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Addressing Critical issues faced by Muslim Women
12-19-2020
On December 7th, 2020, CBC published a story about a former BCMA Imam, now serving a 3-year sentence behind bars. We state unequivocally that our sympathies are with the survivor who managed to muster enough courage to go public with her story. As a domestic and sexual assault survivor she took an unprecedented and a very courageous step about her difficult and painful journey. To the community, the survivor’s story highlighted the stigma and continued victimization sexual assault victims face, especially when the accused is an individual who holds a position of power within the community – commending honour and respect – such as an Imam.
If one critically examines the gist of the survivor’s story brought forward by the CBC, there is a clear plea for help from the community by the survivor. "Nobody support me, said the woman who has no family in the country.” A clear plea to end the bias being held against her by a section of our community members and an evident plea to stop being judgmental towards her.
This could have been a moment for the community to rally in support of the countless victims by ensuring such incidents do not take place in the future and instituting measures that will provide services to these vulnerable women.
Undoubtedly, BCMA needs to re-examine its procedures and practices for all its employees and directors conduct on or off the BCMA premises within the legal framework.
Since the story went public, the local Muslim social media forums have been abuzz, with keyboard warriors both locals and those across from the pond criticizing BCMA and its officials.
Fortunately, it did not take long before most of the community members, realized the utterly false and misleading claims made by individuals with their own opportunistic and hidden agenda against the BCMA.
Let us cherish what we have, and how we can, collectively, make it better. It takes years to build something and seconds to destroy it. Such would be the case if we fall victim to these keyboard warriors’ selfish attempts and misdirecting the entire community.
The keyboard warriors call to “Dismantle BCMA” or “ReformBCMA”, falls short on their own agenda. These self proclaimed reformers are not willing to pay up through their wallets or their sweat.
No Doubt this would be an opportune time for BCMA to re-examine, re-evaluate, and re-calibrate its processes and procedures by creating an atmosphere which would allow young, dedicated, honest, and sincere individuals to take charge.
Take a deep breath and research. The Muslims in BC are fortunate that there stands a single unified Muslim organization, BCMA, that has set itself out to look after the needs of all Muslims regardless of their sects from birth to burial (Aqeeqah to Janazah) and everything in between. BCMA has never shut its doors to the followers of any other Islamic sect, whether it be education or burial.
For nearly six decades countless individuals have built BCMA with their blood, tears, and sweat, volunteering countless hours – without pay or reward – to assist the association to run its day to day operations and bring it to the level it now finds itself.
BCMA is the only Muslim organizations that adheres to democratic principles, its mosque directors and vis-à-vis its executive council is elected by the members.
BCMA is the only Muslim organization that has an open membership process, thus subject to accountability by its members. Its financial statements are transparent, available to public, and subject to open scrutiny.
Unfortunately, the lion share of the blame does lie with the community members who do not step up to the plate to make the association stronger and efficient. The elections for individual mosque directors are held every two-years, and each time many of its mosques especially the seats reserved for women are unable to be filled due to lack of interests from the community members.
BCMA women’s branches and many other organizations has been raising awareness about women’s issues for the last few decades. Sister Farida from BCMA has been volunteering in the community since 2003. She held the first conference regarding domestic violence and child abuse in the Muslim community back in 2012 with the intention of establishing long term solutions. Let us ask, how many of these keyboard warriors took part or volunteered with her to be part of the solution. We can tell 99% of them did not.
She also held information sessions with the Ministry of Children and Family Development to educate and encourage Muslim families to become foster parents to assist Muslim children removed by the MCFD, facing abuse, domestic violence. Her efforts were ignored by the community. However, if a situation arises, the public is quick to blame the BCMA for not having protocols in place to assist such children.
Let’s focus and support initiatives taken by BCMA, NISA Homes and Muslim Food Banks to support causes of domestic violence etc. Sister Farida Bano was first to start such initiatives under BCMA and has not received much support from the community. The same can be said about other organizations.
Lets harness our energies and our collective resources to make BCMA better rather than being misled by keyboard warriors under the disguise of “reform” to “Dismantle BCMA.”
The lesson we learned through this ordeal is to become more active within our own community, our mosques and try finding facts on our own through reliable sources and credible individuals rather than being carried away by individuals with their limited knowledge of the law and spreading half-truth, half-lies to advance their own personal agenda for two-minute sound-bytes.
In Hindsight we hope and pray for the victim, May Allah give her comfort and solace in her pursuit to seek justice and reclaim her life. We do hope those who are sincere in their pursuit for the cause will seek repentance for their actions that may have harmed the cause of eradicating domestic violence from within the community. Finally, a word of advise for our keyboard warriors, be part of the solution, volunteer, donate, be an active member of the community.
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