From: nmnonline@googlegroups.com [mailto:nmnonline@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of NMN Forum
Sent: Wednesday, 30 December 2015 11:25 PM
To: NMNonline@googlegroups.com
Subject: [NMN] 47 Safety Tips for Muslim Women Post Link: http://www.nmnonline.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=5644#p19904
Posted by: Bashir Agboola
Posted on: Wed, 30 Dec 2015 13:22:05 +0000
As-salaamu 'alaykum,
Let us share these safety tips with our family members and others that can
benefit from them. They can be beneficial to women and men alike.
Bashir
47 Safety Tips for Muslim Women
Staff Writer
Muslims and their institutions have already been facing increased hostility,
hate, and attacks in the wake of the February 10, 2015 murders of three
Muslim students in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Since then, an Islamic
institute in Houston has been torched in what local law enforcement is
suspecting is arson, a number of Muslims have been harassed while driving,
and hate online is being whipped up, even amid the messages and vigils in
support of American Muslims.
This is nothing new, especially for Muslims who have lived through Gulf Wars
I and II, the Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11, as well as any other attacks
relating to Muslims and/or Muslim countries. Backlash and hate have become
expected in these circumstances.
However, what is new is the social media component. Hate online is something
that was not as prevalent after 9/11. And it is the key ingredient in
worsening Islamophobia today.
Women in Hijab are at most risk.
Given these extraordinary circumstances, we are offering these updated
safety tips. We first issued them immediately after the 9/11 attacks.
However, we have enhanced them based on our current circumstances. Please
share widely. May Allah protect all from harm regardless of their religious,
racial, or ethnic background.
Your phone can save your life
Call 9/11 if you are in danger at any point, while walking, in the car, or
anywhere else. With smartphones or camera phones in almost everyone's hands,
these handy devices can save lives, including yours.
Filming an attack as it happens and taking a photo of a license plate of a
car trying to hit you are just two ways a perpetrator may back off. It will
also provide evidence needed to put these hate-filled criminals behind bars
if necessary.
Consider purchasing a phone with just call and text options for every family
member, especially kids in school.
Make a habit of charging phones the night before and never leaving home
without them in the mornings.
Download apps that help family members keep tabs on each other's
whereabouts, like Life360. Other apps you can
download include those aimed at
women's
safety,
students, and those that help you
our-back.html> watch your back.
When walking or traveling alone
Always be aware of your surroundings. This applies whether you are traveling
alone or in groups. Don't just focus inwardly on your thoughts if you are
alone, or your friends if you are together. Keep one eye out for your
environment, looking out for suspicious characters, possible danger, etc.
Also, don't assume that because your area has been "safe" thus far, that it
will continue to be so.
Travel in groups. "There is safety in numbers" is not just a cliche. It's
true. Make a point of traveling together with family members headed the same
way, friends, or classmates, whether it's on public transportation, on
campus, in cars, etc.
Change the route you normally travel by. If you've taken the same bus,
train, or highway to get to work or school, change your route. Even if it
takes you a little longer, your safety is more important. By changing your
route, you can avert possible attacks or harassment from those who know your
schedule, method, and route of travel well. Please note though that you
should avoid short cuts that take you through unfamiliar or unsafe areas.
Look confident. Walk with a straight posture and your arms swinging by your
sides. Avoid slouching or walking like a victim. This makes you an easy
target for attackers.
Unplug your headphones while outside. If you're used to listening to Quran,
lectures, or music while outside, drop this habit. With your headphones or
earbuds on, you cannot hear the approach of a possible attacker.
Note "safe houses" along your route. Mentally note houses at intervals on
each route you take that can be used as "safe houses" if you are attacked,
such as shops or houses that you know to be occupied by a friend or
acquaintance.
Make your way toward a crowd if you feel you are in danger. Do not try to
find a secluded place (e.g. restroom).
If you are physically attacked, yell, shout and draw attention, do not allow
the attacker to take you from that location or place you in a vehicle.
If you are verbally attacked, keep calm and walk away towards a crowded
space, inform security of the situation.
Keep your children close if you are with your family. Do not let them roam
around a playground, park, or store without you seeing exactly where they
are.
In the car
If you are driving on a highway and someone is attempting to cause an
accident, keep calm. They are likely trying to frighten you so you will
cause an accident and they can drive away. Ask someone in the passenger seat
to video record the person, capture his/her face, car's model and color, as
well as the license plate. Report it to the
police right away. Authorities will not take action unless you have been
assaulted. Note down the name and badge number of the officer. Also report
it to CAIR.
Do not park your car on the shoulder when dealing with someone trying to run
you off the road. That person may have a gun and if you park, and you will
not be able to make a quick getaway.
Stay calm and drive to your nearest
police station if you fear you are being
followed by a vehicle. Do not stop your car and if you do, make sure there
is an exit and you won't be blocked in
Keep windows up and doors locked even when driving to avoid unwanted
passengers at intersections.
When you park your car at any location carry your keys in hand if anyone
harasses you draw attention by pushing the alarm button on your security
system.
Also have your keys ready, so that you can quickly get into your car.
But don't just get in right away. Always check your car before entering,
especially the back, for any intruders.
Never leave your car door unlocked. Even if it means for one minute, keep
all doors locked. Attackers have been known to lie in wait for such an
opportunity.
Avoid parking in areas that are not well lit. Where possible, park close to
a school, a work entrance, or in a parking garage that has an attendant.
Be careful in parking lots. Always be alert in parking lots, especially when
it's dark. Ask someone to escort you to your car. Between cars and inside
cars, it's easy for someone to hide and wait until an unsuspecting person
comes along.
If you park your car at a university garage, ask security to escort you to
and from your car.
If you see a suspicious person approaching or hanging around near your
parked car, turn around and go back to an area where there are other people.
Try to get an escort to your car through the campus or job security or local
police.
When traveling by public transportation (bus or train)
Do not choose the window seat as you may be "blocked in" by a potential
assailant. Always select the seat next to the aisle so that you can quickly
leave if necessary.
Sit as close to the driver or conductor as possible if you are taking public
transportation alone after peak hours. If you cannot, choose the section of
the bus/train that is most crowded. Try to get a seat near the exit as well.
When traveling by taxi
Avoid flagging taxis. Always order taxis so the driver can be traced if
something happens.
Always check the identification of the driver (usually located near the
visor) and ensure that it matches the driver.
Don't sit behind the driver once inside, as it may be easy for the driver to
lock the rear passenger door. Always choose the adjacent seat.
Other tips
If you make a call from a phone booth. After dialing the number you wish to
call, always turn around so that you have your back to the phone and may see
who or what is coming your way. You will then be able to tell the person to
whom you are speaking that you may be in trouble and you may be able to use
the weight of the phone as a weapon. The door of a telephone box could be
used to wedge in the limbs of the attacker.
Do not open the door of your home without checking. DO NOT open the door to
your home without first checking from a window, peephole, or by asking and
verifying who it is. Instruct children to do the same.
Report any suspicious activity around your home. If you see people loitering
on the streets near your house, call the police on a non-emergency number
and report it.
Tell others about your whereabouts. Parents, spouses, and friends should
know where you are going and when you will be back, so that your absence
will be noticed. Arrange a call-in system with a friend if you live alone,
whereby you call when you arrive home. Or use the above-mentioned apps in
the phone section.
Trust your instincts. If you are walking or driving somewhere and feel
strange or scared, don't ignore this feeling. Take extra precautions by
walking a little faster to get to a more populated or well-lit area, or
change the route you've been driving on.
If you are walking alone in an unsafe area, call someone and ask them to
stay on the line with you until you get to a safer area.
If you are the first to get home to an empty house, be on the phone when you
enter, just to make sure no one has broken in and may attack once you come
through the door.
NEVER admit that you are alone if someone calls your home and asks if you
are
alone. Ask who the caller is. If they refuse to identify themselves, calmly
hang up. Instruct children to do the same when they pick up the phone. Keep
the radio on in the house so that callers will get the impression that
others are in the home too.
If you receive an obscene or crank call, do not talk to the caller. Hang up
if the caller doesn't say anything, or as soon as s/he shouts obscenities.
Hang up the phone calmly and do not slam it down. Note down the date and
time of the calls. If they are persistent, inform local police.
If you are a student, avoid studying in isolated classrooms in parts of the
college campus that are not regularly patrolled by the school's security
officers.
In large buildings take the elevator, not the stairwell. Stairwells are
usually quiet and dark. Most people take the elevator. But if someone creepy
gets on, don't hesitate to get off at the same time. Or, if someone is
already on the elevator who you feel strange about, do not get on and wait
for the next elevator.
Don't forget Dua:
When leaving the house: Bismillaahi, tawakkaltu 'alallaahi, wa laa hawla wa
laa quwwata ' illaa billaah. Translation: In the Name of God, I have placed
my trust in God, there is no might and no power except by God.
When getting into the car or boarding public transportation: Subhana
allathee sakhkhara lana hatha wama kunna lahu muqrineena. Wainna ila
rabbina lamunqaliboon. Translation: Glory be to Him Who made this
subservient to us and we were not able to do it. And surely to our Lord we
must return.
Report any and every incident
This is key to fighting bigotry of any kind. Reporting it will not only keep
you safe. It will keep the wider community safe as well. Report it to:
1. Local police
2. CAIR
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The Believers are but a single Brotherhood: So make peace and reconciliation between your two brothers; and fear Allah, that ye may receive Mercy. (49:10)
Oh mankind! We created you from a single of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other. Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted. (49:13)
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