By the time many victims come to us, they have already attempted to address their situation by seeking the help of other shaykhs/imams. Unfortunately, most of our religious leaders are woefully unprepared to address their situation and either do not understand what they are dealing with, completely ignore the victim’s problems, or even blame the …
We often ask why trustworthy imams don’t stand up to their abusive peers and hold them accountable. Unfortunately, many imams and community leaders are already overworked and under-compensated, which creates stress in their personal lives. Simple factors like healthcare become issues- even for imams in wealthy communities. Often, taking these controversial stances against abusers …
“If we want to get rid of rankism in the spiritual communities we’re going to have to make the holders of high rank accountable to the parishioners in some way.“ People have different rank and positions in society and such rank is necessary for the function of a society. Nevertheless, no matter what our differences …
Over the past two decades, Islam in America has seen the rise of the “celebrity shaykh.” While our scholars and da’ees (preachers) play an important role in our religion, a cult of personalities has replaced the roles of a knowledgable scholars of moral integrity. Some Islamic “shaykhs” and preachers have gained so much clout that …