Frequently Asked Questions
-What makes FACE qualified to do this work?
-Shouldn’t we cover the sins of our Muslim brothers and sisters?
-Don’t you need 4 witnesses to accuse someone of rape?
-Isn’t publicly revealing abuse “fitna” or “slander?”
-Why is FACE ruining people’s reputations?
-What does FACE’s investigation and reporting model entail?
>Why doesn’t FACE leave these allegations to law enforcement?
>If I submit an allegation, does that automatically trigger an investigation?
>Can I submit an allegation anonymously?
>If I contribute to an allegation/investigation, will my identity be exposed?
>What are the risks of participating in the FACE process?
>How does FACE determine which cases to accept?
>How does FACE substantiate allegations by victims/survivors against their abusers?
>How does FACE determine if abuse has occurred?
>How does FACE prioritize investigations?
-What is spiritual abuse?
-What is FACE’s position on polygamy/bigamy?
-Who does FACE serve?
-What is the purpose of publishing reports?
-Are all of FACE’s investigation findings public?
-What can I do after a report is published?
-How much does FACE charge those who report abuse in order to conduct an investigation?
-How does FACE protect the safety and well-being of victims/survivors?
-Is FACE against imams or scholars?
>If FACE works with imams/scholars, why haven’t any of them come out publicly in support of you?
-How does FACE deal with conflicts of interest within its staff and investigations?
-Do FACE team members support a feminist “agenda?”
-Does FACE support the LGBTQIA+ community?
FACE is an interdisciplinary organization made up of individuals, serving in both an employed and voluntary capacity, who are subject matter experts in their own fields, namely law, mental health, community organizing, organizational development, ethics and compliance investigations, social work, nonprofit management, journalism, and Islamic theology and scholarship. Not only do we have the skills, experience, and education to address the needs of the community in this critical work, but equally as important is that we are survivor-led, survivor-centered, and operate with the mandate that it is our Islamic duty to address abuse of power through accountability. Our guiding philosophy is rooted in the following Qur’an verse and hadith:
“Allah does not like the public mention of evil except by one who has been wronged. And ever is Allah Hearing and Knowing.” Quran 4:148
“Verily, Allah the Exalted will not punish a community for the sins of a few unless they see evil appear among themselves and they are able to reject it but do not. If they do so, then Allah will punish the entire community along with the sinners.” Source: Musnad Ahmad 17627; Grade: Hasan (fair) according to Ibn Hajar
What makes FACE qualified to do this work?
What makes FACE qualified to do this work?
The concept of covering sin, also referred to as “سَتّرْ”/“satr” is specifically in reference to the covering of individuals’ private sins. FACE does not concern itself with the private sins of individuals, rather, we focus on the actions of a leader when they abuse their position of power and authority especially at the harmful expense of another person. Abuse and exploitation should never be conflated with private sin.
For a more in-depth explanation, please reference this article by Karamah, an organization of Muslim women attorneys and legal scholars, entitled, “What Do We Have to Hide? The Islamic Principle of ‘Satr’ and Cultural Bias.”
Shouldn't we cover the sins of our Muslim brothers and sisters?
“Zina,” or “unlawful copulation”, is a private sin between 2 consenting adults that requires 4 witnesses to uphold in an Islamic court of law. Rape and sexual assault do not fall in the same category of private sin, and are instead considered egregious violations committed against a vulnerable person that either was unable to provide meaningful consent, or did not do so. A thorough article by Karamah entitled “Zina, Rape, and Islamic Law: An Islamic Legal Analysis of the Rape Laws in Pakistan” outlines the opinions of classical jurists within Islamic law regarding the difference between “zina” and rape. Below is also a guiding hadith* that we find relevant when addressing these types of cases.
*This hadith is provided solely in support of this conversation and should not be taken as a religious ruling (fatwa). FACE reviews every violation being investigated with qualified religious scholars to determine the Islamic viewpoint and how best to handle it with regards to public reports and dissemination.
When a woman went out in the time of the Prophet صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ for [Fajr] prayer, a man attacked her and overpowered [raped] her. She shouted and he went off, and when a man came by, she said: ‘That [man] did such and such to me.’ And when a company of the Emigrants came by, she said: ‘That man did such and such to me.’ They went and seized the man whom they thought had [assaulted] her and brought him to her. She said: ‘Yes, this is he.’ Then they brought him to the Prophet صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ of Allah. When he [the Prophet صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ] was about to pass sentence, the man who [actually had assaulted] her stood up and said: ‘Prophet of Allah, I am the man who did it to her.’ He [the Prophet صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ] said to her: ‘Go away, for Allah (SWT) has forgiven you [for mistakenly identifying the wrong man].’ But he told the man some good words [Abu Dawud said: meaning the man who was accidentally seized], and of the man who had [assaulted] her, he said: ‘Stone him to death.’ He also said: ‘He has repented to such an extent that if the people of Medina had repented similarly, it would have been accepted from them.’ Source: 4366, Sunan Abu-Dawud, Sunan Tirmidhi 1454. Grade: Sahih
From this transformative hadith, we interpret several outcomes:
The Prophet صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ and those in the community believed her immediately and rallied around her to support her and safeguard her.
In the narrations, there was no witnesses to the act itself. There was no demand for four witnesses as some people mistakenly believe today is required due to the conflation of forcible rape with the consensual violation of zina.
The woman felt safe enough to immediately tell people in her community, who took immediate action without hesitation. The community sought accountability on the victim’s behalf, together.
There is also no commentary on the victim/survivor’s character playing a part on whether or not she was believed. Lastly, there is no commentary on blaming the woman for being out by herself, and no command for her to not attend congregational prayer by herself.
The accused repented to Allah, but he still received the hadd punishment. This means that an abuser can absolutely have sought sincere forgiveness and that is between them and Allah, but they have lost the privilege of being free within a community and need to be held accountable in this world for the harm they caused.
We also recognize from this hadith that there should be no hesitation in making this abuse publicly known, especially because the individual in question poses a risk to others in the community.
For more information on understanding reports of misconduct and sexual assault allegations, please refer to this article by FACE’s board president, Waheeda Saif, LMHC.
Don't you need 4 witnesses to accuse someone of rape?
Isn't publicly revealing abuse "fitna" or "slander?"
We defer to these important rulings by great classical scholars.
Ala’ al-Din al-Haskafi, the Grand Mufti of Damascus during the 11th century who profoundly influenced and became the central reference for legal details and rulings, wrote:
“If a man is fasting and performing salat, and harming others through his hand and his tongue, then warning others about the harmful qualities found in him is not considered backbiting.” (Ibn Abideen explains, ‘. . . So that people can avoid him and not be deceived by his fasting and his salat . . .’) Source: Radd Ul Mukhtar, Chapter 6, page 408
Ibn Muflih writes:
“Warning of the negative attributes of narrators of hadith, witnesses, people in charge of zakat, waqfs, orphans, etc. is mandatory in the time of need. It is not permissible to conceal these negative qualities when a person is aware of such negative qualities which cast doubt on the person’s integrity and character. This will not be categorized as unlawful backbiting, but rather as mandatory well-wishing for others. This is established by a consensus among Muslim scholars.”
Ibn Hajar Al-Haytami writes,
“It is obligatory for a person who is aware of a negative quality found in another person to warn others because this is part of the well-wishing which is binding upon all Muslims. The basis for this is what has been authentically narrated of Rasulullah (PBUH)’s statement to Fatimah Bint Qays who received a marriage proposal from Abu Jahm.”
Why is FACE ruining people's reputations?
While FACE is aware of the gravity that our work poses to individual and community life, we are confident that our actions to hold leaders accountable is not what ruins the reputations of people whose actions we expose. A leader who chooses to engage in abusive behavior and violate their position of trust are the only ones to blame when the consequences of those actions unfold. It is our firm belief that we have an obligation to interrupt cycles of abuse and the perpetuation of harm within a community according to our guiding hadith.
“Verily, Allah the Exalted will not punish a community for the sins of a few unless they see evil appear among themselves and they are able to reject it but do not. If they do so, then Allah will punish the entire community along with the sinners.” Source: Musnad Ahmad 17627; Grade: Hasan (fair) according to Ibn Hajar
FACE’s model combines an interdisciplinary approach that creates a unique environment for community accountability to occur. This model is not meant to circumvent or replace any legal proceedings, but rather provide an alternative and additional avenue to redress harm and protect communities.
To start, we use a survivor-centered, trauma-informed approach to provide an avenue for submitting allegations and determining their eligibility for our process. Most investigations fall within our standard operating procedure that consists of a 7-step model that guides an allegation from start to finish. The approach may be modified when extenuating circumstances arise (e.g. when an allegation is made publicly, resulting in a widespread community reaction). Typically, the 7 steps entail: intake, background check, interviews, substantiation, report draft, review, and publication.
Once FACE has opened an investigation, we conduct interviews of individuals that have brought forth the allegations of abuse, as well as of victims/survivors and primary sources willing to speak to us. This includes a thorough review and analysis of all evidence provided. Hours of interviews are conducted, both in person and over video. If, and only when, FACE collects adequate, accurate and substantiated evidence based on facts, is an official report published. Other inquiries regarding the investigation process are detailed below.
What does FACE's investigation and reporting model entail?
While FACE encourages victims/survivors to pursue all available avenues meaningful to them to redress the abuse they suffered, FACE does not, as a matter of policy, suggest or pressure victims to engage with law enforcement. FACE has a conversation during the intakes to assess what options victims would like to pursue, including legal avenues, and we refer them to professionals that can assist them in their journey. Attorneys and victim advocates who are victim-directed and equipped with the knowledge on the options of redress available, potential outcomes, risks, etc., take on that role so FACE can focus on the investigation. The same way it is not appropriate for an investigative reporter working on investigating claims for a story to directly aid or guide a victim in handling their case during the investigation, FACE follows the same methodology.
FACE also recognizes that the criminal and civil legal systems, especially in the United States, may not always offer an avenue to redress all harms or violations, meet the needs of victims/survivors, or lead to meaningful outcomes of justice. This can be especially true for those within marginalized communities. FACE’s process strives to implement effective means of leadership accountability and serves as a resource for culturally sensitive support that empowers people to create victim-centered and survivor-driven models of community safety. Out of every 1000 perpetrators of sexual assault, 310 are reported to law enforcement, and from that number, only 50 are arrested, that too after an exhausting and re-traumatizing process for victims (see more on RAINN). Furthermore, an offender being “acquitted” does not necessarily mean they are not guilty; it means the case was not proven “beyond a reasonable doubt,” the threshold of which is extremely high (see more here).
It is, however, important to note that FACE’s findings have been used in legal proceedings for 2 of our publicized abuse cases. The FACE executive director, Alia Salem, was subpoenaed and testified in 2019 to the findings and behavior witnessed in support of the victim in the civil trial against Zia Sheikh. Additionally, if there is a legal proceeding that does take place before, during, and/or after our investigation process, FACE will work to make sure that the outcome of that proceeding is also made available to the public as well. This is evident in the section on our website titled “Historic Transgressions,” separate from our investigations section, where FACE has compiled data from the criminal legal system on cases of abuse that have been publicized by secular media outlets and/or publicly available court records.
Finally, it is important to note that FACE follows all applicable local, state, and federal laws in the course of conducting our investigations and publishing our findings.
Why doesn't FACE leave these allegations to law enforcement?
If I submit an allegation, does that automatically trigger an investigation?
No. A preliminary process that begins with an intake and includes requesting initial evidentiary support, then culminates in obtaining consent from a person with firsthand knowledge of the abuse before an investigation will be opened.
You can; however, if there is a desire for us to investigate or use the allegation in a meaningful way, your identity must be known to FACE. We will never disclose your identity under any circumstances.
Can I submit an allegation anonymously?
If I contribute to an allegation/investigation, will my identity be exposed?
Not by FACE. The only exceptions are if you choose to be named in the findings, or if our investigation proves that you participated in the abuse and/or covered it up.
While FACE will do everything within its power to conceal the identities of cooperative parties with a special focus on victim/survivor identity protection, this process is extremely risky and there is no guarantee of complete anonymity. There is a high probability that the Subject of the report (the accused) will be able to determine the identities of some of the contributors.
In the last stage of the investigation, FACE offers victims/survivors and most sources the opportunity to review sections of the report pertaining directly to their statements to ensure the accuracy of the facts they shared and mitigate any potential risks to unnecessary identity exposure.
What are the risks of participating in the FACE process?
FACE has a comprehensive process for all allegations of abuse. You can view an explainer video at this link: youtube.com/watch?v=SQ_q0QyxCkQ and our Case Management flow chart below (Figure 1). Each allegation goes through a thorough vetting process based on whether or not it falls within our scope of physical, sexual, financial, and/or spiritual abuse, as well as if the transgressions are an abuse of power perpetrated by a community or clergy leader in the course of their fiduciary responsibilities.
FACE also assesses whether or not there are primary victims/survivors and sources willing to speak to us as that largely determines whether we are able to make any headway in the investigation itself. Lastly, we only pursue allegations that are credible and have a basis for merit. This is all determined through an intake with focused questions that provide both an objective and subjective evaluation.
Figure 1 - Case Management Flowchart
How does FACE determine which cases to accept?
How does FACE substantiate allegations by victims/survivors against their abusers?
FACE goes into the substantiation process understanding that false reporting is, statistically speaking, an extremely rare occurrence (see NSVRC’s report) and that minority or marginalized communities often endure compounding barriers to reporting abuse (see The Sentencing Project’s report). Our process does not include an adjudicatory component, nor do our findings force compliance, but rather serve as a warning system for community engagement. Nonetheless, we do hold ourselves to a high standard of proof, recognizing the incredible trust placed in our hands. See the details below that illustrate our evidentiary requirements.
Statements and allegations require a minimum of 2 pieces of evidentiary support that support the allegation of abuse in definitive terms which include, but are not limited to:
Admission of misconduct by the accused party
Independent corroboration by another victim/survivor or source.
“Independent” is defined as someone who does not have a direct affiliation with the other party who also provided the same or similar details of the violation
An eyewitness that corroborates all or part of the allegation
A licensed professional who provides a formal statement that they received and documented a matching initial outcry or abuse disclosure
2 or more individuals who provide formal statements that they received an initial outcry from a victim shortly after being abused physically or sexually
Records of a documented authoritative accountability process and/or legal action in reference to the current allegation or other allegations similar in nature.
Verified soft or hard copies of evidentiary support that corroborate all or part of the allegation
This includes, but is not limited to: phone records, identified recordings, verified text messages, verified screenshots, videos, photos, e-mails, employment records, disciplinary records, education records, and/or travel documents
Soft or hard copies of evidentiary support (listed above) that were obtained directly by authorized members of the FACE investigative team
The FACE methodology consists of an interdisciplinary approach that views allegations of abuse through seven different disciplines. Of these seven disciplines, FACE evaluates and categorizes abuse through Islamic theological, U.S./Canadian legal, and mental health frameworks. Through these three disciplines, we can understand cases of alleged abuse and weigh a leader’s actions both objectively and subjectively. Each of these disciplines have vast frameworks for understanding allegations of abuse, how to identify abuse, what elements must be present to be considered abuse, and how the abuse affects victims/survivors, individuals and communities.
More practically speaking, we have narrowed our scope of focus to allegations of physical, sexual, financial, and spiritual abuse. Therefore, if we can answer yes to the following questions below and obtain evidentiary support using the stipulations listed in the section just preceding this one, then it is reasonable to conclude abuse has occurred.
Question 1: Did the accused leader engage in sexual behavior towards another person using force, by taking advantage of a vulnerable person, or by exploiting a person under their care through their position of trust or power?
Question 2: Did the accused leader deliberately cause injury or trauma to another person by way of bodily contact from one person upon another or by deliberately causing an object to come in contact with another person?
Question 3: Did the accused leader engage in the illegal or unauthorized use of a person or institution’s property, donations, money, investments or valuables for their personal gain?
Question 4: Did the accused leader use religion to manipulate, control and bully through the guise of religion, religious principles or claims to spirituality?
How does FACE determine if abuse has occurred?
How does FACE prioritize investigations?
Each investigation is prioritized on a case-by-case basis. FACE generally prioritizes by order of submission. However, it is often the case that a divergence in this prioritization occurs, which is born out of variables including access to substantiated evidentiary support, barriers due to concurrent accountability processes, victim/survivor and source participation, and limited organizational resources.
In FACE’s experience, it has been unrealistic to aim for completion of an investigation in less than seven months, and some of the bigger investigations may span years. As our organization continues to grow, and we obtain more resources, we hope to facilitate a quicker process without sacrificing the quality of our work.
FACE defines spiritual abuse as using religion to manipulate, control and bully through the guise of religion, religious principles or claims to spirituality for one’s own personal gain. It may also consist of the manipulation and distortion of religious texts including statements of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, verses of the Qur’an and other theological references, with the deliberate intent to control, harass, shame, intimidate, manipulate, extort, gaslight, coerce, blackmail and/or hurt people, especially those with whom the leader has a direct position of trust or responsibility over.
Spiritual abuse can have a dangerous impact on one’s mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, and even financial health. The weaponization of faith can aid in the destruction of an individual’s relationship to their faith and their communities with a particularly damaging effect when the person doing the weaponizing is a trusted leader or member of clergy.
See our Glossary of Terms on our website here. (Coming soon!)
What is spiritual abuse?
What is FACE's position on polygamy/bigamy?
FACE is not a religious institution and thus does not take a position on such issues, especially concerning individual interpretations and observance of Islamic practices that are generally applicable. FACE’s role is to intervene when there are credible allegations of abuse, ethical violations, and the removal of rights by a religious or community leader.
For example, FACE has had several cases where individuals are engaging in abusive and unethical practices while purporting to be participating in a polygamous relationship, such as concealed marriages. The aspect of the relationship that is problematic is not the polygamy itself, but the deliberate concealment and manipulation resulting in abusive and unethical conduct.
FACE serves individuals who identify as members of the Muslim community in the U.S. and Canada. However, our identity, structural model, and processes were designed with the possibility of expansion to support other decentralized communities in the future.
Who does FACE serve?
What is the purpose of publishing reports?
FACE publishes findings from our investigations to provide a permanent public record of a religious or community leader’s misconduct that would serve as a warning and deterrent for the community and potential employers.
Are all of FACE's investigation findings public?
FACE has 5 different kinds of report releases:
A public release with announcements and deliberate distribution
A public release without announcements or distribution
No public release, limited distribution, and partially on the FACE website
No public release, limited distribution, and not on the FACE website
No public release, no distribution, not on the FACE website
Every single release is decided on a case-by-case basis but is typically sorted based on the types of transgressions and threat-level assessment. Criteria affecting report publication visibility may rely on the following conditions:
The veracity and/or substantiation of allegations
The existence of a religious legal transgression
The existence of a secular legal transgression (civil code or criminal code)
Considerations with respect to the egregiousness of the transgressions based on religious or secular documented categories
Considerations with respect to the health and wellbeing of primary victims and the accused party
The status of the accused party as it pertains to their leadership position
What can I do after a report is published?
FACE has tools and trainings in place to educate community members and leadership on how to address the abusive behavior and the abuser. In summary, FACE encourages members of the affected community to:
Make sure people in the community and in positions of power have seen and read the report
Attend the report briefing that FACE provides after a report is published, which is open to all members of the directly affected community and anyone who is part of the FACE Founder’s Club
Reach out to other concerned community members to ensure that people in positions of power address the concerns and implement recommendations to protect the community
Identify yourself as a community member who upholds the findings and believes in creating an environment where victims/survivors are safe to come forward
Consider implementing grassroots actions such as town halls, petitions, boycotts, letter drives, and protests if community leadership does not take appropriate action to address the report findings and ensure victim/survivor and community protections
For more information, you can visit our Community Response Toolkit (coming this Thursday 9/9/21!) for comprehensive actions that can be taken. If you are part of an affected community and a report has been released in your area, or even if abuse within your community has been uncovered through a different means unrelated to FACE, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have questions or would like to consult on possible next steps you can take.
How much does FACE charge those who report abuse in order to conduct an investigation?
FACE interprets compensation (monetary or gifts) from victims/survivors, sources, or institutions for its investigation services to be an automatic conflict of interest that could jeopardize the outcome of the impartial investigation. Therefore, we do not request or accept any monetary compensation before, during, or after the completion of the investigation, and even prohibit those involved in a case process to refrain from donating to FACE until after the investigation has been completed. This policy further helps FACE maintain its objectivity and independence.
How does FACE protect the safety and well-being of victims/survivors?
While FACE cannot guarantee anyone’s safety, nor can we guarantee that those accused or close to the cases will not be able to uncover the identity of investigation participants, we do have a strict policy in place that states the following:
“FACE prohibits the publication of names, terms, titles, or any identifying information, for all victims and survivors within our investigative report findings. FACE also prohibits the publication of names and/or identifying details for cooperative sources to the extent that it does not compromise the integrity of our report findings.”
FACE also has a policy in place to make available, coordinate, and pay for the first 10 sessions of mental health counseling for any victim/survivor or source participating in our process, should they choose to utilize this service. We do this in the hopes of ensuring that a victim-directed avenue of healing is available to them without cost prohibitions or lack of knowledge around navigating the field of mental health service provision.
In some cases, if a victim expresses safety concerns, and if funding is available, we may expend the resources to procure digital security services, security cameras, emergency housing, food, or other tangible safety precautions for vulnerable people. FACE also provides referral services to help victims/survivors and sources find attorneys and victim advocates, should they request that assistance.
How does FACE protect the safety and well-being of victims/survivors?
While FACE cannot guarantee anyone’s safety, nor can we guarantee that those accused or close to the cases will not be able to uncover the identity of investigation participants, we do have a strict policy in place that states the following:
“FACE prohibits the publication of names, terms, titles, or any identifying information, for all victims and survivors within our investigative report findings. FACE also prohibits the publication of names and/or identifying details for cooperative sources to the extent that it does not compromise the integrity of our report findings.”
FACE also has a policy in place to make available, coordinate, and pay for the first 10 sessions of mental health counseling for any victim/survivor or source participating in our process, should they choose to utilize this service. We do this in the hopes of ensuring that a victim-directed avenue of healing is available to them without cost prohibitions or lack of knowledge around navigating the field of mental health service provision.
In some cases, if a victim expresses safety concerns, and if funding is available, we may expend the resources to procure digital security services, security cameras, emergency housing, food, or other tangible safety precautions for vulnerable people. FACE also provides referral services to help victims/survivors and sources find attorneys and victim advocates, should they request that assistance.
FACE works with many imams, religious leaders and scholars in the course of our work, maintaining wonderfully productive and affirming relationships with some of our community’s most ardent servant leaders committed to justice. Several of our opened cases were reported to us by imams and other leaders who abhor the abusive practices they have witnessed by those masquerading as respected members of clergy, academia, and community leadership. Additionally, FACE has also worked with several imams, who themselves have been victims of abuse. Addressing abuse by religious and community leaders as well as the implementation of accountability practices requires participation from everyone occupying every station within our society.
Is FACE against imams or scholars?
If FACE works with imams/scholars, why haven't any of them come out publicly in support of you?
When FACE was first founded, we reached out to two dozen scholars, imams, and other leaders for public support, but we encountered hesitation and skepticism. As we forged ahead, largely unsupported, many leaders became more familiar and comfortable with our approach. However, we realized three things that influenced our long-term strategy concerning partnerships and reputational support in a very fundamental way:
One of FACE’s main goals is to turn the focus away from reputations and our reliance on them for our community’s well-being.
Our community, as diverse as it is, does not always place value on the same individuals. A person that may be considered trustworthy and reputable could be viewed as having a negative impact in other circles.
Deepening permanent relationships with people who make up the very population we seek to hold accountable risks the credibility and reliance that people, especially victims/survivors, place on our work should one of those leaders be found to have engaged in an abuse of power at any point in their career.
All of these realizations made it clear that FACE needed to operate more creatively in order to stay true to our mission and to the victims/survivors we have encountered and will work with in the future. As such, FACE is extremely cautious about who we engage with and how we partner to ensure it is compatible with our stated goals as opposed to garnering reputational support for the sake of leveraging identities for FACE’s success.
How does FACE deal with conflicts of interest within its staff and investigations?
FACE takes conflicts of interest and perceived conflicts of interest very seriously. Because many of our team members are part of, and deeply involved in community work, conflicts or the perception of them began to become more prevalent. As a result, in 2021, we formed a conflicts committee that facilitates separate conversations to determine whether our staff must be conflicted out of a particular investigation. We recuse ourselves immediately from any such investigations in which the investigation may be compromised by the involvement of a staff or board member.
Do FACE team members support a "feminist agenda?"
FACE recognizes the overwhelming impact on women when addressing abuse within a community. Over 80% of victims and survivors reported to FACE are female, many of whom are from historically marginalized communities within an already marginalized Muslim population. Having services and programs that center on female empowerment and access to resources is critical in mitigating the glaring disparities and hardships that women encounter daily in society.
FACE, however, also recognizes the historical challenges presented by feminist movements that largely derive from liberal white affluent perspectives. As a result, feminist movements historically have not allowed for women from diverse backgrounds and communities of color to be represented. Additionally our board is comprised of a broad range of perspectives that contain nuanced approaches to the idea of “feminism” in all its iterations. It is an important feature of FACE’s approach to not take positions or make statements that alienate or discourage representation of anyone in exchange for the admiration and respect of a particular group.
Allah is clear on the issue of homosexuality and FACE is not here to make halal what has been made haraam. FACE is a community-centered justice-based organization founded by Muslims and we use the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ to guide us, taking great care to work in a way that upholds the commands of Allah. That being said, FACE seeks to serve anyone and everyone who has undergone abuse at the hands of a religious or community leader, regardless of who they are. We stand unapologetically against discriminating against, disparaging, alienating, harming or creating an environment of violence or inequality in connection to a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. We are committed to fostering an equitable and compassionate environment for all victims.