Domestic Violence in Muslim Communities, a Myth or Reality?
By Faryal Khan
In a recent discussion at the Dogana Spring Event in Costa Mesa, organized by the alumni association of Dow Medical College, a critical issue was brought out in the open. The panel discussion, led by American Muslim &Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council (AMWEC) who have been in the forefront of issues that affect Pakistani, South Asian Muslim women for over a decade, this was a welcome invite. AMWEC has led the movement for a Muslim women’s civil rights movement since 2010.
“We have seen a rise in women coming out with their stories of domestic abuse since the #Metoo movement but that’s not to say that women have not been victims of this very prevalent issue before. They now have more courage to talk about it. We see abuse in many different forms including child abuse and elderly abuse along with abuse within households,” explained Faryal Khan, AMWEC Vice President.
The panelists from AMWEC were Rohida Khan (Department of Homeland Security), DrSabeenMunib, Sadiqa Rao, and Professor Jane Stoever from UCI.
The audience engaged in a very informative discussion on the topic of domestic abuse in the Muslim community. It was concluded that as Muslim women we need to educate our brothers and sisters of the resources available to them within America, so that they are able to seek the assistance needed when they find themselves in an abusive situation.
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