Journal of Social Work Education and Practice, Volume 4; Issue 4, 1/10/2019

A Theoretical Review of the Literature: Domestic Violence in Muslim Communities in the United States 

Rashid Ahmed1, Prita Das Gupta2, Sadia Saeed3, Dheeshana Jayasundara4, Randall Nedegaard5
1University of North Dakota, USA; 2 Girls Education Program, Room to Read, India; 3 Quaid-i-Azam University, Pakistan; 4 California State University, Fresno, USA

ABSTRACT: Social workers are often tasked to engage with families where domestic violence is occurring. This challenging task can be exacerbated by factors such as cultural and religious influences. As a means to increase the understanding of these important factors, an extensive literature review of current material on Islam, Muslims and domestic violence was conducted. This literature was divided into several themes to include: Islam and Muslims; Islam, marriage and family; Islam and domestic violence; special circumstances of Muslim victims of domestic violence; why Muslim women stay; the September 11th impact on domestic violence in Muslim families in the US; and services available to these families. Implications include increased knowledge acquisition and cultural awareness as well as a call for more knowledge regarding the relationship between the intersections of factors such as Islam, culture, immigration and socioeconomic status, and the competent assessment of service needs and successful service delivery.
 
Keywords: Domestic violence; Muslim/Islam; Cultural competence; Intersectionality

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