to “$75,000-$149,999” income brackets.
Resources on Divorce among Muslims
Divorce among American Muslims: Statistics, Challenges & SolutionsSound Vision's Page on Family Conflict Resolution
The Prophet's Marriage Sermon
Islamic Social Services Association of the United States and Canada
The Muslim Alliance of North America's Healthy Marriage Initiative
Dr. Julie Macfarlane's project on Islamic Divorce in North Americ
------------------------------
Taha Ghayyur is Sound Vision’s Development Manager and has been writing on leadership, lifestyle, and self-help issues since 1997. He is a director of MuslimFest, a project of Sound Vision, which is an award-winning annual festival celebrating the best in Muslim arts and entertainment held annually in Toronto, Canada.
http://www.soundvision.com/info/marriage/conflict/muslimdivorcesurvey2010.asp
Marriage: Conflict
Divorce in the Muslim Community:
2010 Survey Analysis By Taha Ghayyur - Updated: July 22, 2010
If you attended six Muslim weddings this summer, chances are that two will end up in divorce sooner or later. This is based on research conducted in the early 1990s by the late, New York-based sociologist Ilyas Ba-Yunus, who estimated the North American Muslim divorce rate stood at 31.14 percent, which was three times higher than the highest divorce rate in the Muslim world at that time (10 percent in Egypt and Turkey).
The situation hasn’t gotten better in North America over the last two decades. In fact, Imams, counselors, and lawyers are constantly indicating an increase in Muslim clients seeking help for marital crises and filing for divorce.
To understand this disturbing phenomenon, Sound Vision conducted an online survey from October 15, 2009 to January 15, 2010, in which 405 individuals across North America shared their divorce experience, including the factors that lead to divorce, as well as how they dealt with it.
Here are the detailed results of this survey for the benefit of social service providers, family counsellors, Imams, Muslim educators and the Muslim community at large.
Demographics:
Of those who responded to this survey:
- Majority were female (82.71%)
- Highest number belonged to 26 to 40 age group (56.04%), followed by 41 to 55 bracket (28.06%). Only about 6% belonged to 18 to 25 and 56 to 60 age groups each
- Majority were of South Asian (Pakistani/Bangladeshi/Indian) (28.28%) descent, 17.85 were African Americans, 16.16% were white, and 11.11% were of Arab background
- Most were currently employed (56.23%) and 15.82% were homemakers (only women)
- 83.33% reside in the USA or Canada
- Over half were born in the USA or Canada; the rest were born in a Muslim country
- Over 60% indicated that their ex-spouse was born in a foreign country. Less than one third of the ex-spouses were born in the USA or Canada
- Over 40% of the participants had been divorced for 2-5 years, over a quarter were divorced for less than 1 year, and about 17% for 6 to 10 years.
- About 50% indicated they had been divorced only once and about 25% experienced divorce twice. One person had been divorced five times.
For a third of the participants, marriage lasted two to five years; for a quarter of them, it lasted less than one year. About 20% of them stayed married for six to 10 years, 16% for 11 to 20 years, and 6% for 21 to 40 years.
The fact that majority of divorces occurred within the first five years of marriage clearly illustrates the need for spouses to work harder to protect, strengthen, and nurture their relationship. It is in these initial years that most of the challenges that shake the foundation of a marriage arise.
Current Marriage Status: More Men Re-Married
Out of the 405 respondents, only 31.63% were currently married; 56.55% were currently divorced and 11.82% were separated.
Not surprisingly, a far higher percentage of men (47.06%) re-married, compared with women (26.78%). This finding reinforces the common observation that women in the Muslim community in particular have a harder time re-marrying due to the stigma attached to women getting divorced.
More Women Initiating Divorce
About two-thirds of the participants initiated the divorce themselves, versus the one-third whose spouses started the process.
The fact that 64.32% of Muslim women respondents admitted that they initiated the divorce process beckons a new trend in the North American Muslim communities. More Muslim women are making crucial decisions involving marriage and divorce on their own. Unlike in traditional Muslim societies, North American Muslim women speak their mind, make more informed decisions, and are less likely to tolerate spousal or family abuse.
Incompatibility: #1 Reason for Divorce
Incompatibility was the most cited reason for divorce (16.38%), followed by abuse (13.12%), financial disputes (10.41%), family / in-laws interference (10.20%), sexual infidelity / adultery (8.79%), and others.
If we add the results of “religious incompatibility: lack of practice” and “religious incompatibility: extreme practice” to the general “incompatibility” factor, it comes out to 25.71%.
While every warring couple could cite multiple reasons for the break up, there is always one major factor that leads to the death of a marriage. Some of these factors are detectable and even preventable before the marriage. Compatibility or lack thereof between potential spouses can be determined with good scrutiny prior to official union.
The compatibility factor becomes more pronounced when one spouse was born and raised in North America and the other in the Muslim world. In our survey, over 50% of the respondents were born in North America, while only one third of the ex-spouses were born on the continent.
It can be argued that ‘incompatibility’ is also a convenient excuse or scapegoat some couples use to end their marriage due to relatively minor lifestyle inconveniences they go through after marriage.
Emotional Abuse: Most Common form of Abuse
Those who indicated abuse as one of the reasons for divorce chose emotional abuse as the most common form of abuse they experienced. About one-third (32.32%) of individuals chose emotional abuse, while one-fifth (21.80%) selected verbal abuse, followed by financial abuse (14.79%), physical abuse (13.87%), spiritual abuse (8.99%) and sexual abuse (5.79%).
Surprisingly, a slightly higher percentage of men indicated emotional abuse (37.70%) to be the main form of abuse they suffered, as opposed to 31.26% women. This is similar to the findings for verbal abuse: 24.59% men cited it as one of the forms of abuse they experienced in their relationship, while 21.49% women chose the same.
Understandably, more women than men ranked financial abuse, physical abuse, and spiritual abuse as a higher form of abuse they experienced in the marriage.
Emotional abuse and verbal abuse, the most common forms of abuse cited, are also perhaps the most dangerous because they are often not as overt and explicit as other types of abuse. A spouse may continue to silently suffer under emotional and verbal abuse for years until one day it becomes intolerable.
Moreover, the abuser may not even know at times that his or her actions, based on cultural upbringing or nature, are hurting his or her spouse’s feelings and could be detrimental to their relationship. This is why clear communication about expectations even before one decides to get married is crucial.
Children from the Marriage
Over two-third of the divorced individuals reported that they had children from the failed marriage, out of which 22.19% had disputes over the custody of children.
Three-quarters of the women surveyed had children living with them and only a quarter of the men surveyed had children living with them. The rest of the respondents indicated that their children were split between mother and father; others would have their children stay with one parent certain days of the week and on other days with the other parent.
About a quarter also had children from earlier marriages.
Family Support
A decisive majority of the participants (82.12%) had their family’s support and blessing in the process of divorce. Women seemed to have more support from their family (84.68%) than men did (67.39%). This again points to a shift in the Muslim community away from traditional ideas, where parents abhor and resist the idea of their children divorcing at any cost and spouses (especially wives) are encouraged to bear with a miserable relationship for the sake of the family’s honor or reputation, and the couple’s children.
Family and relatives were also ranked highest by respondents as those from whom they sought help to resolve the differences with their spouse before initiating divorce: 28.27% approached their family / relatives, 22.44% went to their Imams or local religious leaders, and 21.53% asked their friends for help, followed by a Muslim counselor (8.82%), a lawyer (7.52%), and a non-Muslim counselor (7.39%).
The fact that about half of the couples approached their families or local Imams for help reflects the urgent need for equipping family members and community leaders, in particular, with tools and resources for family counseling and the knowledge of Islamic marriage laws, as well as the legalities of marriages and divorce in the country they are living in. Professional marriage counselors in the community should also be known to the wider community and should work closely with Imams for referrals as needed.
Community Response
In response to “What was your local Muslim community’s reaction to your divorce?”, 24.84% indicated negative, 12.74% received positive reaction, and 31.85% felt the community reaction was neutral. It is revealing to note that 30.57% of the participants did not publicize the divorce in the community, hence there was no reaction.
While divorce is not something encouraged by Islam, especially when all the means of reconciliation have not been exhausted, it is not something to be kept hidden from the community. The fact that about a third of the respondents decided to keep their divorce hidden, shows how much stigma divorce still carries in our community.
Moreover, when asked “Did you feel your local Muslim community gave you the support you needed while divorcing?” most said no (49.34%), 27.63 indicated yes, and 23.03% received some support.
For the majority of the couples, divorce was processed by a lawyer (48.08%) and for 19.55% it was handled by their Masjid or an Imam. The rest (32.37%) resorted to other means, including a professional mediator, judge, Shariah council/arbitrator, friend, or “verbal Talaq pronouncement three times.”
Current Level of Happiness
The response to “Are you better off today than you were in this marriage?” was a resounding YES (90.61%).
Of those who indicated they were happy with the decision to divorce, 31.64% were currently married, 57.45% were not married, and 10.91% were separated.
Moreover, of those who are happier today, 66.19% initiated the divorce themselves.
Interestingly, the income level of participants did not seem to emerge as a factor in the frequency of divorce. Our survey respondents were quite evenly distributed across all income levels, from “under $15,000” to “$75,000-$149,999” income brackets.
Resources on Divorce among Muslims
Divorce among American Muslims: Statistics, Challenges & SolutionsSound Vision's Page on Family Conflict Resolution
The Prophet's Marriage Sermon
Islamic Social Services Association of the United States and Canada
The Muslim Alliance of North America's Healthy Marriage Initiative
Dr. Julie Macfarlane's project on Islamic Divorce in North Americ
------------------------------
Taha Ghayyur is Sound Vision’s Development Manager and has been writing on leadership, lifestyle, and self-help issues since 1997. He is a director of MuslimFest, a project of Sound Vision, which is an award-winning annual festival celebrating the best in Muslim arts and entertainment held annually in Toronto, Canada.
My Sister, One That I Never Met
Where you are today,
there is No Crying,
No Tears,
No Pain
And No Hurt.
No sleepless nights praying or waiting for help.
Where you are today,
You are FREE.....
There is Peace,
Serenity
and Love.
Where you are today,
You are FREE.....
There is Tranquility,
Harmony
and Laughter.
I understand, I know exactly how You felt.
I understand the struggle, I understand Your Strength.
Today we All Honor You My Sister, a sister I never met.
Though You are not physically with us today,
Your message was well sent.
There is NO explanation, NO reason for your fate.
There is NO excuse for his anger and all his hate.
Oh My Sister, one that I never met,
There are many hearts You have touched.
Many who will face a struggle similar to Yours,
a struggle similar to Mine,
a struggle which is Theirs.
Today, I stand before you and I can say.....
Where I am today
Alhumdulliallah,
I am FREE...
There is Peace,
Serenity
and Love.
Where I am today,
Alhamduliallah,
I am FREE...
There is Tranquility,
Harmony
and much Laughter.
- Your Sister in Faith
Where you are today,
there is No Crying,
No Tears,
No Pain
And No Hurt.
No sleepless nights praying or waiting for help.
Where you are today,
You are FREE.....
There is Peace,
Serenity
and Love.
Where you are today,
You are FREE.....
There is Tranquility,
Harmony
and Laughter.
I understand, I know exactly how You felt.
I understand the struggle, I understand Your Strength.
Today we All Honor You My Sister, a sister I never met.
Though You are not physically with us today,
Your message was well sent.
There is NO explanation, NO reason for your fate.
There is NO excuse for his anger and all his hate.
Oh My Sister, one that I never met,
There are many hearts You have touched.
Many who will face a struggle similar to Yours,
a struggle similar to Mine,
a struggle which is Theirs.
Today, I stand before you and I can say.....
Where I am today
Alhumdulliallah,
I am FREE...
There is Peace,
Serenity
and Love.
Where I am today,
Alhamduliallah,
I am FREE...
There is Tranquility,
Harmony
and much Laughter.
- Your Sister in Faith
Domestic Violence Awareness - From around the country...
- Hadayai Majeed, of Baitul Salaam Network Inc, has organized a global initiative called International Wear Purple/Lavender Hijab Day, from February 13 – 16, which has garnered overwhelming support through Facebook, with over 1100 confirmed attendants. She hopes that eventually Domestic Violence Awareness Month can be shifted to February, to eliminate conflicting advocacy efforts with raising awareness for Breast Cancer.
• Domestic Harmony Foundation (http://www.dhfny.org/) and Turning Point for Women and Families (http://www.turningpoint-ny.org/) are hosting a joint panel discussion event, to clear the misconceptions of Islam and treatment of women and condemn once again the heinous act of domestic violence against sister Aasiya.... See More... See More
• Muslim Men Against Domestic Violence (MMADV), an initiative of Baitul Salaam Network Inc, has organized a prayer vigil in Atlanta, followed by a presentation by Brother Shyam Sriram.
• Muslim Community Center (MCC, http://mccmd.org/sunday-lectures), in Maryland, will be holding a panel discussion on Domestic Violence with Dr. Imad A. Ahmad (Islamic-American Zakat Foundation), Razi Kosi (Counselors Helping (South) Asians / Indians Inc. “CHAI”), and Holly Gaydos (Domestic Violence Counselor of MCC Clinic). Salma ElKadi Abugideiri, Co-Director of Peaceful Families Project, will moderate the panel.
• Renowned Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid, founder of Sound Vision, as well as other Muslim scholars and leaders across North America, have expressed their intention to give a sermon addressing domestic violence during the month of February.
• Spokane Islamic center (http://www.spokaneislamiccenter.org/), in Washington State, is holding a Purple Hijab Day along with a speaker event on domestic violence.
• Peaceful Families Project (PFP) is spearheading a “Take A Stand Against Domestic Violence” Video Campaign (http://stand.peacefulfamilies.org/), featuring pledges and messages from Muslims all over the world, denouncing domestic violence and joining hands in the fight to eradicate it from our ummah.
• Healthy Families Initiative (http://healthyfamiliesinitiative.blogspot.com/), a program of the Rhode Island Council for Muslim Advancement, is holding a second showing of the Peaceful Families Project & FaithTrust Institute DVD “Garments for One Another,” to raise awareness and educate the community on the Islamic perspective on Domestic Violence.
• Muslim Men Against Domestic Abuse (MMADA) is campaigning for Muslims to sign their Call to Action pledge, and is actively reaching out to masajid to dedicate one sermon in February to the topic of Domestic Violence.
• Dar al Islam, a New Mexico non-profit organization, will soon be launching Project Sakinah: Stop Family Violence Now, to stimulate awareness and action in the Muslim community. (http://www.projectsakinah.org/)
• Several schools, including the Girls’ Student Council at the College Preparatory School of America (http://www.cpsaonline.com/), a Muslim School in Lombard, IL, have also organized a domestic violence awareness event.
• Domestic Harmony Foundation (http://www.dhfny.org/) and Turning Point for Women and Families (http://www.turningpoint-ny.org/) are hosting a joint panel discussion event, to clear the misconceptions of Islam and treatment of women and condemn once again the heinous act of domestic violence against sister Aasiya.... See More... See More
• Muslim Men Against Domestic Violence (MMADV), an initiative of Baitul Salaam Network Inc, has organized a prayer vigil in Atlanta, followed by a presentation by Brother Shyam Sriram.
• Muslim Community Center (MCC, http://mccmd.org/sunday-lectures), in Maryland, will be holding a panel discussion on Domestic Violence with Dr. Imad A. Ahmad (Islamic-American Zakat Foundation), Razi Kosi (Counselors Helping (South) Asians / Indians Inc. “CHAI”), and Holly Gaydos (Domestic Violence Counselor of MCC Clinic). Salma ElKadi Abugideiri, Co-Director of Peaceful Families Project, will moderate the panel.
• Renowned Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid, founder of Sound Vision, as well as other Muslim scholars and leaders across North America, have expressed their intention to give a sermon addressing domestic violence during the month of February.
• Spokane Islamic center (http://www.spokaneislamiccenter.org/), in Washington State, is holding a Purple Hijab Day along with a speaker event on domestic violence.
• Peaceful Families Project (PFP) is spearheading a “Take A Stand Against Domestic Violence” Video Campaign (http://stand.peacefulfamilies.org/), featuring pledges and messages from Muslims all over the world, denouncing domestic violence and joining hands in the fight to eradicate it from our ummah.
• Healthy Families Initiative (http://healthyfamiliesinitiative.blogspot.com/), a program of the Rhode Island Council for Muslim Advancement, is holding a second showing of the Peaceful Families Project & FaithTrust Institute DVD “Garments for One Another,” to raise awareness and educate the community on the Islamic perspective on Domestic Violence.
• Muslim Men Against Domestic Abuse (MMADA) is campaigning for Muslims to sign their Call to Action pledge, and is actively reaching out to masajid to dedicate one sermon in February to the topic of Domestic Violence.
• Dar al Islam, a New Mexico non-profit organization, will soon be launching Project Sakinah: Stop Family Violence Now, to stimulate awareness and action in the Muslim community. (http://www.projectsakinah.org/)
• Several schools, including the Girls’ Student Council at the College Preparatory School of America (http://www.cpsaonline.com/), a Muslim School in Lombard, IL, have also organized a domestic violence awareness event.
RAHAMA Thanks the WNY Imam Council for their support!
The WNY Imam Council continues to stand against domestic violence in our communities as we work towards having our spiritual centers a place of safety and security for families in need. Some of their work in being prepared to support victims of domestic violence:
* Attending a tour to review support services provided by the Family Justice Center; a "one-stop shop" to address all the needs for victims of domestic violence
* Attend Imam Majid's presentation and 6 hour training for Imams on practical strategies in dealing with domestic violence
* Attend RAHAMA's upcoming presention on how to utilize our DV packets for Imams
* Attending a tour to review support services provided by the Family Justice Center; a "one-stop shop" to address all the needs for victims of domestic violence
* Attend Imam Majid's presentation and 6 hour training for Imams on practical strategies in dealing with domestic violence
* Attend RAHAMA's upcoming presention on how to utilize our DV packets for Imams
Imam and Chaplain DV Packet
Our spiritual leaders are often considered "first responders" to domestic violence cases. RAHAMA is putting together a packet for the WNY Imam Council to ensure they have access to the resources they need to help victims:
- Buffalo and Erie County contact information for shelters, mental health resources, medical and legal support, and other social service support for victims
- RAHAMA support information for victim accompaniment to court, spiritual and emotional support, and linking needs to resources
- A banner for Masajid and community centers that reads, "This is a Zero Tolerance for Violence Center"
- Support information from Imam Majid's presentation on practical strategies for Imam's: "Successful Families"
FJC Announces RAHAMA as a winner of The Buffalo News Founders Award
September 02, 2009
Resources and Help Against Marital Abuse or RAHAMA has been chosen as recipient of The Buffalo News Founders Award and Assistant United States Attorney Richard Maigret has been awarded the Family Justice Center’s (FJC) Susan Still Award. Both awards will be presented at the FJC’s art show and auction, A New stART, on Thursday, October 22, 2009 from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. at Asbury Hall at The Church, 341 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo.
The Buffalo News Founders Award is presented annually to an individual or organization in Erie County that has demonstrated innovation in the creation and delivery of services for victims of domestic violence or education/outreach programs for the general public.
RAHAMA spreads awareness about the problem of domestic violence and provides education on the rights of Muslim women to social service and law enforcement agencies that deal with domestic violence. The group was started in July 2006 as the result of a survey given to Muslim women at a Western New York community event. The survey unexpectedly uncovered their concerns about domestic violence. Currently, there are seven members of RAHAMA from various backgrounds in the Muslim community in Western New York, including founding members April Arman and Kathy Ahmed.
The women of RAHAMA also collaborate with local domestic violence agencies to insure culturally appropriate support for Muslim domestic abuse victims. In addition, RAHAMA members provide emotional and spiritual support to domestic violence victims through the resources of the Muslim Community
Resources and Help Against Marital Abuse or RAHAMA has been chosen as recipient of The Buffalo News Founders Award and Assistant United States Attorney Richard Maigret has been awarded the Family Justice Center’s (FJC) Susan Still Award. Both awards will be presented at the FJC’s art show and auction, A New stART, on Thursday, October 22, 2009 from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. at Asbury Hall at The Church, 341 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo.
The Buffalo News Founders Award is presented annually to an individual or organization in Erie County that has demonstrated innovation in the creation and delivery of services for victims of domestic violence or education/outreach programs for the general public.
RAHAMA spreads awareness about the problem of domestic violence and provides education on the rights of Muslim women to social service and law enforcement agencies that deal with domestic violence. The group was started in July 2006 as the result of a survey given to Muslim women at a Western New York community event. The survey unexpectedly uncovered their concerns about domestic violence. Currently, there are seven members of RAHAMA from various backgrounds in the Muslim community in Western New York, including founding members April Arman and Kathy Ahmed.
The women of RAHAMA also collaborate with local domestic violence agencies to insure culturally appropriate support for Muslim domestic abuse victims. In addition, RAHAMA members provide emotional and spiritual support to domestic violence victims through the resources of the Muslim Community
