Homeless Muslim Women Shelter: An Idea Born of Necessity
By Farkhunda Ali
Muslim Link Staff Writer
The Muslim woman gives birth to the Muslim child. The Muslim woman nurtures the Muslim youth and the Muslim man. The Muslim woman instills the Islamic values in her children, who eventually carry on the legacy of Islam through their adulthood. The same Muslim woman cooks for an Islamic household, builds an Islamic environment for her children to follow and assists other Muslim women to increase their faith and stabilize their emotional and physical insecurities.
Many relationships are established through the primary source, the Muslim woman, whether it is through marriage, a medical professional helping with the birth of a child, or the primary educator in the home teaching Quran to the young generation.
Every aspect of an Islamic life is revolved around the hard work of a Muslim woman. So, what happens to her when one day she is kicked out of her home, or has found herself homeless without the presence of her husband or father?
The Muslim woman is currently in need of the assistance of the strong Muslim man, and the overall Muslim community. Just as the Muslim woman has a vital role in building an Islamic family, the Muslim man has an equally important role of maintaining and protecting an Islamic nation.
Currently, in the DC Metropolitan Area and especially Baltimore, Maryland, there are many Muslim women without access to a stable Islamic living environment. Many Muslim women have often approached non-Muslim social service organizations that have placed them in shelters where they practice un-Islamic dietary habits, and disrespect the dress code of the Muslim woman. Leaving them with no other choice but to seek shelter for themselves and their small children, Muslim women have often accepted local county shelters and temporary housing. These shelters sometimes force them to compromise their Islamic beliefs in order to grant them a secure place to live. After all, some shelter is better than no shelter at all.
What does a Muslim woman do in times of disparity? Does she live under a bridge on cold windy nights, or does she live with a non-Muslim man who is often available to help her, but probably does not allow her to maintain her modesty? Also, the Muslim woman sometimes has to be separated from her children in order to accomodate foster living for them while she is forced to accept housing in women-only shelters.
Can she depend on the mercy of Allah that the Muslim community will ease her burden and provide a safe haven for her and her Muslim children?
Most probably, whenever there is a Muslim woman involved, there are usually children involved. Some Muslim women have lost jobs, divorced, or fired from jobs when they chose to put on their hijab. There are also some Muslim women who have been kicked out of their homes for accepting Islam. Is homelessness the punishment a Muslim woman should endure for wanting to follow the laws of Islam?
So, where does the responsibility of the Muslim community come in a problem like this? Is it possible for American Muslim community to come together to invest in building an Islamic shelter for the Muslim woman?
Imagine having a shelter available in the DC Area where Muslim women may reside temporarily until they are able to get assistance with government public housing projects. Envision a shelter which provides three meals a day that are prepared according to Islamic dietary principles. Imagine a place where Muslims assist each other with the caretaking of their children. This shelter should have clothing donated by community members for Muslim women and children. It will be a center that provides at least the minimal health care services. In addition, it will be a shelter equipped with a few computers and phones lines for her to apply for employment, schools for their children and government assisted living.
When a Muslim woman suddenly finds herself without a home, it is very difficult for her focus on building herself up to be able to find work or take care of her children when her primary concern is shelter, food, and clothing. Once the primary necessity is fulfilled, then she can pay closer attention on finding employment and doing other things to sustain her self. In any case, she needs temporary Islamic environment where she is able to fulfill her obligations of her faith and build herself to move on to the next step.
Do Muslim leaders in the DC Area think this is worthwhile investment? Is it a problem that is only affecting Muslim women, or should it unanimously concern the larger American Muslim community?
The project of a Muslim Women’s shelter has already been initiated by Asma Hanif, the owner of the Muslimat An-Nisaa, a holistic health and wellness center for the Muslim woman.
Baitul An-Nisaa is an attempt of the Muslimat An-Nisaa to address the problem of homelessness within the Muslim community. Hanif has compiled a comprehensive proposal which outlines every minor to major detail of her vision of a “safe haven” for the Muslim woman. Hanif has the plan, but she needs the funding. She has compiled an extensive amount of research on homelessness in the Baltimore Area and put together a proposal on how the Baitul An-Nisaa will be operated.
“Wherever there is homelessness, there is no money, and wherever there is money, there is no homelessness,” said Hanif.
Baitul An-Nisaa has collected several dozens support letters from the DC Area of Muslims and community leaders who support this project. Baitul An-Nisaa has taken the signatures of approximately 200 individuals who believe this is a much needed project in the DC Area Muslim community.
The 100-page proposal outlines the program summary, program design, institutional & personnel information, statistical data on homelessness, budget analysis, ideas on a security force, and series of letters asking for a shelter, especially for the Muslim woman.
One of the support letter written to Baitul An-Nisaa on July 20, 2006 reads, “There are Muslim women with or without children in Baltimore, Maryland that are needing a place to stay for reasons such as divorce, mental instability, and unforeseen events like the death of a spouse, the lost of a job, or fires to their homes. . . If a Muslim shelter is established, these women will be able to still practice their deen and get the assistance they need to receive proper job training and job placement as well as address any health concerns.”
Another support letter with no date reads, “Have you seen or heard of Muslim women being without a home? Well, if you haven’t, I have here in Baltimore City. Currently, there are three Muslim sisters living in one of the local Masajids her in Baltimore City because they have no home, no money, and no family to turn to in their time of need.”
There are various Muslim social service organizations in the metropolitan area; however none own a shelter to place homeless Muslim women.
Margaret Farchtchi, treasure of the Herndon-based Foundation for Temporary and Immediate Help (FAITH) commented that her organization has to often rent hotel rooms to provide temporary housing to homeless women. Farchtchi also stated that FAITH works with needy families to assist them into getting into government assisted public housing.
Furthermore, the Islamic-American Zakat Foundation (IZF) in Bethesda, Maryland gets many phone calls from clients that are either homeless or at the verge of losing their homes. According to Bahija Abdus-Salaam, former case working of IZF, homelessness is a serious issue among Muslim women. Most of the time, the IZF places homeless families in hotels or finds them inexpensive public housing in Maryland. “There is a desperate need for the American Muslim community to build a shelter for the Muslim families.”
Abdus-Salaam stated that IZF’s clients are often refereed to shelters run by Christians and the Muslim community is thankful for their assistance. However, she believes that this serious problem of homelessness needs to be addressed by Muslims leaders in the DC Area.
“It saddens me to know that Muslims are willing to send money overseas, but have not looked into funding a shelter to help homeless Muslim women in despair right her in DC,” said Abdus-Salaam.
“I personally know a sister who has been homeless because she was suffering from a disability. The sister had children. Many times, children are taken away form their mothers to be placed in foster homes. We want to be open up a shelter to avoid these types of problems.” Mina Osiruphu-El, assistant director of Muslimat An-Nisaa.
“I would love to see the Muslim community support my project and see that it will benefit many homeless woman and it was be one of the best forms of charity,” said Hanif.
If anyone is interested in contributing to this project, please contact Asma Hanif at (410) 466-8686 or send donations directly to PO Box 31529, Gwynn Oak, MD 21027.
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