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Taking Protests Against Evils of
Domestic Violence
to the Streets.
by
Motisola M. Abdallah,
Atlanta
"Be gentle with them: They are like vessels of
glass which can easily crack."
[Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, admonishing a man named
Anjasha.]
"The Prophet, pbuh, never raised his hand against
a woman." ['Ayesha, the
blessed, the scholar-wife of the Prophet]
Domestic Violence hurts the entire
community. In the 3rd of a series
of summer vigils to end domestic violence, the
Atlanta Baitul Salaam Network
under the direction of cofounder Hadeya Majeed,
has started to take the evils
of domestic violence to the streets. The first
Vigil was held in downtown
Atlanta near the popular baseball Stadium Turner
Field where one sign read 'honk
for peaceful families'. It was quite encouraging
as most drivers who read
the sign honked their car horns in support.
One of the busiest intersections in the African
American was home for the
second vigil. 'Refuse Abuse of women Islam is
Peace' was the theme which was
overwhelmingly received by onlookers. One male
passerby took the time to thank
the sisters in the vigil for dealing with this
urgent matter.
On Sunday, June 15th, the biggest
media
outlet in
the country, Atlanta home
based
CNN,
was home to the third vigil across the
street in Centennial Park.
'Allah hates abuse of
women:
end domestic
violence' was the theme. This site
is at the top of the list as one of the biggest
tourist sites in Atlanta with
an unbelievable diverse attraction of visitors
from all over the world. Many
onlookers honked their horns in support of the
vigil or gave verbal approval of
it. One male passerby joined the vigil by taking
a sign that read 'domestic
violence hurts the entire community.' He also
spoke of how he has severed
ties with a friend he grew up with because his
friend was abusing women.
In a phone interview with New Trend, the
cofounder of Baitul Salaam,
Hadeya, stated that the Islamic community is in
denial about domestic/family
violence and this issue is all but being ignored.
The vigils will take place
throughout the city of Atlanta for the rest of
the summer and are open to
anyone. Domestic and family violence is
prevalent in all communities and all
religions.
It is imperative that brothers who want to
crush the lie that Islam
condones abuse of women should help by speaking
about the correct way of life,
the sunnah way of life as prescribed to all of
humanity by the Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH). Islam diametrically opposes
abuse of any human being or animal.
It is crucial to remember that domestic
violence is not just physical
abuse, it can be emotional, verbal, economical
and mental. In order to raise
up the status of the community we must first
raise up the teachings of Islam.
Islam's core is peaceful, strong families for a
peaceful strong community.
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2003-06-18 Wed 18:37ct