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Coronavirus: Coping with Trauma and Abuse in Isolation is a Struggle

June 8, 2020

Before I start, I’d like to tell you a little bit of my story as a Muslim-American woman and survivor of sexual abuse. I am a daughter of immigrants who fled Egypt nearly 30 years ago. I am also a survivor of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. Growing up, my father molested me for years, while my mom turned the other cheek. For years, I was my family’s sacrificial lamb. It was an unspoken rule in our household. These days, as we all promote self-isolation to flatten the curve of the Coronavirus in American and around the world, I am reminded of the women and children who are forced to stay home with their abusers during this time. The mental anguish can be crippling and could have an impact on self-esteem, relationships, and mental health for decades to come. For people of Middle Eastern descent — particularly Muslims — speaking out against this kind of domestic abuse is seen as betrayal because family “always comes first.” Today, as we are all encouraged to stay home, Muslim survivors and victims in particular need to know that they are not alone, that…


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