Muslims for Progressive Values is heartbroken and dismayed by the news of the brutal murder of Aayisa Hassan, apparently at the hands of her husband. As we mourn the loss of yet another sister to domestic violence, we ask that Muslims everywhere reaffirm their commitment to eradicate this lethal threat to our beloved mothers and daughters.
 
Mrs. Hassan worked in service to the Muslim community, attempting to dispel hateful stereotypes by developing television programming with alternative perspectives. The cruelty of her slaying is only compounded by the element of betrayal of her life's work: Mrs. Hassan attempted to portray the best of our community, only to fall victim to its worst.
 
It is now up to every Muslim to fulfill Mrs. Hassan's mission by actively preventing tragedies like this. In the renewal of our commitment to end domestic violence, we honor the memory of a woman who endeavored to show the world her compassionate vision of the Muslim community. Working together, we can redeem her contribution to society by securing within our own families the respect, understanding, and compassion that she was so cruelly denied.

We call on our community leaders in mosques, Islamic centers and schools across the nation to raise awareness of domestic violence and to reinforce the central Islamic teachings of love, compassion, free choice, and gender equality. Specifically, we expect our leaders and role models to adhere to a zero tolerance policy toward domestic violence and to support practical solutions toward aiding those threatened by it. In this way, may we honor the memory of Mrs. Hassan and every woman and family who has suffered the pain of violence in their own homes.

MPV has recently launched a petition to eradicate domestic violence in our communities. We invite you to add your voice, please click here.

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