DEARBORN — Women’s activists have marked November 25 as a day against violence since 1981. On December 17, 1999, the United Nations General Assembly designated November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (Resolution 54/134).  The date comes from the brutal assassination in 1960 of the three Mirabal sisters, political activists in the Dominican Republic, on the orders of Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo (1930-1961). The incidence of domestic violence, most often against women, is the same across communities regardless of race.  But what often happens in the Arab American community is that the religion of Islam is cited as justification for a husband hurting his wife and/or children. That this is not valid was clearly demonstrated this week when Muslim leadership in Lebanon and in Southeast Michigan took a very public stand on the issue. In Lebanon, Shi’a religious authority, Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah, issued a jurisprudential communique or fatwa in observance of the day.  He said of physical violance: “This form represents the most degrading human practice, since it shows that men are incapable of resorting to reason and logic to prove their viewpoint. It also does not prove that men are strong. On the contrary, it proves that they are weak, for only the weak are in need of unjust violence. This violence could reach its most severe and harsh form when women are subjected to rape which sometimes might lead to death.”

The cleric also cited honor killings, psychological abuse, forced marriages, economic and educational abuse — preventing a woman from obtaining an education — as completely unacceptable. In Dearborn, the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS), its Arab American Domestic Violence Coalition (AADVC) and Safety Oasis for Victims of Crime held their “Promoting Peace in the Family” dinner at the Bint Jebail Cultural Center here this week at which the Michigan Peaceful Families Proclamation was made public.  The proclamation, signed by 17 area imams, takes a firm stand against domestic violence, acknowledges its existence in the community, acknowledges that the religion of Islam is often cited to justify the violence and commits the leaders to working toward the day when all members of every family are safe and abuse ceases to exist. All but one of the imams was present at the dinner, as were many elected officials.  The event was sponsored by the Wayne County Mental Health Agency. The evening’s emcee was Sandra Amen-Bryan, a mental health counselor with ACCESS. She warned the audience that some of the discussion would make them uncomfortable.  “But problems like domestic violence flourish when people stay silent,” she explained. Dr. Adnan Hammad, director of the ACCESS Community Health and Research Center, welcomed the hundreds of guests.  “Domestic violence is a problem that penetrates to the very core of our society,” he said.  He added that the evening was the culmination of 15 years of working together with religious and community leaders to target the violence. AADVC Chair Lila Amen, who is also the bilingual community liaison for Dearborn Public Schools, said the group has been working since the late 1980s to put domestic violence on the community’s radar.  “Most people are unaware of the scope of the problem,” she said. A documentary on domestic violence was shown in which victims described their ordeals.  And what constitutes domestic violence was also discussed. It encompasses not just physical violence, but swearing at someone, monitoring their whereabouts, questioning them endlessly about their activities and any other emotional abuse that weakens the victim and increases the abuser’s control over them. Not allowing someone access to friends, a telephone or a car are also abuse. The documentary said that 50% of men who abuse their wives also abuse their children. And the toll that domestic violence takes on children even if they themselves are not abused, is high. Bryan was shown in the documentary saying that “Our religion calls men the protectors of women. Somehow this idea has been distorted into them being the oppressors of women.”  ACCESS Domestic Violence Prevention Coordinator Joanna Ladki says “Religion has nothing to do with it.  But out society gives men the control.”

Imam Baqir Berry advises that all issues of a marriage be discusses before a marriage takes place. “We prepare a lot for the wedding but not for the  marriage,” he says in the film. Ladke cautions against thinking that anger is the problem. “These are not angry people who just need anger management,” she said. “These people can control themselves outside the home.”

One of the most important points made during the evening was that people tend to believe domestic violence is a private problem. “It’s not a private problem,” said Ladke, “it is a criminal offense.”

That point was echoed by keynote speaker Nancy Deihl, chief of the trial division in the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.  “This is an evening of celebration,” she said. “Some days I am discouraged by what I see as a lack of progress against domestic violence,” she added.  But this was a day to celebrate, she said. She praised the imams, ACCESS and Oasis for their outstanding work in the community. Citing all the recent headlines and news stories about domestic violence, she said: “Our safest place should be our homes. But in our community, in our state, in our country our homes have become the most dangerous place we can be.”

Deihl talked about Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s press secretary being arrested last week for domestic violence and the mayor’s deputy telling the press that it was a “private matter.”  The next day the police chief in Detroit said the same thing. “It’s not a private matter,” she emphasized, “It’s a criminal offense.”

Deihl called for a policy of zero tolerance for violence and said we need to promote a culture of conflict resolution.  “If we all respected each other, we could get closer to peace. You don’t hit someone you respect.”

And in acknowledging the role of the clergy she said “Most victims and most abusers are people of faith.  Violence isolates them and the many times the only person they may have contact with is the cleric. “All of you have the ability to make a difference,” she said. “You cannot presume to tell someone else what they should do.  But you can provide them with information and tell them they don’t deserve to be abused.”

Wayne County launches Project Safe House Wayne County officials also chose this week to target known domestic violence offenders.  Many of the worst abusers in the county who have thumbed their noses at the system after being arrested or convicted got the message this week that they can run but they can’t hide. As part of Project Safe House, Sheriff Warren Evans, Prosecutor Kym Worthy and County Executive Robert Ficano have targeted more that 300 of the most recalcitrant individuals across the county who have failed to show up for court on a domestic violence related charge or who have violated their probation on a domestic violence related conviction. Authorities targeted those abusers whose cases involved a high level of physical violence, who have dodged counseling or are considered highest risk for re-offending. “This effort is about protecting past and future victims of domestic violence and we are doing so by applying pressure on abusers at every turn,” said Sheriff Evans. “If they have failed to show for court, we are re-arresting them.  If they have failed to complete a community based treatment program, we’re putting them in jail based treatment.  If they are on parole or probation, we’ll be visiting their homes unannounced to make sure they are complying with the conditions of their supervised release and not re-offending.”

According to the most recent available statistics, reports of domestic violence in Michigan swelled to more then 70,000 in 2005, up from 55,000 the year before. During the same timeframe, domestic violence related homicides nearly doubled from 30 in 200 to 58 in 2005. Wayne County accounted for 30 percent of the statewide total. Official warned that cases of domestic violence tend to increase during the holidays, when families find themselves under increased financial strain.