Addressing Spiritual Abuse at the Intersection of GBV & Islamophobia

Join us for a thought-provoking panel discussion on the complex and often overlooked issue of spiritual abuse in the context of gender-based violence and Islamophobia. The panel features esteemed experts in their fields, including Dr. Ingrid Mattson, Alia Salem, Yasmine Youssef, Nakita Valerio and Chaplain Ibrahim Long, who each bring unique perspectives and insights to the conversation, which will be moderated by Rifaa Carter.

Panelists will share insights into how spiritual abuse can manifest in the context of gender-based violence, and examine its impacts and the unique challenges that survivors from Muslim communities may face in seeking support and healing. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding and a renewed commitment to creating safer, and more accountable and responsive communities.

Facilitator:

Rifaa is an advocate, peer counselor and community researcher, and contributes on several advisory boards and working groups aimed at improving outcomes for survivors of gender based violence. Her advocacy and community education efforts are focused on addressing service gaps and barriers for non-status, immigrant and refugee women and their children, as well as community attitudes, in the hope of creating responsive, compassionate and accountable communities. Rifaa is a Peer Counselor and Co-Lead of the Survivor Expert Collective for the Traumatic Brain Injury-Gender Based Violence (TBI-GBV) project at WomenatthecentrE, and studies Indigenous Social Work (BSW) at Laurentian University.

Panelists:

Dr. Ingrid Mattson Since 2012 Dr. Ingrid Mattson, PhD (Chicago, 1999) has held the London & Windsor Chair of Islamic Studies at Huron University College at Western University. Previously she taught at Hartford Seminary (CT) where she founded the first accredited graduate program in Islamic Chaplaincy in North America. From 2001-2010 Dr. Mattson served as Vice-President, then President, of the Islamic Society of North America (USA). In that position she established the Office of Interfaith and Community Engagement in Washington DC, facilitating new partnerships with other faith-based and civic organizations. Her writings focus on Qur’an interpretation, Islamic ethics and interfaith relations. In 2018 Dr. Mattson founded the Hurma Project, a research and educational initiative to prevent and respond to violations of trust in Muslim spaces.

Ibrahim J. Long, MSW, MA, is a passionate advocate for the integration of spirituality and mental health. Throughout his education, he has blended traditional Islamic and academic religious studies (BA, MA) with clinical training in spiritual care and counselling. Ibrahim has over a decade of experience helping individuals and institutions compassionately navigate intersections between wellness, institutional practices, and faith identities. As Youth Mental Health Lead and Chaplain for the Islamic Family and Social Services Association (IslamicFamily.ca), Ibrahim provides counsel, advocacy, and support for Muslim youth and young adults in Edmonton, Alberta.

Alia Salem is the Founder and Executive Director of Facing Abuse in Community Environments (FACE). Her professional background is in communications, organizational development, and community organizing. Alia has been serving Muslim and other marginalized communities at the local, state, and national level for the past 17 years and is also a co-founder of Action for Palestine (AFP). She is a proud Roddenberry Fellow Alumna and a Dallas Public Voices Fellow with the OpEd Project. She is a published writer and public speaker and her work has been featured on most major media outlets globally. She is a graduate of UT Arlington with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with her three focuses of study being in Communications, Sociology and Religion/Culture

FACE’s mission is to drive focused cultural change among Muslims that leads to transparent survivor-centered community safety and leader accountability, outside the criminal legal system, for those who abuse their positions of trust and authority

Nakita Valerio is an award-winning writer, researcher, and Muslim community organizer based on Treaty 6 territory in Edmonton. She is honoured to serve as the Research Director for the Institute for Religious and Socio-Political Studies (I-RSS), as well as the Editor-in-Chief for the RSS Journal. She is a graduate in history and Islamic-Jewish studies from the University of Alberta and has been a research fellow with the Tessellate Institute, I-RSS, the Edmonton Council of Muslim Communities (ECMC) and Mercy Mission Canada (MMC). Nakita also acts as an academic strategist/mentor for graduate students in the disciplines of history, religious studies, sociology, and social work. She also serves as an advisor and current research fellow with the Chester Ronning Center for the Study of Religion and Public Life at the University of Alberta. Nakita homeschools her two children and is the founder of both the Nusaibah Collective for Muslim women and a primary school in rural Morocco.

Yasmine Youssef, MSW, is the Program Director of Nisa Homes, a national group of transitional shelters for Muslim women and children in Canada. She has been passionate about helping women experiencing and fleeing abuse since high school. She has a decade of experience in the social services field, including working in mental health and union advocacy. She joined Nisa Homes during its infancy in 2015 and has since helped grow and establish homes in 10 cities across Canada. She is also the mother of two boys, and when she isn’t busy running after them, she tries to paint to maintain her sanity.