With reported statistics indicating a divorce rate as high as 31 percent among American Muslims, Islamic communities nationwide are realizing they are currently unequipped to handle this trend.
With such important issues at stake, HIKMA Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing accurate and detailed information about Islam and social sciences, took advantage of the current interest in the subject by hosting a workshop on divorce in Muslim communities.
The workshop, held at Cal State University, Fullerton on July 14, introduced a panel of experts in the field who discussed all aspects of divorce, from the main causes to specific Islamic laws governing the process.
Speaker Jihad Turk, a counselor and religious director at the Islamic Center of Southern California, reviewed the "fiqh" or jurisprudence of divorce, discussing issues that are otherwise seen as taboo topics among Muslims..
He mentioned the "‘aza" period, when, similar to post-death formalities, both parties take a break to calm down.
The reasoning behind this period, according to Turk, is to hopefully get the couple to talk rationally and sidestep an actual divorce.
Noha Alshugairi, a master’s candidate in family and marriage counseling, supplied statistics from her study of divorced couples in southern California, citing domestic abuse as the main reason behind divorce.
Alshugairi, who is also an intern counselor in Cypress, stressed that data on the Muslim community with regard to this subject is scarce and as such, it is difficult to gauge general patterns.
Domestic violence is present in all types of families across the socioeconomic level, not just among immigrants, according to Wassen al-Shaheed, who has a master’s in social work and does clinical and pro bono work in marriage counseling.
Covering the personal aspect of the discussion, Sabeen Shaiq, a recent divorcee, shared her experience and revealed her frustration with the lack of social services available. Emphasizing the grave need for such resources, she suggested the Muslim community implement premarital counseling similar to how the Catholic Church does so that simple miscommunication can be prevented from the outset.
Some mosques – such as the Orange County Islamic Foundation, Islamic Center of Irvine and others – already offer this service.
Sharaf Mowjood, a workshop attendee, said the workshop taught him that the divorce process is only the first challenge.
"(The speakers) really shed some light on the problem of reintegrating divorcees back into the community," he said. "A lot of times they fold because their social circles change, and we can’t let that happen."
