Co-Authored by Casey Gwinn of the Family Justice Center Alliance & Shireen Zaman of Vital Voices Global Partnership

Recently, the founder of a New York television station aimed at countering Muslim stereotypes, Muzzammil Hassan, was charged with killing his wife, Aasiya Zubair Hassan, by beheading her after a history of domestic violence and abuse.  The news story has flashed around the country and around the world as the public seeks to understand the nature of the violence and if it relates to the belief systems of Muslims and the teachings of Islam.

A coalition of Muslim organizations, journalists, community leaders, imams, and other concerned citizens have called for immediate action by American Muslim leaders to address domestic abuse and violence in America including that found in the American Muslim Community.  A number of imams and religious leaders across America have been asked to speak out against domestic violence to their congregations and to remind congregants of the Prophet Muhammad’s rejection of harshness, abuse, and violence in the family and emphasize solutions that strengthen families and ensure all family members are treated with fairness and respect, free of fear of abuse and violence.

Even as this story and the American Muslim community’s response churns in the media and in public perception in the United States, a team of American domestic violence specialists has been working in the last ten days in the Middle East with committed and dedicated Muslim leaders seeking to advocate for services and safety for women and girls in the Middle East.  With support from the U.S. Department of State’s Middle East Partnership Initiative, Washington D.C.-based Vital Voices Global Partnership and the San Diego-based National Family Justice Center Alliance are currently supporting the development of exciting collaborative, co-located service delivery models based on specialized initiatives already operating in Jordan and Bahrain.  The authors of this blog are part of that team currently celebrating powerful support and major success in Jordan and Bahrain based on the dedicated leadership of Muslim leaders in each country that are dedicated and committed to making progress on human rights for women and girls.

In Jordan, under the leadership of Her Majesty Queen Rania, international models of coordinated services have been in place for over a decade.  Now, Jordan is building on this foundation, by creating multi-agency, multi-disciplinary “one stop shop” service Centers to meet the needs of victims and their children.  In Bahrain, the non-profit Bahrain Women’s Union and supporting government ministries are joining together to create the Bahrain Women and Family Protection Council to raise public awareness, collect and share data on violence and abuse, and develop a coordinated response to family violence. We have been inspired by the work and dedication of so many women and men who are striving to improve their societies and have been humbled and honored to work with them.

As we observe the issues surrounding this sensational murder evolve in the United States, we write from the Middle East to make a number of important observations.

First, the decapitation murder getting so much attention is not unique to the Muslim community.  Many American women have been murdered through mutilation and decapitation unrelated to Islam or the actions of Muslim men.  Abusive Protestant men, abusive Catholic men, and abusive men without any faith affiliation are murdering women every day in the United States including those who have mutilated or burned the bodies of their victims beyond recognition.  In 2009, three women die every day in the United States at the hands of violent partners, whether by strangulation, shooting, or use of other weapons such as a knife or blunt instrument, and many of these killings do not even make the news.   We should be outraged and emotionally engaged every time such a murder occurs and not attempt to diminish or explain these crimes as related to culture or religion.

Second, violence in the family is not advocated or taught in any major faith. The American Muslim community has accurately pointed out that the Prophet Muhammad did not condone violence against women and that such murderous conduct in intimate relationships is not consistent with Islamic teachings.  Neither was violence against women condoned or taught by Jesus, or other major religious leaders and teachers in any major faith.  Blaming a faith community or stereotyping a faith community based on one high profile murder is no more appropriate than pointing to the O.J. Simpson case many years ago as the basis for concluding that the African-American community had a particular view on violence because of one high profile abuser in their community.

Third, the most productive response to any high profile family violence murder is to ask what we can learn from it, to ask if systems should have responded differently, to use it as a public awareness tool, to mourn the victim and make a commitment that her murder will not be in vain but instead that changes and new efforts to prevent family violence will be pursued in honor of the murdered victim.  Aasiya reported her husband’s violence to police agencies in two states, she filed for a domestic violence protective order, and he had a history of abusive behavior and yet most system responses declined to take action against him because she did not want to “press charges.”   Perhaps we should ask why there are still law enforcement agencies that fail to pursue accountability for Mr. Hassan but instead put the responsibility for his accountability on his wife.  Why was it her responsibility to stop his serious criminal conduct?  Why didn’t police and prosecutors seek to hold him accountable based on her reports of victimization?

Finally, we should all also acknowledge that the day before Buffalo resident Aasiya Zubair Hassan was murdered, three other women and one man were murdered in the United States and no one paid attention or responded with determined efforts to change the culture and our community responses to family violence.  Sadly, it took Aasiya’s murder on February 12 for many to speak out against domestic violence and renew their efforts to stop family violence in the United States.

It is our hope and prayer that Aasiya Hassan did not die in vain.  We urge the American public to reach out and identify ways that everyone can work together to raise awareness about family violence and challenge policy makers and elected officials to review the handling of the Hassan case prior to the murder.  We honor the dedicated Muslim leaders in the United States and around the world that are seeking to stop family violence and advocate for human rights.  May we all continue to be passionate about our efforts to raise awareness, to stop abusive behavior in relationships, and to continue to identify common ground between faith groups, disciplines, and countries in our shared vision to end violence against women and girls and promote families free from fear and abuse.

Casey Gwinn is the co-founder and President of the Family Justice Center Alliance and an international expert on domestic violence issues.

Shireen Zaman is the Director for Middle East and North Africa at Vital Voices Global Partnership, an international NGO focused on women’s leadership development.