Facing Abuse in Community Environments
Together we can FACE abuse.
Facing Abuse in Community Environments (FACE) was formed in 2017 to create a framework by which to address the leadership
accountability gap within the U.S. and Canada.
Why Does FACE Exist?
Members of the Muslim community are collectively coming to terms with the fact that among the people who are serving as leaders, including clergy, teachers and religious scholars, are those that abuse their positions of power and violate their ethical responsibilities. Despite the commandments within Islamic teachings that prohibit the transgressing of boundaries or acting abusively towards others, especially the added responsibilities placed on leaders, there are people in positions of power who readily transgress to the point of becoming abusive. It is our responsibility as a community to address this accountability gap.
With the exception of whatever inconsistent regional capacity lies within a singular local community, there is simply no effective and standardized means by which to collectively hold these abusive leaders accountable and prevent them from going from community to community to gain access to vulnerable populations, until now. On our website you will find the tools and resources to better understand the problem of abusive leaders but also to report them and help protect the community from their continued abuse.
Please note that FACE is not a first responder organization, nor are we a legal or mental health organization. We do, however, provide referrals to all of the above.
Recent News & Media
It Takes A Village: Facing Child Abuse
Current Case Stats
Since our inception in 2017, FACE has received 162 reports of abuse. As you can see from the chart to the right, 53% of the cases we have received fall into the area of sexual abuse. However, a trend that we are seeing on the rise is physical abuse of children in Islamic schools, often in the context of violent discipline to instill religious knowledge in the students. This coupling of physical and spiritual abuse among the most vulnerable among us - our children - is a major cause of concern for FACE. We are building out strategy as we speak to confront this horrific reality in our community environments. (See video in above section regarding our 2021 campaign - “It Takes A Village.”)
To help us combat this issue, we urge you to support this important work today. No child should ever have to associate the beautiful religion of Islam with violence and harm perpetrated against them. Donate generously today!
Breakdown of Categories of Abuse
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