Question

3 religious teaching related to sexual abuse

Answer 1

Answer:

One of the issues that will be addressed at the Forum is the ways

in which religious teachings have been misinterpreted and used

to justify or condone violence against women. When women are

abused by members or leaders of religious communities, they

may be told that their religious teachings support the abuse, that

they are trying to teach her something. Or a woman may even

tell herself that she must stay in an abusive relationship because

leaving is morally wrong. In fact, though, in their original form

religious teachings tend to promote peaceful and respectful relationships and condemn violence.

In her article “A Perspective on Domestic Violence in the

Muslim Community,” Salma Elkadi Abugideiri explores the

ways in which the Qu’ran (the religious text of Islam) and the

teachings of Prophet Mohammed (which Muslims also follow)

explicitly condemn violence against women.* Her insights are

particularly valuable at this time, when anti-Islamic rhetoric is

widespread. Many non-Muslim North Americans are taught

that Islam is a “violent religion,” and that fundamentalist sects

of Islam are representative of all Muslims.