Resilience in the Face of Domestic Violence: Case Study of Muslim Women's Experiences from Houston, Texas

Studies have indicated that Muslim women are faced with a double burden as targets of intimate partner violence, because of their intersecting identities of gender and religion. In the last several years, based on this fact, there is a growing demand and institution of programs to address the needs of Muslim women, especially so in the domestic violence arena. This study explores the challenges that abused Muslim women face in navigating Muslim marriage laws through interviews with abused Muslim women in Texas. The larger context and environment of the country and developments in the world have shaped perceptions and interactions that impact the abused Muslim women in many significant ways. Often such implications are not recognized and this study highlights those. The findings of this study will be useful for policy makers to understand what policies may address the domestic violence related needs of abused Muslim women.