Muslim Men Beating Women: Help Re-Open Baitul Salaam
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By HijabMan
Our community, as with others, is swift to deny and deflect the ugly realities which occur within our population. One of the ugliest blemishes apparent in our community is that of domestic violence. Despite the increasing number of reports and
recent media attention, domestic violence continues to be overlooked in Muslim communities (progressives included). For the most part "domestic violence" refers to
men beating women.
I just thought I'd lay that out for you since people have a tendency to become desensitized after reading headlines like "woman is beaten" and "woman is assaulted." Eventually one begins to ask, "What invisible creatures are perpetrating this violence?"
Many Muslim responses to the issue of domestic violence fall between two categories.
Apologetics:
Well my local imam said you can only beat women lightly with a stick the size of a toothbrush…
And deflection:
How come no one wants to talk about the wife beating and domestic violence that happens in this country?
Actually, we
are speaking about this country. It's funny how we forget that at times.
Not surprisingly, we hear these types of responses from both men and women (and sometimes, even ourselves). Perhaps this lack of awareness accounts for the lack of financial support given to Muslim institutions outside of mosques. At the last
Islam in America Conference held at Harvard University,
Muqtedar Khan stated that Muslims raised about 200 million dollars for mosques and only 5 million for Muslim political organizations in 2000.
Let's see, that leaves women with a smelly basement for prayer and some halal marshmallows. All kidding aside, it is absolutely essential that we reconsider the purchase of things like gold chandeliers for our mosques. Our money would mean a lot more if we supported organizations like
Baitul Salaam.
Baitul Salaam is a support center for battered women and children located in Atlanta, Georgia. According to its
web site (it's a bit outdated…), the organization started with four women meeting and discussing the issues affecting women in their community, among other things.
The web site details their history: "… after three attempts to open the shelter, we completed that task on Monday, November 1, 1999. The Baitul Salaam Residence for Battered Women and Children went from a dream to becoming a reality. This residence has seen good days and not so good days, it has been a test, but the rewards continue to be great."
To date, they have assisted
441 women and children.
In addition to housing women and children, Baitul Salaam is also working on a help-line and the establishment of
Muslim Men Against Domestic Violence. They seek to grow nationally and establish support groups throughout the United States. They most definitely have the ambition to do so, as is evident from their history. All that is needed now, besides a community of conscience, is funds.
Unfortunately, their relative success in securing funds from private donors is minimal compared to what mosques and even Muslim political organizations receive. As a result of the lack of support from the Muslim community, and even threats and harassment from a group of Muslim men, Baitul Salaam has temporarily shut down their shelter program. However, they "...will continue all of the other facets of our work (i.e. advocacy, prevention, education, referrals, counseling, assisting with utilities, etc)."
Their
closing announcement cited the following reasons:
1. A serious breach of security (by a group of Muslims).
2. Lack of funding for new DV shelters in the city of Atlanta.
3. High operating cost in metro Atlanta.
4. General lack of support from the collective Islamic leadership (male and female) of metro Atlanta.
I recently spoke on the phone with Hadayai Majeed, one of the co-founders. She offered these words for your consideration:
"It's a shame that we appear to be so content with allowing other people to attempt to solve our social problems. It is a shame that something as simple as asking one's community once a month, once a quarter, or even once a year for support becomes such a major issue with our leadership. It is also a shame that many of our leaders are a part of the problem. It is also a shame that we as a community knowingly elect leaders that are a part of the problem. However,
we know Allah is
akbar [greater than]
, that this is all a test, and that as long as we keep Allah first, we and the community will succeed."
This is a call for Muslims to get their priorities straight. This is a call to educate our Muslim men and women.
This is a call to support
Baitul Salaam and other vital Muslim institutions.
To see the full text of their call for funds, click
here.
Send all donations to:
Reopen the Shelter Campaign
c/o Baitul Salaam Network, Inc.
PO Box 11041
Atlanta, GA 30310
Note: please email
haleem1@aol.com if you send a donation so that she can verify receipt of your donation.
More resources:
A list of other counseling services and shelters for abused and/or homeless Muslim women
A guide for imams dealing with abusive men
What Do Men Owe to Women? Islam and Gender Justice: Beyond Simplistic Apologia by Farid Esack
Newsweek article: 9/11's Hidden Toll: An Increase in Domestic Violence by
Sarah Childress
Domestic Violence and Shari'ah: A Comparative Study of Muslim Societies in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. by Lisa Hajjar
Muslim Men's Responsibility in Eliminating the Oppression of Women by
Uzma Mazhar
Domestic Violence in Muslim Families by Azza Basaruddin
HijabMan runs
this web site
