The Peaceful Families Project is a 501(c)3 organization which aims to end domestic violence in Muslim families by providing community workshops and professional training, conducting research, and developing a wide variety of resources.  Founded in 2000 by Sharifa Alkhateeb (1946-2004), PFP is the only national organization of its kind.  With funding brought in by the Iftar Campaign, PFP hopes to raise awareness of the Islamic paradigm for healthy families, increase its number of workshops, develop new resources, and conduct further research, and ultimately foster peaceful homes with healthy parents and children.

Workshops conducted for community leaders by PFP benefit local communities across the country in many ways.  Community members grow in their understanding of family conflict and abuse.  Community leaders increase their visibility as proponents of domestic violence prevention and establish new, establish new local domestic violence initiatives and programs (or join existing ones), and frequently form direct service groups within mosques.  These workshops are conducted by PFP facilitators with extensive expertise in advocating against domestic violence in Muslim communities but are customized to meet the needs of the local Muslim community by including presentations by advocates in various fields of social service expertise, Islamic scholars, local religious leaders, and legal experts. Mosque board and committee members, community leaders, school teachers, domestic violence prevention advocates, mental health providers, medical professionals, human rights activists, political activists, and youth leaders are also invited.  Workshop objectives include increasing understanding of the Islamic stance on conflict resolution in marriage, divorce, and family relationships, identifying acceptable and effective interventions, and building bridges between religious leaders and professionals.  Specific topics offered include:

• Signs of Abuse and How You Can Help
• Quranic Model of the Muslim Family
• Perspective of Shariah on Family Abuse
• Impact of Abuse on the Family
• The Mind of the Batterer, Real Life Cases
• The Muslim Marriage Contract

Another helpful resource offered by PFP is their Cultural Sensitivity Training for professionals serving Muslims.  This dynamic resource includes critical information necessary for anyone hoping to prevent domestic violence, but most especially for those whose clientele includes Muslim families.  For example, PFP’s first national study on the prevalence of physical violence among Muslims in the US show that 10% of Muslims were experiencing physical abuse, a figure that is comparable to national statistics and other faith groups.  Attendees learn about the diversity of American Muslims and the variations between cultural practices, family structures, and gender issues — particularly differences between religion and culture, as well as how these can create obstacles to resolution.  To give participants a solid grounding in Islamic perspectives on these issues, Islamic sources are included.

The Peaceful Families Project is currently led by Co-Directors Salma Elkadi Abugideiri and Maha B. Alkhateeb.

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