The Battle At Home was the very first outreach event Nour – Domestic Violence had presented. Its aim was to create an engaging seminar with the public that would illustrate the severity of domestic violence, which we felt was something that needed addressing, to highlight the reality of things. We aimed to highlight the war zone that has left many victims hurt, bruised, and broken; to highlight the battle at home.
The event entailed many speakers from different fields, to give an insight of the reality of domestic violence from a number of angles. We initiated the event with a speech given by our very own counsellor, Khalida Haque. The speech entailed an activity, where the attendees had to imagine themselves in such a situation. They were to explore their feelings, just so they could get a slight image of what victims feel.
This complimented the speech given by Julie Lock, a brave survivor of domestic abuse. She spoke of the torment she endured at the hands of her husband. She described and relived those very experiences that have left her scarred. She illustrated a very visual, emotional and engaging experience for all those who attended. Her story left the room in tears. Her bravery was incredibly moving and her heartbreaking experience was, just for a moment, lived by those in the room.
Hamza Tzortzis followed thereafter. Just like the rest of the attendees, he was left in tears. He spoke about how unexpected these feelings were. Many of the attendees were not expecting to walk the steps that were walked by these sisters. Many had no idea of the extent the abuse can become. Hamza clarified the importance of needing to stand up and supporting these victims and organisations that support them.
Imam Abdullah Hasan took to the stage, speaking about the treatment of women in Islam. He spoke about the beautiful treatment the Prophet SalAllaahu ‘alaihi wa sallaam gave to his wives and how important it is for us to follow his lead. He spoke about the misinterpretation of Qur’anic verses and highlighted how disliked violence is in Islam.
Poet Abdullah Shariff, who delivered two tear-jerking poems, hit a lot of raw nerves. It reinforced the emotions that were already hovering in the room from the reality shown to us by Julie. The poems allowed people to explore these feelings further, like Khalida asked them to. The poems were words that many victims were unable to express.
And lastly, Hanan Chehata, the second, brave survivor speaker, told of her heart rendering story. She broke the misconception that DV only occurs between man and wife. She spoke of how abusive her father was and how dangerous he became. She spoke of the struggles they went through as a family, and the kinds of excuses you make for the abuser, naturally, because you love them. She highlighted how easy it was to misplace loyalties and, as a result, place your own lives in danger. Her story gave a different angle to DV. It highlighted the different forms which DV occurs in – and again, our attendees were made to feel just a tiny bit of the experience her family endured.
The event ended with a Q&A session with Imaam Abdullah Hasan. Alhamdulillaah, it was a very successful, engaging and emotional event. We ask that you remember all our speakers in your prayers. We ask Allaah to help relieve those in difficult situations and give them the strength to walk away. May He be their strength, their light, their peace, their hope and their success. Ameen.
Alhamdulillah, our objective was fulfilled…
If you attended The Battle At Home, please let us know your thoughts by spending a few minutes to complete this short survey. We would really appreciate it – jazakAllah khair.
Watch the full event below!