The Role of Religion in Domestic Violence and Abuse in UK Muslim Communities

Abstract

Existing research on the role of faith in the aftermath of domestic violence and abuse (DVA) often fails to adequately situate the role played by religion throughout the DVA trajectory. This article draws on qualitative research conducted with 10 Muslim female survivors and 9 professionals providing support in DVA cases to investigate the nature, occurrence, and impact of DVA within Muslim religious communities. This article specifically explores the role of religion at four levels; individual psycho-social-spiritual level, the level of additional stakeholders, within the context of intersectionality, and at a macro-societal level. It is argued that religion and practice of faith plays a nuanced role at each of these levels. The research found that holistic approaches to faith resulted in faith manifesting as an empowering resource for DVA survivors. Reductionist and androcentric approaches to faith however resulted in the enabling and continuation of abuse and abusive structures. Findings indicate the need for service provision to provide tailored and culturally informed support to Muslim clients, particularly in relation to faith. The web model of DVA provides a structured framework through which this can be achieved.

“Gatekeeping Family Violence”: The Role of Religious and Community Leaders in the Afghan Migrant Community in South Australia

“…In view of these concerns, regarding police engagement, it is critical that engagement with the justice system factors in two considerations: first, that this engagement is not viewed as a last resort, (Chireshe 2015;Behnke et al 2012Behnke et al , p. 1267Perkins 2019;Richards 2023;Ibrahim 2022) and second, that police investigation following reports of family violence is culturally sensitive and competent. This accords with a similar need for faith and cultural factors to be considered in relation to engagement with family violence services (Chowdhury 2023;Vaughan et al 2015;Zannettino et al 2013). This can mitigate the risk of increasing violence as well as concerns about over-policing/overresponding, (Ibrahim 2022;Douglas 2019).…”

“…Since the Afghan community in South Australia is a new and emerging group, research focusing on their lives is still in its infancy (Ibrahim 2022). Studies on family violence against Muslim women living in Muslim and non-Muslim countries indicate that patriarchal interpretations of religious obligations, combined with a strong sense of privacy relating to family relationships, may disincentivise Muslim women from reporting abuse (Afrouz et al 2020, p. 557;Chowdhury 2023;Le Roux and Pertek 2023).…”