Nour Domestic Violence Awareness Week | Abdullah Hasan

Nour is a charitable organization that aims to raise awareness and engage the public, especially minority Muslim communities, in taking action against the silent yet prevalent social injustice of domestic violence (DV). We believe it is important to be proactive rather than reactive. At Nour we have a strong Islāmic ethos and seek to condemn DV using Islāmic literature from both the Qur ān and the prophetic teachings. This is important in communities where there is a widespread misconception that Islām advocates (or even allows) domestic violence.

 We are currently able to offer access to Islāmic, professional, and legal advisors. From an Islāmic standpoint, we provide support and advice from our Islāmic advisors (male and female) who adhere to a range of varying Islāmic schools of thought. We also have a dedicated team of professional and legal advisors who are able to offer psychological support and appropriate counselling to victims of domestic violence.

Nour addresses the prevalent, yet largely unaddressed issue of DV in the Muslim community. 1 in 4 women suffer from DV during their lifetime in the U.K., however this statistic may not reflect minority communities, more specifically the Muslim community (in which the number may be higher). There is a general reluctance to address this issue within the community, and more startlingly there exists the misconception that DV is advocated in Islām.

Our services are accessible for all. We neither condone nor participate in discrimination against DV victims based on religion, gender, socioeconomic status, etc. Because every victim’s situation is unique we will provide a one-on-one liaison with any of our professionals to ensure the needs of DV victims are met.

The work undertaken at Nour is also focused on providing the much needed education and awareness about DV and its rampancy in the Muslim community, as well as in mainstream society, through hosting informative public seminars and lectures. Our philanthropic motivation is rooted within the teachings of Islām; what makes Nour fundamentally unique is the application of Islāmic literature from both the Qur ān and the Prophetic teachings as a platform to provide the distinct framework of Islām, to both refute and condemn DV. Thus, part of the work, which will be undertaken at Nour, will involve re-educating those who believe DV is condoned and/or advocated by Islām, especially within the Muslim community.

Ṣabr (patience) does not equate to the endurance of suffering in silence.

One of the ways in which Nour seeks to educate the Muslim community about this disease is the annual Nour DV week. By the grace of Allāh, with the launch, we will be organising events and seminars to highlight the dangers and cures of domestic violence in our communities.

The aim of Domestic Violence Awareness Week is to utilise this week to reach out to as many people as possible, using many different platforms. Although this issue remains a taboo within the Muslim community, we are steadfast in our efforts to address this problem and tackle it head on. We believe prevention is better than cure, thus have faith that propagating awareness and education on this issue will assist us in working towards abolishing domestic violence from our community.

Nour has organised a whole range of events, where there is literally something for everyone.  The various events, which have been arranged, will allow us to highlight how prevalent the issue is, as well as giving us the opportunity to educate the community through knowledgeable teachers and professionals.

The events which have been arranged are:

Monday 12th March 2012: Survivor Stories (Documentary):

This short documentary, created by Nour, will give an insight on the detrimental effects of domestic violence on the lives of victims. Real life experiences will be documented from three of our clients to enlighten the public about the damages caused by domestic violence.  The support and bravery of our clients will inshā’Allāh appeal to many hearts, to step up and aid the victims of DV, who still suffer in silence.

Tuesday 13th March 2012 – Nour Hits the Streets:

Nour will be hitting the streets of Tower Hamlets (London, UK) with two aims:

•  Awareness: A fundamental feature to bring DV to an end –  we will be highlighting its occurrence in the Muslim community as well as extensively stressing the dire need to unite to tackle this issue.
• We will be filming the public, interviewing them and attaining their perspective on DV; giving us the platform to educate and inform them of any misconceptions. It would also allow us to document the perspectives held today

Wednesday 14th March 2012 – Nour in the Media:

Nour will be appearing as a guest on the Nihal Show (BBC Asian Network), to discuss the prevalent, yet silent issue of domestic violence in the Muslim community. This is another platform allowing us to tackle some specific misconceptions that are associated with this subject, giving the public a chance to call in and get involved.

Thursday 15th March 2012 – Ṣabr is Not Suffering in Silence (Webinar):

Sister Yasmin Mogahed (from the United States) will deliver a powerful, awakening, and influential seminar regarding the misunderstanding of ṣabr and the misconception that ṣabr equates to suffering in silence.  Join sister Yasmin on this talk, in which she will shed light on this painful reality.

Friday 15th March 2012 – Domestic Violence Khuṭbah:

Across London and beyond inshā’Allāh, we would like to get more masājid (mosques) involved this year in our khuṭbah event. This is so the khuṭbah can be delivered in as many masājid (mosques) as possible, ensuring that no matter where we go, we will all be given a wake-up call about this corrupted behaviour.  Our Imām’s of the community will be delivering speeches on this heinous crime, which will inshā’Allāh get victims to speak out regarding their suffering, and will get those who are causing difficulties to take heed and follow the Sunnah.

Saturday 17th March 2012 – Solace in Your Spouse:

Nour will be hosting an event which will focus on the following topics:

•  Pure women for pure men: Rights of spouse [Sheikh Suliman Ghani]
•  Pearls of Parents: Rights of children [Sheikh Abdullah Hasan]
• Sacred Union: A Guide to Islāmic intimacy [Sheikh Hasan Ali]

 This event will inshā’Allāh educate many brothers and sisters – young and old, married and single – on the perfect marriage life.  It will highlight issues which occur in marriage and ways to solve them, using the prophet ṣallallāhu‘alayhi wa sallam’s life as our guide of perfection.

Sunday 18th March 2012 – The Blank Slate Exhibition & Auction:

We will be utilising art as a means of exploring the perceptions of DV, which people from all walks of life hold. These perceptions are expressed via their art work.  Ajmal Masroor will be one of the many guests there, who will give a talk as well as auction an impeccable work handed in to us.

Please join us during this Nour DV week 2012 to the road to eradicating domestic violence in our communities. If you are not able to attend these events, please support us by donating, or publicise DV week amongst your contacts and make du‘ā’ that Allāh makes these events more successful than last year and He helps us to use our voices for those who are suffering in silence.

For information about Nour and how you can get involved, please visit, http://nour-dv.org.uk/