Listening to Unheard Voices: Muslim Canadian Perceptions and Experiences of Domestic Violence and Seeking Help

This research was designed to contribute to an understanding of intimate partner violence perpetration and help-seeking behaviours among Muslim immigrants. The mandate of this study is not to ostracize Muslims or cast judgement for or against religious beliefs, but to better understand how religion and culture might interact with other factors to influence domestic violence perpetration. This understanding is critical for the development and implementation of effective intervention. In this study, I used a mixed-method to explore how religious perspectives, patriarchal attitudes toward women, cumulative childhood abuse and acculturation might be related to domestic violence and help-seeking at both attitudinal and behavioural levels. In a quantitative study, survey data was collected from 131 Muslim students. In a qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 8 abusive Muslim men. The results of both studies were converging: religiosity predicted acceptance of violence and intimate partner violence via non-egalitarian attitudes toward women. Contrary to intergenerational theories of family violence, cumulative childhood experiences of abuse were not related to either acceptance or experiences of violence or help-seeking behaviours. In the quantitative study, acculturation also moderated the relationship between non-egalitarian attitudes towards women and domestic violence. The relationships were stronger for participants who were at lower levels of acculturation, compared with those at higher levels. Similarly, in the qualitative study, abusive men indicated that women acculturated faster to Canadian society and were empowered by Canadian regulations. Different levels of acculturation were considered threatening to men's positions as heads of the family and seemed to contribute to conflict and violence in the relationship. Non-egalitarian attitudes toward women also predicted beliefs toward help-seeking through acceptance of violence. Participants with higher levels of acculturation showed more egalitarian attitudes and tendencies toward help-seeking behaviours. The qualitative study also revealed that Muslim men were reluctant to seek formal help due to their traditional gender role ideology, their lack of familiarity with available services and their doubts about the effectiveness of those services. Findings around both domestic violence and help-seeking behaviours have applications for effective prevention, as well as community-based and culturally-based intervention programs for Muslim immigrants.Ph.D