Help an Aspiring Muslim Leader Study Islamic Law and Conflict Resolution!

My name is Hasnaa Mokhtar and I am a doctoral student in International Development at Clark University researching religio-cultural gender-based violence in Muslim communities. I have been accepted at the Karamah Law and Leadership Summer Program to study Law, Conflict Resolution, Public Reason and more based on the fundamentals of Islam. I request your kind assistance to empower me so I can pay it forward, insha'Allah!

Studying Gender-Based Violence 

My Ph.D. research centers on these questions rooted in my personal experience:

1. How can gender-based violence be understood within its cultural, historical, and local contexts away from relativism? 

2. How can gender-based violence be analyzed in ways that do not (re)produce Islamophobic stereotypes of Muslim women as victims and Muslim men as villains?  

As a Muslim woman, and especially in the current Islamophobic political climate, I am invested in pursuing this research and working with people to identify effective strategies and programs that are culturally competent and consistent with the Muslim contexts to tackle gender violence. 

To learn more about my work, please visit: www.clippings.me/hmokhtar

My Core Beliefs Have Been at Odds With Everything I'm Studying

To answer the above questions, I need to learn about Islamic Law, Leadership, and Conflict Resolution based on the fundamentals of Islam and the Qur'an - which is what Karamah offers through their summer program. Ever since I started my graduate studies and my core beliefs as a Muslim woman have been at odds with everything I am reading and discussing in academic classrooms and conferences. The problem lies in Eurocentric and colonial epistemology, methodologies, theories, and knowledge(s). 

To learn more about the program, please visit: Law & Leadership Program

Help Me Make the World a Better Place for My Son, Malik

Every day I ask myself, “What opportunities do I have to craft inspiring stories and practical solutions to gender violence?” Combining my journalistic and research skills, I want to utilize innovative storytelling techniques to empower Muslim men and women through sharing their personal narratives. I also aim to assess the needs of Muslim communities in relation to gender violence and work together to establish effective and creative training, advocacy, and prevention campaigns to confront the problem. Whether at school or among activists in civil society, nothing is more enriching and rewarding than becoming part of a movement striving to make the world a better place for us and for future generations including my two-year-old son Malik. 

Program Details 

Program Dates: July 10th - July 28th 

Registration Fee: $500. 

Housing Cost: $1,700.

Travel Fare: $500.

Here are more details.

"Read!" [Qur'an 96.1]

Prophet Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him said, "To acquire knowledge is the duty of every Muslim woman and man.” Please support my journey of knowledge seeking. Attending Karamah’s program is my chance to learn and empower myself so I can pay it forward inshallah! 

A session entitled Islamophobia and Construction of the “Other” I organized during the Racial Justice Teach-In at Clark University – Jan. 2017

I kindly request that you also share my campaign on social media!