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Imagine not knowing anything about Muslims except through the often-negative reports in newspapers, television news reports, and radio talk shows.
With regards to Muslim women, the stories are even bleaker… showing that Muslims oppress women, that Muslim men arbitrarily marry more than one wife, and that they view women in such a demeaning way as to condone honor killings.
Sound a bit like the evening news? The reality in North America is that very little positive information is ever presented about Muslim women or the family structure in Islam.
A majority of news about Muslims in North America is newsworthy not because it informs the public about Islam or Muslims; rather, because it is sensational. Consequently, the public regularly gets an unhealthy dose of atypical stories of incidences such as domestic violence, child abuse and honor killings within the Muslim community.
What the media fails to mention is that among the six to eight million Muslims in the United States, these incidences are quite rare. Sure, as Muslims, we have our problems, but they are the exception and not, as the news media would have one believe, the rule.
Represented even less frequently by the media are the efforts of the Muslim community in North America to address the social service needs of our children, youth, and families.
Ironically, one of the most positive aspects of Islamic law is the degree of freedom, honor, and prestige bestowed upon Muslim women - regardless of race, nationality, or socioeconomic status. No other religion or ideology can parallel Islam's high regard for women.
On the point of Islamically prescribed clothing, it may be shocking to the average person who is unfamiliar with Islam, but it is a reality that Muslim women do not consider themselves oppressed because they are required to wear modest clothing and cover their hair. They rarely consider their dress a factor that limits personal growth. Indeed, given the vastly important role ascribed to women in Islam, it seems rather shallow for the media to limit their discussion of Muslim women to the kind of clothing that they wear.
A simple survey would reveal a surprisingly large number of Muslim women who are highly educated and involved in professional careers such as medicine, law, teaching, etc. Of course, much like within the larger American society, there are many Muslim women who, despite their education, have chosen to stay at home to devote more time to their children and families.
Furthermore, the Muslim community in North America owes its tremendous growth and vitality to the adaptive abilities and resilience of its women. This assertion holds true whether one is speaking of African American Muslim women, White Americans, or immigrants. We have relied heavily on Muslim women in all aspects of professional and community life.
It is worth stating that the Qur'an, in no way, condones or tolerates the abuse of one human being by another, and particularly not the abuse of women. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) stressed to his companions that the best among them in stature was the one who was the best in his dealings with and treatment of his family.
One might asks, if there is so much to be appreciated about Muslim women, what leads to incidences of domestic violence or other problems involving their maltreatment? How prevalent is the problem?
The Muslim community has recently begun making great strides towards recognizing and acknowledging problems regarding the treatment of women. Specialized, weekend-long conferences as well as workshops and sessions at general conferences are addressing domestic violence and other forms of abuse in which women are the victims.
To date, however, few thorough studies have been conducted to explore the status of Muslim women in North America and the domestic problems they face. This is primarily because documentation of cases of abuse poses several challenges, as it does in the larger society as well. Due to intense feelings of shame and guilt that her own behavior may have perpetrated the abuse, or concerns that reporting the abuse may endanger her or even her abuser, women rarely report cases of domestic violence.
Recent research in the area of abuse has shown that educating women and increasing their awareness of the availability of help to deal with abuse leads to greater reporting.
Subsequently, Muslim human service professionals are working to educate the community about abuse and its negative consequences on the mental and emotional health of victims. For example, the Islamic Social Services Association (ISSA of the U.S. and Canada), formed two years ago, has developed a network of professionals in areas with dense Muslim populations such as Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, Washington, DC, New York City, Toronto, and Winnipeg to name just a few. A lack of much needed resources is forcing their current efforts to focus on major cities; however, increased funding and support from government and foundation grants is being sought to expand their educational and awareness programs.
Overall, these are pioneer efforts to reduce the incidences of abuse and maltreatment of women - much more needs to be done. The abuse of women in any shape or form tears the social fabric that binds not only families, but also communities in general. While the media and policy makers are seeking confirmation that abuse is neither condoned nor tolerated in Islam, Muslims recognize abuse within all families, particularly Muslim families, as a matter of grave concern. The Muslim community must work diligently to expand its efforts to increase the awareness of Muslim women about abuse, and the resources that exist to address mental and emotional health concerns arising from it.
Editor's Note: Please submit feedback and ideas for more articles on this topic to society@islamonline.net.If you wish to discuss this issue with our counselors, please submit your concerns or questions to: www.islamonline.net/questionapplication/english/question.asp.
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