Darakshan Raja, MA Associate, Safe Nation

Transcript:Darakshan Raja, MA Associate, Safe Nation:
Darakshan Raja, MA Associate, Safe Nation Collaborative Breaking the silence IMPROVING RESPONSES TO CRIMINAL VICTIMIZATION of MUSLIMS Acknowledgements Development of this training module was supported by funding from Safe Nation Collaborative. The opinions, findings, conclusions and recommendations expressed in this training are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Safe Nation Collaborative or the various organizations and individuals that were interviewed in order to develop this training. Overall 23 community leaders and professionals who have been working with Muslims who are victims provided feedback for this training. There were a mix of different perspectives from Chaplains, Imams, law enforcement officers, professionals within policy and civil rights organizations, and mental health professionals that have worked with Muslims across a wide range of crimes spanning from domestic violence, hate crimes, sexual assault, forced marriages, workplace violence to torture. Development of this training would not have been possible without the critical feedback from the following individuals: Sergeant Mike Abdeen, Founder of Muslim Community Affairs Initiative, Los Angeles Sherrif’s Department Sakeenah Abdulraheem, Counselor and former employee of CAIR Alejandro Beutal, Former MPAC Government and Policy Analyst Anas Coburn, Founder and Managing Director, Project Sakinah Asma Hanif , Founder & Director, Muslimaat al-Nisaa Shazia Kamal, Associate Editor at AltMuslimah.com and former MPAC Hate Crimes Specialist Imam Mohamed Magid, President, Islamic Society of North America Muhammad Malik, Human Rights Advocate, Former Executive Director at CAIR and Board Member of No More Tears Morlie Patel, Deputy Director of External Affairs, Cook County Sherriff’s Department Ibrahim Ramey, Executive Director, Muslim Women in Research and Development (MWIRD) Qudsia Raja, Policy & Advocacy Field Director, YWCA USA Peaceful Families Project (National Coalition on Muslims against Domestic Violence) “While the trauma and harm experienced by many victims of crime is deep, debilitating, and long-lasting, our treatment of crime victims at every level--individual, community, and governmental is ineffective, fragmented, and dismissive. This woefully inadequate response reinforces victims’ sense of shame and isolation, and a misguided belief that recovery is a private manner (Herman, 2010).” OBJECTIVES Provide an overview of victimization within the Muslim community What separates the needs of Muslims who are victims of crime from other victims of crime Identify challenges and barriers for Muslims who are seeking victim services or help from the criminal justice system Provide recommendations and resources for promising practices Audience How many of you work with victims of crime? What types