Faith-Based Domestic Violence Training: Building Community Responses with an Islamic Perspective in Palestine

Domestic violence or intimate partner violence affects 1 in 3 women internationally, but despite impacting women from all nations, it has somehow become a point of contention between more secular factions in the western world and traditional Islamic countries under Muslim majority rule. This perceived conflict of ideology has led to a polarization serving to separate affected communities and slow progress on needed resolutions. In Palestine, a long-awaited proposed Family Protection Act has been paralyzed due to public outcry that it is not representative of the cultural and religious context of the country. The following study introduced a training in domestic violence for mental health and social service providers in Palestine that was created by the Peaceful Families Project, a non-profit educational and advocacy organization. The study aims to introduce the understanding that domestic violence is in fact a Muslim issue with clear directives for prevention using a faith-based methodology. Despite having professional experience working with domestic violence over years, participants demonstrated significant changes in knowledge, attitude, and stated potential behaviors after the training. Qualitative data enriched the discussion with participants stating that such efforts could change the narrative and overcome the perceived western bias of domestic violence awareness currently offered in Palestine. It also opens the door for indigenous perspectives and creative, culturally generated solutions to this critical issue. Using faith-based initiatives that correspond to the native culture of a community can increase motivation, ownership, and the opportunity for unique programming and innovative methodologies.