Domestic Violence In The Canadian Muslim Community: Abusers’ Religiosity And The Role Of The Local Imams

Abstract

Domestic or intimate partner violence (IPV) has severe psychological, physical, economic and social consequences that permanently injure the victims and their children. Although former research among the Judeo-Christian religions had shown protective effects of religiosity in reducing IPV perpetration, there is little mention of Islam. To address this gap in literature, the study took an in-depth look into the Canadian Muslim community through partner-reported surveys and interviews and explored the relationship between Islamic religiosity and IPV perpetration, the key predictors of IPV, and the potential role of faith-leaders. Islam’s stance on domestic violence was also discussed and an Islamic religiosity scale was constructed. Through analyzing real-life testimonials of 170 Canadian Muslim ever-married women and eight Canadian Imams/scholars, the study found an inverse relationship between Islamic religiosity and the perpetration of IPV. Higher Islamic religiosity was also associated with better self-control, more mental stability, less depression, greater sense of gender equality, and better religious understanding of Islam’s view on domestic violence. Interestingly, justification of ‘wife beating’ using Islam was not a factor of higher religiosity, rather it came hand-in-hand with a patriarchal upbringing, intergenerational violence, and low-socio-economic status. While observance of daily prayers (As-Salat), reflecting on the Quran, and turning to religion to cope with negativity reduced the likelihood of IPV perpetration, communal Muslims (who only attended the prayers during Jummah, Eid and/or Ramadan) had the highest rates of physically abusing their wives and using Islam to validate their abuse. In this study, one in three women reported physical abuse and over half of them reported other forms of abuse. Parent-to parent violence, childhood abuse, mental illness or depression, and impulsivity were found to be among the key predictors of IPV in this community. While the study findings signify the crucial role of Imams as advocates and counselors for both victims and perpetrators, many were oblivious to their influence. The study draws the Muslim community’s attention to the importance of Jummah sermons and the training of religious leaders on victim counseling, along with campaigns and workshops that deal with mental health, anger management, marriage, parenting and the recognition of abuse. In addition to signifying the protective effect of Islam against domestic violence, findings of the study may serve as an educational tool for addressing the key IPV risk-factors in the Canadian Muslim community on platforms and avenues that are influential and effective. Key words: Islam; religiosity; intimate partner violence; mental health