SUSTAIN OUR COMMUNITY-BASED WORK

As a Canadian not-for-profit organization, your donation helps sustain Guided Root's volunteer-led initiatives and cover legal and organizational fees. Today, we invite you to join our growing guided roots community, where we work towards a world where family is a truly safe place. 

OUR PROJECTS

• MAPS - https://maps.guidedroots.ca/ - (a volunteer-led project) National map of culturally responsive mental health and domestic violence services across Canada. It serves individuals, masajid, schools, and organizations. Whether you are an imam helping someone in crisis, a shelter worker supporting a Muslim client who wants spiritual guidance, or simply an individual looking for help, MAPS was built to connect you to culturally anchored support.
• Parenting Space Wellness Program - https://guidedroots.ca/parents/ - Over the last two years, Parenting Space program has reached  hundreds of families in the GTA and beyond. We have collaborated with professionals in different fields, invested in intensive curriculums, and build the capacity of our organization and our team to provide whole-some, evidence-based and faith-anchored healing and learning spaces for Muslim parents and caregivers in our community.
• Im AWARE - https://dv.guidedroots.ca/# - (a volunteer-led project)  A culturally responsive repository and training initiative designed to equip our community leaders and imams with practical tools to better support survivors and improve responsiveness. Phase 1 of this project is complete, alhamdu lillah. But to launch it this year, we need your support.

A REPOSITORY FOR MUSLIM ADVOCACY AGAINST WOMEN ABUSE

At Guided Roots, we are building a Comprehensive Guide, Resources, and Training Program on Domestic Violence Intervention. Our goal is to ensure we can effectively support Muslim families by ensuring that resources, training, and assistance is at their fingertips to help any victim of family violence who knocks at their door.  

DID YOU KNOW?

Research shows that Imams are first responders to 50% of Muslim victims of domestic violence in North America (highest for any faith group), however, they often lack first responder training and resources to recognize and properly respond. Our Imams not only have an enormous potential to help and support victims of domestic abuse and silence abusers, but their awareness, support and activism may allow the Muslim Community to address this issue better than any others! Guided Roots was born with a dream to make it happen.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT/OUR STORY

Eight years ago, following an incident in our community, we witnessed firsthand the fears, barriers and lack of community support experienced by our fellow sisters in our mosque community. Our repeated requests to address this issue in the sermon was dismissed, quoting ‘we have already given a sermon on the rights of wives once this year’, ‘there is little we can do’, ‘domestic violence is not a big problem in our community’.

We were repeatedly asked by women, ‘what does Islam say about domestic violence?’

It was obvious that there was gap in understanding the reality of the situation and the awareness within our faith leaders or their perceived role in it. A survey of 170 Muslim women in Canada and interview of faith leaders revealed some critical facts and factors on domestic violence in the Canadian Muslim community:

# SPOUSAL VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IS WIDESPREAD

# CHILDREN WHO WITNESS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SUFFER LIFELONG CONSEQUENCES

# IMAMS ARE OFTEN THE FIRST RESPONDER A VICTIM COMES TO AND SOMETIMES THE ONLY ONE

# MANY 'ABUSE' RELIGION TO JUSTIFY THEIR ACTIONS, YET LITTLE IS DONE TO SILENCE THEM

Find more about the research/references: guidedroots.ca/our-research/

Muslim women are not more vulnerable to spousal violence compared to the rest of society. However, one in three is one too many. The interviews of faith leaders conclude that Muslim faith leaders in Canada believe in the religious intolerance of domestic abuse, however, many factors prevent them from talking about this issue openly. These same factors create unique barriers for Muslim women to seek support. As the findings highlight, Muslim faith leaders have an enormous potential to help and support victims of domestic abuse and silence abusers, if only they themselves are aware, informed, active, and have access to the right resources.

‘The Imām is a guardian and he is responsible (for his subjects)’ (Al-Bukhāri, trans. 1997, Hadīth # 5188).

We believe that when mosques openly condemn domestic violence and educate community members about its impact on the next generation of Muslims, it may not only dismantle the fears that prevent victims from seeking help, but the Muslim community may also address this issue better than any others.

We Don't Just Believe, We Believe in Taking Action.

Guided Roots is a community-based, volunteer-led, Canadian non-profit, with a goal to empower our Muslim Community and Leaders to nurture healthy families.  Our project, Muslim Advocacy for Women Abuse Resources for Everyone , is born out of a community need to make information, resources, and training about this stigmatized problem accessible and available to our community members. Through supporting this campaign, you too can become part of this noble dream.   

MORE ABOUT THIS CAMPAIGN

​This  campaign will support us through Phase 3 of the Project:

Phase 1: Creating Guide Content and Resource Materials for Website and Campaigns (Complete, alhamdulillah)

Phase 2:

• Reviewing & Finalizing Guide Content & Resource Materials (Review by Field Experts)
• Converting the Guide to an E-book
• Transforming the Guide to Visual Media (Information & Learning Videos)

Phase 3: Developing the Training Program & Support for Our Imams & Mosques

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HOW YOU CAN HELP 

• ​SUPPORT THE PROJECT: The simple truth is: we can't do this without you. From administration to professional fees, from graphics design to publishing, there are a lot of expenses involved in sustaining a newly found non-profit. Your support will go a long way in helping us thrive. At the end of the day, you are helping build our community, and we pray that Allah accepts this Sadaqatul Jaariya from you and from all our volunteers. Please consider donating using this launchgood page.
• JOIN OUR TEAM: As a volunteer-led community-based organization, our doors are always open for individuals who feel passionate about fighting the injustices of society and want a platform to use their skills to influence societal change. To find out about the different ways to get involved, please visit https://guidedroots.ca/join-our-team/ 
• SPREAD THE WORD: Please follow us on social media, join the conversation, & help us give voice to those in need.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/guidedroots.ca

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/guidedroots.ca

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GuidedRoots

Website: https://guidedroots.ca

Learn More: https://dv.guidedroots.ca/
 

Email: [email protected]