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From December 2-4, 2008, KARAMAH held a Regional Conference on Domestic Violence, under the auspices of her Highness Shaikha Sabika, wife of the King of Bahrain, and co-sponsored by the Supreme Council for Women (SCW). The three-day conference was aimed at introducing Islamic jurisprudence that combats domestic violence, raising the legal consciousness of women on the issues, and building bridges among Muslim women leaders and jurists in the region who are concerned about domestic violence.
The conference was attended by approximately 75 women who were predominantly members KARAMAH’s Network of Muslim Women Jurists and Leaders, hailing from the Middle East and North Africa. KARAMAH fully sponsored 26 participants from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Qatar, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen.
“Conferences such as these help support thoughtful research and open communication on key concerns facing the global Muslim community,” said Dr. Azizah al-Hibri, Founder and President of KARAMAH. “By educating women and society at-large about their God-given rights and dignity under Islam, KARAMAH hopes to fuel a movement for change within the legal community to discourage acts of abuse.”
Participants presented scholarly articles offering fresh jurisprudential arguments regarding domestic violence from an Islamic perspective. Jurists and leaders engaged in productive discussions with three ultimate objectives: (1) to support a consistent culture of awareness of Muslim women’s rights, (2) to enhance the network of leaders who will help to enact positive change, and (3) to advocate specific jurisprudence and propose legal approaches to combat domestic violence.
KARAMAH coordinated the event after consulting with the organization’s Network of Muslim Women Jurists and Leaders, whose scholarly research identifies and addresses major issues facing Muslims, helping to develop gender-equitable Islamic jurisprudence.
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