Introduction by WORDE President Hedieh Mirahmadi
Panelist Dr. Homayra Ziad
Panelist Irfana Anwar
Panelist Shaykh Kabbani
Question and Answer Session
Domestic violence affects everyone. Nearly 75% of Americans know someone who has been a victim of domestic violence and every year millions of children witness some form of domestic abuse. On July 29, 2011 WORDE hosted Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani at the International Cultural Center to discuss Islamic values in family affairs and to launch, “A Fatwa against Domestic Violence,” co-authored with Dr. Homayra Ziad, PhD.
Excerpt from back cover of fatwa:
In fifteen centuries, Islam has never sanctioned any form of family violence. How then did this scourge become widespread in the Muslim community? As in other religions, Islamic law forbids such practices has been systematically decontextualized by patriarchal scholars whose dogma dismisses the socially inclusive, inalienable rights bestowed upon women by Islam.
To remain relevant to the human experience, legal rulings must adapt ot changing social norms while upholding the core Qur’anic values of mercy and justice. To eradicate family violence, it is time for Muslim scholars to stop blindly following literalist interpretations of Islamic texts and strive for novel interpretations that are based on classical methodologies. This is not thinking outside the box; rather, it is extending the boundaries of the box in which Muslims think. This fatwa is an effort to generate sustainable social change among Muslims and to help others better understand and address Islam’s prohibition of domestic violence.
Click here to read the fatwa “The Prohibition of Domestic Violence in Islam” in its entirety.
Moderator:
Dr. Hedieh Mirahmadi, JD | President, WORDE (World Organization for Resource Development and Education)
Panelists:
Dr. Homayra Ziad, PhD
Assistant Professor of Religion, Trinity College, Hartford CT.
“Historical and contemporary issues surrounding domestic violence in Muslim communities”
Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani
Chairman, Islamic Supreme Council of America (ISCA)
“Islamic values of mercy, compassion, and love in family affairs”
Irfana Anwar
Director, Community Legal Interpreter Bank at Ayuda
”Practical perspectives from the field”