Wajahat Ali on the Murder of Aasiya Hassan

A very good article, with references to actual Muslim Americans and relatives of Mrs. Hassan. Unlike Phyllis Chesler, Wajahat actually decided to speak with relatives and actual Muslims about their views on the murder and its place within the Muslim American-domestic abuse dynamic.


Domestic Violence in the Muslim Community
By Wajahat Ali

The tragic beheading of Aasiya Hassan, a Muslim Pakistani American mother of four, will finally force a community to confront and remedy the overwhelming - but frequently ignored and intentionally hidden - demon of domestic violence that has persecuted its silenced women for far too long.

The entire world reacted with shock and outrage as Muzzammil Hassan, a Pakistani-American businessman and co-founder of Bridges TV, was arrested for the gruesome murder of his estranged wife. Mrs. Hassan, an architect and MBA student, had recently filed for divorce and received a restraining order against Muzzammil as of February 6, 2009.

Contrary to some spurious reporting, this was not an "honor killing", a barbaric practice that has its own unique motivations and historical culture, rather it personifies the all too common phenomenon of domestic abuse. Asma Firfirey, the sister of the deceased, stated her sister suffered last year from injuries that required nearly $3,000 of medical bills – allegedly the result of spousal abuse.

According to Zerqa Abid, the first cousin to Mr. Hassan's first wife, "Both of his earlier wives filed divorce on the same grounds of severe domestic violence and abuses…it took [my cousin] several years to get rid of the fear of living with a man in marriage."

Despite his shameful history, Mr. Hassan mind-bogglingly remained a prominent and often-adulated figure in Muslim American circles for his contributions to the media. His example, amongst several others, highlights the egregious failure of foresight and insight of American Muslim leadership to carefully vet, screen and ultimately renounce appointed representatives with reprehensible backgrounds.

This horrific tale serves as an exaggerated and grotesque microcosm of a pervasive epidemic of violence against women that has been intentionally ignored by all communities – not just Muslim and Pakistani. For example, in the United States, domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 and 44.

Sadly, despite the universality of the problem, the antiquated tropes of "the savage Muslim" have emerged to crudely tar all Muslims and South Asians with the same brush. I received a colorful comment on my blog to that effect: “Islam and Muslim are both clear fuc [sic] ups. All Muslims need to be pushed to their Allahlands. They have no business being in the non Muslim countries…Muslim is unable to live in non Muslim cultures for which he has no respect.”

Although simplistic knee jerk reactions like this would certainly make xenophobes proud, they ignore the millions of Muslim, Pakistani and immigrant couples who share the same joys and burdens of marriage like any other, yet never resort to violence, abuse or murder.

Many assume the root cause of such atrocious behavior towards women exists within Islam itself and legitimized by Quran and sanctioned by the Prophet Muhammad. However, Dr. Muhammad Rajabally, Chairman of The North American Islamic Shelter for Abused (NISA), established in 2002 as a vehicle towards alleviating issues related to abuse and domestic violence, strongly disagrees: “There is no room for domestic violence in Islam. More over the Prophet, peace be upon him, said ‘the best among you is he who is best with his wife.’”

Imam Tahir Anwar, an Imam at South Bay Islamic Association located in San Jose, California, concurs and says instead the problem lies in a “culture” of misogyny that induces fear and shame: “Culturally, women are taught to 'not speak out' even if they are beaten. They have to 'save' the family and honor.”

Rima Chaudry, a domestic violence victims advocate and counselor based in San Francisco, CA, says survivors of abuse often “face a community that is ignorant about domestic violence and unsupportive.”

However, there is still hope. It seems the absolute brutality of Aasiya’s murder has served as a clarion call to many American Muslims who have passionately responded to the tragedy with a resounding desire to confront this festering calamity.

Imam Mohamed Hagmagid Ali, Vice-President of The Islamic Society of North America - one of the largest and most influential Muslim organizations in the U.S. –wrote a public response to the murder in which he exhorts: “Our community needs to take a strong stand against abusive spouses…This is a wake up call to all of us, that violence against women is real and can not be ignored. It must be addressed collectively by every member of our community.”

Rima Chaudry offers “Mosques are the gathering place for the Muslim community” and Muslims must use them “to bring people together and educate them on the dynamics of domestic violence, and emphasize the need to break the silence around it.”

A nationwide, unified effort entitled “Imams Speak Out: Domestic Violence Will Not Be Tolerated in Our Communities” has commenced to ask all imams and religious leaders to finally discuss this recent tragedy, as well as domestic violence, in their weekly sermon on this upcoming Muslim holy day of Juma’a [Friday prayer services.]

Those given a platform on Friday to address American Muslims must do so with a passionate resolve and righteous anger that speaks up for the countless mothers, daughters and wives suffering silently and very visibly from domestic abuse and violence.

It is ironic and bittersweet that the heinous murder and tragic death of Aasiya Hassan forces the American Muslim community to build a bridge of “understanding” that leads to a new, hopeful beginning where the silenced voices of abused and battered women will finally find conciliation - and a receptive audience.

Wajahat Ali is a Muslim American of Pakistani descent. He is a playwright, essayist, humorist and Attorney at Law, whose work, “The Domestic Crusaders” is the first major play about Muslim Americans living in a post 9-11 America. His blog is at http://goatmilk.wordpress.com/

Honor Killing or Just Another Case of Domestic Violence?

He was not known to be religious, at all. He had a history of abuse against his previous wives. So how did the recent murder of Aasiya Hassan by her husband, Muzzamil Hassan, turn into a case of honor killing? Oh, I don't know, by the same right wing pundits who get off on smearing Muslims and Islam every chance they get. See below.


Murder while Muslim
By Lynn Harris

The New York Daily News and Fox reported yesterday the speculation that the recent beheading of a Buffalo-area woman by her husband -- both of them Muslim -- was an "honor killing."

"While Muslim leaders have urged against applying cultural stereotypes to the crime, advocates for women linked the killing to attitudes in Muslim societies," said the News. "'This was apparently a terroristic version of honor killing, a murder rooted in cultural notions about women's subordination to men,' said Marcia Pappas, New York State president of the National Organization for Women."

Phyllis Chesler, interviewed by Fox and writing at greater length here, argues, for one thing, that the "extremely gruesome nature" of the crime fits the "honor killing" profile. "Leaving the body parts displayed the way he did, like a terrorist would do, that's very peculiar, it's very public," Chesler said. "He wanted to show that even though his business venture may have been failing, that he was in control of his wife."

Not so fast, says an article in the New York Times -- which, like the other pieces, noted that the couple, Aasiya and Muzzammil Hassan, had founded a satellite channel dedicated to countering negative images of Islam. And that they apparently had a history of domestic violence.

"The gruesome death of Ms. Hassan prompted outrage from Muslim leaders after suggestions that it had been some kind of 'honor killing' based on religious or cultural beliefs," reported the Times. "Dr. Sawsan Tabbaa, a Muslim community leader who teaches orthodontia at the State University at Buffalo, said, 'This is not an honor killing, no way ... It has nothing to do with [her husband's] faith." His wife was "more of a practicing Muslim" than her husband, according to Dr. Tabbaa's son. "She really believed in the cause, wanting to present her faith in an accurate light and now people are blaming her very faith for her death."

Just to be clear: "Honor killings" are about culture, not religion. (And yes, they do happen in the U.S.) Pappas and Chesler are right to put Aasiya Hassan's murder -- like so many other domestic killings -- in a cultural context. Just not this one. Murder "rooted in cultural notions about women's subordination to men" -- and stemming from the desire to "control" one's wife: how, exactly, is that different from "regular" domestic violence? Yes, there are crimes and "hate crimes," violence and "domestic violence," killings and "honor killings"; we can argue about the usefulness of this kind of taxonomy in the first place. But here, it's hard to argue that Mr. Hassan was not, at first and by some, found guilty of killing while Muslim.

Imam Majid Discusses Domestic Violence In Light of the Murder of Aasiya Hassan

I highlighted the parts below I thought most important. Imam Masjid, for those who don't know, is a pretty well known Imam who works extensively on marriage in the Muslim community, in all of its many aspects. God have mercy upon this woman, forgive her for her sins, and provide justice to her family here in this world, and to her in the hereafter. Ameen.

The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) is saddened and shocked by the news of the loss of one of our respected sisters, Aasiya Hassan whose life was taken violently. To God we belong and to Him we return (Qur’an 2:156). We pray that she find peace in God’s infinite Mercy, and our prayers and sympathies are with sister Aasiya’s family. Our prayers are also with the Muslim community of Buffalo who have been devastated by the loss of their beloved sister and the shocking nature of this incident.

This is a wake up call to all of us, that violence against women is real and can not be ignored. It must be addressed collectively by every member of our community. Several times each day in America, a woman is abused or assaulted. Domestic violence is a behavior that knows no boundaries of religion, race, ethnicity, or social status. Domestic violence occurs in every community. The Muslim community is not exempt from this issue. We, the Muslim community, need to take a strong stand against domestic violence. Unfortunately, some of us ignore such problems in our community, wanting to think that it does not occur among Muslims or we downgrade its seriousness.

I call upon my fellow imams and community leaders to never second-guess a woman who comes to us indicating that she feels her life to be in danger. We should provide support and help to protect the victims of domestic violence by providing for them a safe place and inform them of their rights as well as refer them to social service providers in our areas.

Marriage is a relationship that should be based on love, mutual respect and kindness. No one who experiences a marriage that is built on these principles would pretend that their life is in danger. We must respond to all complaints or reports of abuse as genuine and we must take appropriate and immediate action to ensure the victim’s safety, as well as the safety of any children that may be involved.

Women who seek divorce from their spouses because of physical abuse should get full support from the community and should not be viewed as someone who has brought shame to herself or her family. The shame is on the person who committed the act of violence or abuse. Our community needs to take a strong stand against abusive spouses. We should not make it easy for people who are known to abuse to remarry if they have already victimized someone. We should support people who work against domestic violence in our community, whether they are educators, social service providers, community leaders, or other professionals.

Our community needs to take strong stand against abusive spouses and we should not make it easy for them to remarry if they chose a path of abusive behavior. We should support people who work against domestic violence in our community, whether they are educators or social service providers. As Allah says in the Qur’an: “O ye who believe! Stand firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for Allah can best protect both. Follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you swerve, and if you distort (justice) or decline to do justice, verily Allah is well-acquainted with all that you do” (4:136).

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) never hit a women or child in his life. The purpose of marriage is to bring peace and tranquility between two people, not fear, intimidation, belittling, controlling, or demonizing. Allah the All-Mighty says in the Qur’an: “Among His signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquility with them and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts): verily in that are signs for those who reflect” (30:21),

We must make it a priority to teach our young men in the community what it means to be a good husband and what the role the husband has as a protector of his family. The husband is not one who terrorizes or does harm and jeopardizes the safety of his family. At the same time, we must teach our young women not to accept abuse in any way, and to come forward if abuse occurs in the marriage. They must feel that they are able to inform those who are in authority and feel comfortable confiding in the imams and social workers of our communities.

Community and family members should support a woman in her decision to leave a home where her life is threatened and provide shelter and safety for her. No imam, mosque leader or social worker should suggest that she return to such a relationship and to be patient if she feels the relationship is abusive. Rather they should help and empower her to stand up for her rights and to be able to make the decision of protecting herself against her abuser without feeling she has done something wrong, regardless of the status of the abuser in the community.

A man’s position in the community should not affect the imam’s decision to help a woman in need. Many disasters that take place in our community could have been prevented if those being abused were heard. Domestic violence is not a private matter. Any one who abuses their spouse should know that their business becomes the business of the community and it is our responsibility to do something about it. She needs to tell someone and seek advice and protection.

Community leaders should also be aware that those who isolate their spouses are more likely to also be physically abusive, as isolation is in its own way a form of abuse. Some of the abusers use the abuse itself to silence the women, by telling her “If you tell people I abused you, think how people will see you, a well-known person being abused. You should keep it private.”

Therefore, to our sisters, we say: your honor is to live a dignified life, not to put on the face that others want to see. The way that we measure the best people among us in the community is to see how they treat their families. It is not about how much money one makes, or how much involvement they have in the community, or the name they make for themselves. Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) said, “The best among you are those who are best to their families.”

It was a comfort for me to see a group of imams in our local community, as well as in the MANA conference signing a declaration promising to eradicate domestic violence in our community. Healthy marriages should be part of a curriculum within our youth programs, MSA conferences, and seminars as well as part of our adult programs in our masajid and in our khutbahs.

The Islamic Society of North America has done many training workshops for imams on combating domestic violence, as has the Islamic Social Service Associate and Peaceful Families Project. Organizations, such as FAITH Social Services in Herndon, Virginia, serve survivors of domestic violence. All of these organizations can serve as resources for those who seek to know more about the issues of domestic violence.

Faith Trust Institute, one of the largest interfaith organizations, with Peaceful Families Project, has produced a DVD in which many scholars come together to address this issue. I call on my fellow imams and social workers to use this DVD for training others on the issues of domestic violence. (For information, go to the website: http://www.faithtrustinstitute.org/). For more information, or to access resources and materials about domestic violence, please visit www.peacefulfamilies.org.

In conclusion, Allah says in the Qur’an “O my son! Establish regular prayer, enjoin what is just, and forbid what is wrong; and bear with patient constancy whatever betide thee; for this is firmness (of purpose) in (the conduct of) affairs” (31:17). Let us pray that Allah will help us to stand for what is right and leave what is evil and to promote healthy marriages and peaceful family environments. Let us work together to prevent domestic violence and abuse and especially, violence against women.

Saudis Fighting Extremists

Seems like an oxymoron of sorts. Some Saudis have created their own web force to debate potential al-Qaeda recruits. I think the tactic is actually pretty smart. I've visited some of these Salafi/Wahhabi web sites and they have nothing but hate and anger posted all over their sites. Everything is classified around who is an innovator or an apostate and what is sanctioned by Islam (their Islam of course) and what is not. The sites are pages of pure anger. That's definitely not a prophetic characteristic. The poor people of Ta'if would have been smashed between mountains if any of these guys were allowed to decide their fate 1,400 years ago.

Read the article at MotherJones.com.

AQ Khan released

Pakistan's nuclear hero has been released from house arrest. He wrote down nuclear secrets as an employee in European nuclear facilities. He then sold those secrets to the Iranians, Libyans and North Koreans. The US wants him for questioning and Pakistan will undoubtedly refuse to hand him over. He's the brains behind Pakistan's nuclear program and a national hero there. Fat chance the US will be able to obtain him, unless Obama has seriously not given up on rendition.

Questioning him at this point is really irrelevant and does little for US national security. Especially when I remember reading an article about how a bear snuck into a Russian nuclear facility a couple of years ago. The world has more serious issues than questioning Khan who sold his secrets years ago. The global nuclear security infrastructure needs greater attention, not some has been nuclear scientist.

CNN: Pakistani nuclear scientist freed from house arrest

Greenwald on Cheney and Fear-mongering

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Chomsky: Obama Following the Status Quo on Israel-Palestine

Change we can believe in...


The Arab League peace proposal does indeed call for normalization of relations with Israel -- in the context -- repeat, in the context of a two-state settlement in terms of the longstanding international consensus, which the US and Israel have blocked for over 30 years, in international isolation, and still do. The core of the Arab League proposal, as Obama and his Mideast advisers know very well, is its call for a peaceful political settlement in these terms, which are well-known, and recognized to be the only basis for the peaceful settlement to which Obama professes to be committed. The omission of that crucial fact can hardly be accidental, and signals clearly that Obama envisions no departure from US rejectionism. His call for the Arab states to act on a corollary to their proposal, while the US ignores even the existence of its central content, which is the precondition for the corollary, surpasses cynicism.

Read the rest.