Sociology of Violence

Gaps in knowledge, cultural values and expectations from systems in America have caused the prevalence of abuse to remain high among Islamic women (Coleman, 2004). The problem with intimate violence among Muslim women in America is not based on higher levels of violence, but is instead linked to social connotations of domestic violence in perspective of both Islamic and United States values. What is the definition of domestic violence? The concept of domestic violence is defined not only by nations and institutions, but also varies according to the cultural relations in which one has to a given act. Domestic violence against women creates complexities because of associations with belief and ways in which this is defined by various communities. In the United States, domestic violence involves physical or mental abuse against a woman, specifically in the domestic or intimate setting. The violence is now recognized as prohibited and has led to formation of a number of feminist movements, protests and women’s policy agencies. These are each designed to change the main approaches to feminism. The concept of feminism in the United States is associated directly with ideologies of institutional policies, agendas and beliefs over the actions of domestic violence (Weldon, 2002). … This further complicates the problem by allowing other male family members to be part of the abuse and violence against women. Women are supposed to remain at home to look after children. This means that they do not have a source of income and will solely depend on their husbands. What is the extent of domestic violence against women in the Islamic community? Even though there is a specific context associated with domestic violence against women in the United States, there are different social connotations from various countries. In the Islamic nations, domestic violence is defined in other terms, specifically because of the association of the family and the expectations among married women and men. Women in most Islamic countries remain dependent on men and carry a social status that is not equivalent to men in terms of work orientation and social status. The family organization in Islamic families leads to acceptance of domestic violence by most people in the countries, specifically with attitudes that reflect a sense of dependence on men (Finigan, 2010). It is noted that women in Islamic countries are more tolerant to abuse and lack of policies and associations within organizations. More, the family make-up is one which accepts the abuse of women with the cycle of abuse accumulating with women who remain in the same environment. They are then isolated from their families and united with the husband’s family after marriage. The sense of social isolation which is created leads to general acceptance of domestic abuse within the family. The family status, generalized attitudes and the lack of policies in the religion all lead to the

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