KARAMAH Speaks about Women’s Rights at the University of Montana

This month Executive Director Aisha Rahman launched KARAMAH’s latest initiative to combat domestic violence, focusing on Muslim communities. Ms. Rahman was invited to the Mansfield Center at the University of Montana to partake on a legal panel at a conference entitled “Holding Up Half the Sky: Women’s Leadership and Development.” Ms. Rahman addressed the issues of access to justice for Muslim women and other women of minority and immigrant communities. Her talk elucidated the fact that domestic violence has no cultural or religious face, but that it affects all communities in more ways than one. Moreover, especially for many Muslim immigrant women, domestic violence affects not only their physical well being, but it also affects their immigration status, financial status, and the custody of their children. This problem has many layers, and KARAMAH intends to address each in an attempt to eradicate domestic violence.

Over the next two years, KARAMAH will devote extensive time and resources to training lawyers, advocates, and court personnel who deal with domestic violence cases on a day to day basis. Ms. Rahman, a seasoned attorney specializing in domestic violence, will utilize a grant from the Department of Justice to conducting trainings in four cities across the U.S. in cooperation with the Peaceful Families Project. Ms. Rahman will also hold trainings and lectures in the DMV area and online. Please visit KARAMAH’s website for details and refer to KARAMAH’s “Articles” tab to read scholarship on domestic violence from an Islamic, jurisprudential perspective.

Also while at the University of Montana, Ms. Rahman participated in other campus events to talk about her story as an American Muslim woman, and also addressed the University of Montana Muslim Students Association, which held a panel “Tales to Tell: The Lives of Muslim Women.” During that time, Ms. Rahman shared her own experiences with bright, young men and women and listened to their own journeys with Islam. KARAMAH is excited to be engaging young Muslims and continuing to cultivate future generations of leaders.