Ms. Rahman at MNADV Workshop: “Is There a Nexus Between Religion and DV?”

On March 1, 2016, KARAMAH Executive Director Aisha Rahman spoke at the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence (MNADV)’s Culturally-Specific Service Provider Round Table entitled “Voices of Multiple Faiths, Forced Marriage, and Domestic Violence.”

The event brought together representatives of many different faith-based organizations working to end domestic violence in their communities. Ms. Rahman’s portion of the event was entitled “Addressing Domestic Violence in the Muslim American Community.” She shared insight into cultural and contextual details to better provide support for Muslim communities struggling with domestic violence.

Too often when discussing the issue of DV in faith based communities, people are defensive or reactionary. KARAMAH, instead, addresses the issue of DV in Muslim communities by first laying the foundation of justice and relationships in Islam and explaining the overall Islamic worldview of justice, mercy and love. Once this foundation is understood, there is no room for a conversation about Islam justifying or condoning abuse of any kind, certainly not DV. Ms. Rahman continued to discuss how Islam is used as a tool of abuse whether it be physical, psychological, financial or spiritual.

In the Q&A portion of the program, many attendants asked Ms. Rahman about issues they have run into with Muslim clients, such as bullying, the issue of involving elders in marital decisions, and issues of inheritance for women. Ms. Rahman answered each question, and stressed the importance of understanding the difference between scriptural Islamic law and a cultural attitude toward women emanating from patriarchal mentalities which are often misconstrued as religion.

At the end of the event, the group agreed that Ms. Rahman’s presentation was very impactful.

Misinterpretation of religious texts resonated with attendees of diverse faiths who expressed coming to terms with this issue in their respective faiths. Religious scripture across religions has been misused to justify horrible crimes against women. Certainly, no religious groups are immune from others vilifying their faith.
KARAMAH offers these training workshops in order to increase the cultural sensitivity of service providers, attorneys and advocates and to provide them with a basic knowledge of Islamic family law so as to provide more comprehensive services to marginalized survivors of domestic violence, particularly Muslim survivors.