Addressing Abuse Through God-Consciousness

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Saadia Yacoob

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This chapter considers alternative paradigms for addressing sexual abuse in the
Muslim community beyond a focus on bodily autonomy. Much of the approach to addressing sexual abuse emphasizes the importance of bodily autonomy in navigating relationships and human interactions. This focus on bodily autonomy, however, can be alienating for communities that come from contexts and histories that do not share this liberal ethic that prioritizes both the individual as well as their autonomy. This problem is further intensified when we consider minoritized Muslim communities who feel that what is demanded of them is participation in an ethical conversation that does not consider or respect their religious worldview. This chapter considers whether there are resources available in Islamic ethics that can address sexual abuse in the community without having to insist on bodily autonomy. In considering this, the chapter argues for conceptualizing the individual within a network of relations that are navigated through God-consciousness. In making this argument, the chapter thinks with amina wadud’s tawhidic paradigm to argue for an understanding of the self that is shaped through the relation to other humans, relations that are navigated through God-centrality and God-consciousness.