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Dear Friend,
A few weeks ago, the U.N. adopted the Sustainable Development Goals seeking to address global development challenges notably gender inequality and violence against women. Educating women on their rights, raising awareness on the status of women globally and addressing issues of violence against women are part of our work at the UN Commission on the Status of Women and have been central to KARAMAH's programming throughout the past 2 decades. We have been educating women and men all over the world about gender equity and family law from a civil and Islamic perspective.
This October, we continued our DV awareness series "Love Like the Prophet: Ending Domestic Violence in our Communities." We have been offering this series every October for the past 3 years to raise community awareness about domestic violence in our communities and to highlight the Qur'anic model of love and mercy best exemplified by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
However, for us, advocating against the destructive effects of violence against women is not restricted only to the month of October. KARAMAH provides direct legal services to
domestic violence survivors all year long and has made resources available for you to learn and raise awareness about this grave issue. Read our
articles on domestic violence and watch our "Love Like the Prophet" series
here.
Executive Director, KARAMAH
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Love like the Prophet: Ending DV in our Communities 2015
This October 2015, KARAMAH conducted its third annual "Love Like the Prophet: Ending Domestic Violence in the Muslim Community" event series. This annual series of community events is aimed at addressing domestic violence in the Muslim community. Because most of KARAMAH's calls on this issue come from local mosques, KARAMAH brought the series to three different Muslim communities in Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia in collaboration with Make Space, Masjid Muhammad (The Nation's Mosque) and The Islamic Society of Baltimore. Each event promoted discussion within our communities about this issue and shed light on resources available to survivors. Most importantly, however, each event provided a much needed reminder to our communities about the Qur'anic model of love and relationships as exemplified by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
To see pictures of the "Love Like the Prophet" 2015 series,
click here.
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KARAMAH at the Fletcher Conference on Religion, Law & Diplomacy
On October 31st, 2015, KARAMAH participated at the Fletcher School at Tufts University conference on "Religion, Law & Diplomacy." The conference brought together academics, practitioners, and religious leaders to demonstrate the role that religion plays across a myriad of issues spanning conflict to civic engagement to identity.
KARAMAH executive director, Aisha Rahman, spoke at the conference on the panel of "Rights and the State."
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KARAMAH Submits Priorities to the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division
Today November 5th, 2015, KARAMAH will be attending the federal inter-agency meeting with the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division to discuss civil rights and civil liberties concerns affecting the Muslim community.
KARAMAH was invited to submit its priorities to the Department of Justice and has identified the following civil rights issues particularly affecting the Muslim community:
1- Prejudice in educational institutions;
2- Continued violations of religious freedom.
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Blog Post: "Ending Domestic Violence in the Muslim Community" by Aisha Rahman
"I want to tell you about the case that changed my life. Five years ago I started my legal career at a legal services organization in my small, southern hometown. To say that I had led a sheltered and privileged life would be a gross understatement. I am chagrined to admit that had I not gotten a job representing DV survivors, I would not be aware of the horrors, battles and barriers that 1 of 4
[1] women deal with."
* This piece was originally published on YWCA blog as part of its Week Without Violence annual campaign.
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Islam, Culture and Sexism: What needs to change?
On October 13th, 2015, the U.S. Institute of Peace hosted a documentary screening of the PBS documentary "Gender Equality in Islam" followed by a panel discussion titled "Islam, Culture and Sexism: What Needs to Change?" The panel featured:
Aisha Rahman,
Lynn Kunkle
,
Manal Omar and
Susan Hayward and was moderated by
Bonnie Erbe
. The panelists agreed that listening to women, lifting up their stories and giving them a platform to speak in their own voices shall empower them; and KARAMAH's Law and Leadership Summer program (LLSP) offers Muslim women such a platform.
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Celebrating Nurangez Abdulhamidova's new Position as Gender Focal Point (GFP)
So many congrats to our Law and Leadership 2015 alumna, Nurangez Abdulhamidova, for being selected as a Gender Focal Point (GFP) at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Office in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
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Meet KARAMAH's Fall Intern Wejdan Alharbi
"My name is Wejdan Alharbi I am a graduate student from Saudi Arabia with a Bachelor's degree in Law and Political Science from King Saud University in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. After earning my first degree in 2012, I had a strong desire to continue my studies. Therefore, I applied to the scholarship program of late King Abdullah in the same year. My application was accepted and I moved to the United States of America within few months of my graduation."
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NOV. 6: Domestic Violence Through the Lens
of Marginalized Communities
Join KARAMAH on November 6th, 2015, for a day-long training presented in Collaboration with the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence.
Participants
will receive tips and skills to improve your ability to serve a diverse population of survivors, including
development of services that encourage and support individual survivor's particular, personal culture.
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NOV. 10: ABA's International Family Mediator Training
On November 10th, 2015, KARAMAH will join international mediator experts and premiere speakers from international organizations and the government, academia, and private practice to speak about family mediation procedures and cultural issues surrounding it in the Muslim community.
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DEC.3: The State of Religious Freedom
Where:
The General Board of Church and Society
100 Maryland Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002
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When
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Dec. 3rd from 2:00 - 4:00 PM
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Speakers:
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KARAMAH executive director
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Engy Abdelkader, Esq.
Religious freedom advisor to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe |
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| American Muslims: Facts vs. Fiction |
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KARAMAH: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights is a nonprofit organization committed to promoting human rights globally, especially gender equity, religious freedom and civil rights in the United States. It pursues its mission through education, legal outreach and advocacy.
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