Women feel pressured to not bring shame to their family by revealing the abuse in their marriage and believe that it is their responsibility to maintain peace in the home.
Abused women often feel abandoned by family, friends and God.
Rather than offering protection and help to battered women, imams and community leaders often advise women to return to violent homes and be "better wives" by "trying harder to please their husband"... implying that they are somehow responsible for the abuse, that if they really were "good" they would not get abused. Nothing can be further from the truth.
For misinterpretations to stop we need to question our understanding of Islam. The answer is easy if we ask ourselves these very simple, basic questions about the philosophy of Islam:
- Does Islam allow/encourage 'zulm' (violence, cruelty or abuse)?
No - Does Islam give ANY human being the right to rule over another?
No - Does Islam hold each individual accountable for his/her actions?
Yes - Does Islam allow anyone to take away the God-given rights of another?
No - Does Islam hold women accountable for their deeds in the same way as it does men?
Yes - Does Islam allow women to leave/divorce an abusive husband?
Yes - Does Islam teach that women and children are the property of men?
No - Did the Prophet Muhammad (saaw) ever beat/push/yell at any of his wives?
No - What does Islam teach us about relationships? (husband/wife and parent/child)
To treat everyone with love, kindness, compassion.. be it a family member, slave or a captive prisoner. - Why did the Prophet (saaw) not abuse his wives... or anyone else?
Simple... Abuse in any form is NOT allowed in Islam.
© 1999 published on www.crescentlife.com
