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Muslim Women, Domestic
Violence, and Psychotherapy

Muslim Women, Domestic Violence, and Psychotherapy reconciles newly emerging

Islamic practical theology with the findings and theories of contemporary
social sciences. It is an inquiry about the lived experience of the Islamic
tradition and its application in Islamic counselling and psychotherapy with
Muslim women subject to domestic violence. By incorporating a holistic
examination of the worldview, personhood, and understanding of social and
religious obligations of Muslim women in psychotherapy, this book shows
how practitioners can empower clients facing trauma and abuse to explore
feasible solutions and decrease worry, anxiety, and other negative emotions.

Nazila Isgandarova, PhD, DMin, RSW, RP, is an instructor at Emmanuel

College of Victoria University in the University of Toronto.
Muslim Women, Domestic
Violence, and Psychotherapy
Theological and Clinical Issues

Nazila Isgandarova
First published 2019
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2019 Nazila Isgandarova
The right of Nazila Isgandarova to be identified as author of this work
has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or
other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying
and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Isgandarova, Nazila, author.
Title: Muslim women, domestic violence, and psychotherapy: theological
and clinical issues/by Nazila Isgandarova.
Description: New York, NY : Routledge, 2019. | Includes bibliographical
references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018020033 (print) | LCCN 2018021096 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780429469701 (eBook) | ISBN 9781138590595 (hardback)
Subjects: LCSH: Muslim women—Family relationships. | Muslim
women—Counseling of. | Family violence—Religious aspects—
Islam. | Psychotherapy—Religious aspects—Islam.
Classification: LCC BP173.4 (ebook) | LCC BP173.4 .I84 2019 (print) |
DDC 305.48/697—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018020033
ISBN: 978-1-138-59059-5 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-429-46970-1 (ebk)

Typeset in Bembo
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
I dedicate this book to all women who suffered/suffer
domestic violence. I also celebrate, admire, and respect
advocates who refuse to simply watch the suffering of these
women but prefer to take action, fight against domestic
violence, and empower these women physically, mentally,
spiritually, and emotionally to have better lives for
themselves and their innocent children.
Contents

Abstract viii
Acknowledgements ix

Introduction 1

1 Defining Islamic Psychotherapy in the Context of the

Islamic Tradition 18

2 Domestic Violence Literature Review: Definitions/

Discussions of Key Concepts 51

3 Divine Testing and Suffering 72

4 Satanic Interference and Evil Eye 95

5 Spiritual Diseases 122

6 Honour and Shame 145

7 Future Recommendations 177

Conclusion 186

Bibliography 195
Index 217
Abstract

By using the case of domestic violence against Muslim women, this study
attempts to reconcile the newly emerging Islamic practical theology with
the findings and theories of contemporary social sciences and open a space
for the discussion on critical praxis. From this perspective, this study should
be treated as an Islamic practical theological inquiry about the lived experi-
ence of the Islamic tradition and its application in Islamic psychotherapy
with Muslim women who are subject to domestic violence. It is especially
concerned with the exploration of possible meanings and models of inter-
ventions in Islamic psychotherapy practice with women. I argue that in
Islamic psychotherapy, the Muslim psychotherapist should support the client
by engaging in a holistic examination of the worldview, personhood, and
understanding of social and religious obligations of Muslim women in order
to achieve optimal physical, mental, and spiritual health.
Acknowledgements

I want to acknowledge with gratitude the tremendous support I received

from Prof. Pamela Couture, Prof. Nevin El-Tahry Reda, Prof. Pam McCar-
roll, and Prof. Ingrid Mattson. I also feel a deep gratitude to Ms. Anna
Moore, the Project Manager Chris Mathews, and Dr. Kathy Edmisson for
ongoing support. Not only did they supply me with right tools, research
skills and knowledge to explore this timely and important theme, but they
guided me through my feelings and frustrations and provided constructive
challenges and positive reinforcement. The journey with them provided the
spark that made the readings and case studies exciting. Their willingness to
walk with me convinced me that it is worth it to contribute to the field of
Islamic psychotherapy. Special recognition also goes to Emmanuel College
and Forum for Theological Education who provided generous financial sup-
port that made this journey successful.
Introduction

Islamic psychotherapy (some may prefer to name it counselling) offers sig-

nificant potential for empowering Muslim women who experience domes-
tic violence to claim their voice and their power. By integrating theories
and interventions from Islamic studies and counselling and psychotherapy,
Islamic psychotherapy uses various psychological and theological/spiritual
techniques to treat the person in distress and improve his/her emotional,
mental, and spiritual well-being. Regardless how we call it, whether Islamic
psychotherpay or Islamic counselling, this unique faith-based clinical approach
to psychotherapy is a “contemporary response, in common with other thera-
peutic approaches,” but “based on an Islamic understanding of the nature
of human beings.”1 It has a potential to assist Muslim women by creating
awareness of the consequences of their problems; exploring feasible solutions;
and decreasing worry, anxiety, and other negative emotions associated with
domestic violence.
This study begins by addressing several important questions. First, what is
domestic violence? Second, what is distinctive about Islamic psychotherapy
with women who are victims of domestic violence? And finally, what theories
and methods does Islamic psychotherapy use and how do these approaches
empower or disempower Muslim women? These questions are addressed by
engaging in a careful analysis of heuristic stories of Muslim women who
experience domestic violence. Key themes from these case studies are dis-
cussed in dialogue with relevant literature from the fields of Islamic studies
and the social sciences and I recommend ways to respond to this crisis in the
Muslim community.

Definitions
Domestic violence against Muslim women takes various forms including
verbal, spiritual, physical, emotional, sexual, and/or economic abuse. It is also
clear from both Islamic feminist scholarship and domestic violence literature
that oppression is a contributing factor. We live in a world where women
continue to be exploited, marginalized, and rendered powerless. Women
provide unpaid labour in the form of housekeeping and childcare, they are
2 Introduction
persistently paid less than men for doing the same jobs, they occupy only a
fraction of the decision-making positions in governments, and there contin-
ues to be a dearth of information in history books about women’s achieve-
ments and contributions. If we take into consideration that Muslim women
often belong to communities with histories of oppression, then they are
even more vulnerable to violence due to an inequality of rights and power
imbalance in the home, the community, and the society. The oppression of
Muslim women afflicts the individual and the system in which she lives, con-
tributing to deterioration within the social system and pathology within the
individual. Oppression frequently leads to tragic outcomes such as domestic
violence. Salma Elkadi Abugideiri, a well-known Muslim scholar and an
active advocate and member of the Faith Trust Institute in the United States,
explains how oppression operates to normalize domestic violence against
Muslim women. A Somali war survivor told her: “My husband and I were
both tortured in the camp. If he pushes me or hits me occasionally, it is noth-
ing compared to what we have been through.”2
Domestic violence experienced in the Muslim context parallels other
forms of hostility in the society. Common contributing factors include the
power dynamics within the family, the abuse of power and trust, the desire to
control and dominate in intimate relationships, the use of intimidation, and
the element of isolation. Furthermore, the complexities of Muslim cultures
and religion create a unique environment in which violence against women
is often tolerated and even encouraged. Misunderstandings of the key sources
of Islam foster and sustain false beliefs about domestic violence in Muslim
communities. These misinterpretations establish unhealthy patterns of power
in Muslim families, dynamics that contradict foundational Islamic principles
such as trust, loyalty, and mutual cooperation. Abugideiri cautions that these
complex contributing factors be explored thoroughly before attempting to
provide care for Muslim women who are victims of domestic violence and
their families.3
The various definitions and descriptions of domestic violence usually
incorporate wide-ranging holistic dimensions of abuse. For example, the def-
inition of violence against women provided by the United Nations includes

any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in,
physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including
threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether
occurring in public or private life.4

From this broad statement, the definition becomes more detailed, outlining
specific contexts where physical, sexual, and psychological violence occur
and providing explicit examples:

1. Within the Family: including battering, sexual abuse of female children

in the household, dowry-related violence, marital rape, female genital
 Introduction 3
mutilation and other traditional practices harmful to women, non-spousal
violence, and violence related to exploitation.5
2. Within the Community: including rape; sexual abuse; sexual harassment
and intimidation at work, in educational institutions, and elsewhere; traf-
ficking of women and forced prostitution.
3. Within the State: including forced sterilization and forced abortion, coercive/
forced use of contraceptives, female infanticide, and prenatal sex selection.6

The Department of Justice of the United States defines domestic violence

“as a pattern of abusive behaviour in any relationship” including physical,
sexual, emotional, economic, or psychological actions or threats of actions
and is implemented for the purpose of gaining or maintaining power of
control.7 The Domestic Violence Protection Act of Ontario 2000,8 defines
domestic violence as:

1. An assault that consists of the intentional application of force that causes

the applicant to fear for his or her safety, but does not include any act
committed in self-defence.
2. An intentional or reckless act or omission that causes bodily harm or
damage to property.
3. An act or omission or threatened act or omission that causes the appli-
cant to fear for his or her safety.
4. Forced physical confinement, without lawful authority.
5. Sexual assault, sexual exploitation, or sexual molestation, or the threat of
sexual assault, sexual exploitation, or sexual molestation.
6. A series of acts which collectively causes the applicant to fear for his or
her safety, including following, contacting, communicating with, observ-
ing, or recording any person.

Simply put, the perpetrator uses “physical, sexual, emotional, and/or

economic abuse” and “coercion, terrorism, degradation, exploitation, and
violence” in order “to control and subordinate another in an intimate rela-
tionship.”9 By defining domestic violence in this way, I shift the focus from a
single incident to a pattern of coercive behaviours and tactics. In this regard,
Yasmin Jiwani employs a broad scope when examining the structural and
systemic forms of violence in Muslim women’s lives.10
In this study, domestic violence refers to a wide variety of aggressive and
problematic behaviours on multiple levels. I purposefully do not use the
term “battered women” that has been used extensively in the United States
and Europe since the 1970s because it usually associates domestic violence
with physical violence. I will also not use the term “spouse abuse” or “inti-
mate partner violence” because these terms do not explicitly refer to female
victims. I use the term “women who are victims of domestic violence” to
refer specifically to the full range of abuses that male partners inflict against
their female partners.
4 Introduction
Rationale of the Study
As a relatively new profession, Islamic psychotherapy belongs to what might
be called emerging Islamic practical theology within Islamic studies. Bon-
nie Miller-McLemore has described practical theology as “a general way of
doing theology concerned with the embodiment of religious belief in the
day-to-day lives of individuals and communities.”11 It is concerned with
the practice of faith and tradition in daily life, how daily life practices gain
an “epistemic weight” in the production of new knowledge, and where
and how doctrine, tradition, philosophy, and the “living human document”
become connected.
Nevertheless, a gap between theology and practice in Islamic studies is
especially felt with the emergence of Islamic psychotherapy as a new field.
For example, how do we capture a moment in Islamic psychotherapy with
Muslim women to create a theological discourse and engage Islamic theol-
ogy, psychology, spirituality, jurisprudence, and history? What approaches,
practices, and rhetoric are used in Islamic psychotherapy that help us identify
and understand a concern? How do we correlate Islamic studies and the
social sciences to interpret human experiences and needs?
Recently, the practical theological wisdom within the Islamic tradition
is gaining more importance12 because theories and practices derived from
the theological and social sciences produce positive contributions. In Islamic
psychotherapy, we need straightforward and explicit approaches to help
Muslim women who are subject to domestic violence express their under-
standing of the divine, express their fears and hopes, express their identity
and self-understanding, and find solutions to their problems that leave them
defenceless and unprotected. This requires not only responses from the social
sciences but an active theological conversation. This thrust in Islamic psy-
chotherapy can be informed by and inform a similar discussion in Christian
practical theology in which religious-hermeneutics is widely used.
This must be the reason that at the start of 2000,13 research and profes-
sional practice studies began to describe the role of Islamic psychotherapy in
addressing domestic violence against Muslim women. A survey of this body
of research reveals the necessity for best practices for addressing the complex
issues of Muslim women who are victims of domestic violence. In con-
trast to Islamic psychotherapy literature, Christian textbooks often include a
feminist critique, analyzing and challenging unequal power dynamics within
families that are destructive to all and attempting to give a voice and power
to women in the counselling process.14 Through this study, I hope to expose
systemic misogynist practices that prevent Muslim women from reaching
out for support. As well, I will present a variety of effective counselling
interventions in Islamic psychotherapy that will ultimately empower Muslim
women who have been victimized by domestic violence.
I intend to facilitate a forthright dialogue between the basic beliefs, doc-
trines, psychotherapeutic theories, and practices and the difficult questions
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