ISLAMIC PSYCHOTHERAPY ONLINE

(Revised Edition)

Volume 4, April 2009

St. Louis, Missouri

Editor: Mohamed Ziauddin MSW LCSW ACSW

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent and the Most Merciful

SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK:

POTENTIAL PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF PSYCHOLOGY THAT THE UMMAH COULD UTILIZE IN HELPING ITSELF.

In the gems of the Holy Quran and Hadith, there is emphasis on PEACE, TOLERANCE, and CARING FOR EACH OTHER AND UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD. Then why do we still see such graphic violence in the behavior among some sections of our UMMAH?

While the gems of the Holy Quran and Hadith could be the foundation and building blocks of our interpersonal and social behavior, we as Muslims need to learn additional skills and tools when it comes to responding to difference of opinions and negativity. Such tools can be used both at a micro level and macro level, at an individual level and global level. Dealing with difference of opinion and negativity can be between a husband and wife on a marital level or between Shias and Sunnis at a sectarian level.

ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL IN TERMS OF CONFLICT RESOLUTION. Needless to say the responses for conflict resolution would vary depending on the individuals or groups involved. But we need to start somewhere and at an appropriate later stage, blend in the expert advice of both Islamic scholars and Islamic psychologists and psychotherapists to get the most effective, practical interventions to address above interpersonal or inter group conflicts. This is only the first step and it can be enhanced organizationally with the help of legislative, governmental and non-governmental entities.

Listening to the above Islamic gems in speeches and practically integrating it with contemporary psychological tools and applying it in practice to resolve conflict in our interpersonal lives is likely to be more effective than just listening to the Islamic gems and missing out on above aspect of integration.

Is it then a surprise why there has been so much emphasis in Islam to seek KNOWLEDGE? All knowledge is from ALLAH and for effective problem solving we must integrate the contemporary knowledge of various behavioral disciplines with the Islamic foundational concepts derived from Hadith and Holy Quran.

Above Editor argues that the optimal benefit of the application of Hadith and Holy Quranic gems cannot be fully maximized in issues pertaining to interpersonal conflict, until it is integrated with contemporary psychological tools. Such tools come with the contemporary behavioral knowledge that is in a constant state of change, all from the grace of Almighty Allah. Muslims must continue serious pursuit of KNOWLEDGE as recommended in the hadith and Holy Quran.

In general, we should try to do our very best to avoid criticizing others since we could better utilize the time by correcting ourselves in whatever ways possible. Below examples is NOT with intent to pinpoint one particular national group (nationals of Qatar) or one particular occupational group (maidservants), but rather it is an honest attempt to address an issue of INJUSTICE and EXPLOITATION.

As Muslim professionals of the HEALING ARTS PROFESSION we have an obligation to address such a critical exploitative issue, create awareness of the plight of the silent victims and implement our Islamic duty to assist those in need in whatever ways practically possible even though such a terrible event is occurring on the other side of the globe by our own Muslim brothers and sisters.

Further, before we point our fingers at other non-Muslims and scapegoat them for our problems, it is good for us to take a deep and serious look at our own Ummah’s social backyard and work on ways to correct ourselves. This is told from our Ummah’s global perspective.

PLIGHT OF MAID SERVANTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST:

ONE SUCH ISSUE IS THE TREATMENT OF MAIDSERVANTS THAT COME FROM VARIOUS COUNTRIES TO WORK IN THE MIDDLE EAST. LET’S TAKE FEW EXAMPLES IN THE COUNTRY OF QATAR.

TORTURE AND ABUSE OF DOMESTIC WORKERS REMAINS A PROBLEM IN QATAR. REQUESTS FROM HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS GO UNHEEDED. THE AUTHORITIES HAVE SO FAR FAILED TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS FACED BY THOUSANDS OF DOMESTIC WORKERS BY REFUSING TO BRING THEM UNDER THE PROTECTION OF THE EXISTING LABOR LAW. TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, THOSE HOUSEMAIDS WHO FLEE THEIR ABUSIVE EMPLOYERS ARE CONSIDERED AS ILLEGALS AND DEPORTED.

THE SRI LANKAN GOVERNMENT ESTIMATES THAT 15 TO 20 PERCENT OF THE 100,000 WOMEN WHO LEAVE EACH YEAR FOR THE MIDDLE EAST RETURN PREMATURELY, DUE TO PHYSICAL ABUSE OR NONPAYMENT OF SALARY.

A 26-year-old Qatari woman has been sentenced to three years imprisonment after she was found guilty of beating her Sri Lankan maid to death. The 24-year-old maid, who came to Qatar two months before her death, was admitted to hospital with severe injuries and succumbed to her wounds in the hospital three days later. The court also ordered the convict to pay QR 150,000 to the family of the deceased as blood money. The accused had confessed to attacking the maid with her hands “on several parts of her body to teach her a lesson because she was lazy and non-obedient”.

The accused also told that the maid was “unclean and used to dress indecently in front of her husband” and therefore she used to beat her up. She denied using any weapon to attack the victim. The accused said that she pushed the maid against the wall repeatedly after discovering a local telephone number that she had.

A Qatari couple walked free (of jail time) despite beating their Indonesian housemaid into an irreversible coma and later death. A Doha court sentenced the couple of five years of imprisonment, but they never served the term after agreeing to pay QR 300,000 to the maid’s family as compensation.

An Egyptian couple has been accused of torturing to death a 24-year-old Filipina housemaid, a local Arabic daily has reported. The woman, who was employed with the family for 14 months, died after a horrifying sequence of abuse and torture, whereby she suffered burns and severe beatings, the Al-Rayah daily reported quoting a police report. There were burn injuries all over the maid’s body and a medical report described these as “imprints of torture”. The report said one of her fingernails was also removed. Investigators also found bloodstains on the walls and curtains of the apartment.

BRIEF ANALYSIS:

Where is the element of pearls of Islam - "Compassion and Tolerance" in the above? Many of us are ourselves immigrants settled in different countries. We cannot easily forget the send off, our own family and friends may have given us from the airport when we first left our home countries to go overseas for either higher education or higher wages or just joining our family in our new country of settlement.

Above victims had also like us, left their home countries to improve their lives, having no clue of the tragedy that was awaiting for them. The worst part is that the perpetrators were not non-Muslims but someone from our own peace loving faith of Islam. As far as we are concerned, they had grossly violated Islamic values of tolerance, compassion and peace.

From an occupational perspective, should the relationship between the maid and the family that she stays with, be considered an Employer-Employee relationship?

If yes, then of course the maidservant could avail of whatever limited rights the employee may have in such countries. If not, could not there be an alternative legislation to ensure that the basic human rights of such maidservants are protected? We are not claiming that the maidservants are perfect employees but rather what legal and Islamic course of action should the perpetrators as employers take, if they are not happy with the work performed by their maidservant. It is totally unislamic to torture, burn and kill as reflected in the examples above.

Why is such gross injustice towards the maidservants not addressed by the Imams in their speeches in Friday prayers in the Middle East? FIGHTING AGAINST INJUSTICE IS PART OF ISLAMIC VALUE.

From a psychological perspective, what new tools and skills can the families that employ maidservants learn when they have to deal with a maidservant that they are not happy with for whatever reason, besides the unislamic practice of torture and killing them.

One can only guess the pathetic level of communication between the perpetrators towards the maidservants. Is not there other more humane ways for the perpetrator to convey to the maidservant about their dissatisfaction with their work, if that is the main issue? Or if the perpetrators feel she is not fit to meet their expectations of a maidservant, why not just allow her to return back to her country (Alive) rather than in a casket?

While we don’t claim to have solutions for all problems, we want to start a spark by addressing such a problem that has repeatedly missed in the global Ummah’s radar screen, in the hope that it could pick up support and momentum to reach the desired location where it needs to be changed.

As Muslim Social Workers and Psychotherapists, we are strong advocates for the “poorest of the poor”, “victimized and traumatized”, “oppressed” et.c. And we encourage all Arabs of CONSCIENCE to work towards alleviating this issue at the grass roots level. OUR HEARTS GOES OUT TO ALL THE MAIDSERVANTS WHO ARE BEING CONTINUALLY OPPRESSED, SUBJUGATED AND EXPLOITED BY PERPETRATORS IN VIOLATION OF THE RELIGION OF PEACE – ISLAM.

DISCLAIMER: Focus is on the perpetrators and the victims in Qatar. This article in NO way intends to be a stereotype for all nationals of Qatar. We acknowledge that there are many nationals of Qatar who truly follow the gems of Islam in terms of taking good care and showing tolerance and understanding in dealing with their maidservants and our deep respects to them.

Acknowledgements:

http://www.peacefulmuslimah.wordpress.com/