It is important to understand how Arab Immigrants view domestic violence. Many studies suggest that when Arab Immigrants come to the United States they take with them their cultures and traditions. If these women do take with them these traits and live within in a predominantly Arab community, it is important to look further into the females perceptions of domestic abuse in order to understand how culture may or may not play a defining role in seeking help. Additionally, traditional roles or not, the women’s point of view on blame and access to services must be discussed in order to understand a woman’s logic and ways to assist once it is known that a woman is abused.

In a study done in Dearborn, Michigan women’s point of views on domestic violence was surveyed. These women were Arab immigrants who lived in an Arab community, with most identifying with patriarchal tradition.  Their views on domestic abuse are below, and give us an inside view on the majorities opinions on her husband’s power, control, ability to abuse, consequences, and blame.

Blaming The Wife

Majority of women did not blame themselves or other women for being beaten by their husbands, disagreeing with the statement that “battered wives are responsible for their abuse because they intended it to happen”(88%) , also disagreeing that “in most cases, it is the woman’s fault that she was beaten by her husband” (87%)

31% agreed with the statement “a battered woman is solely responsible for being beaten because she obviously did something that irritated her husband”

Women are also responding to wife beating differently from the norms of tradition. 
 

97%	Women agreed that “ wife beating should be given a high priority as a social problem by government agencies” instead of perceiving wife beating as a personal matter
52%	women disagreed with the statement that “ a wife should divorce her husband if he beats her”
48%	of women agreed that “if a husband beats his wife, a wife should leave her husband and move in with her family
58%	of women stated that “abusive husbands should be arrested
57%	if they heard a women being attacked by her husband, they would call the police”
84%	“if a battered woman approached them they would provide her help”

 

Women in Response to patriarchal beliefs

This part of the survey showed if women were holding on to traditional beliefs regarding patriarchal structure in Arab Families

78% of interviewees agreed that “sometimes it is important for a man to show his wife that he is head of the house”

 98% of women disagree that “ man has a right to have sex with his wife when he wants, even though she may not want to”

 Other findings show that many of the women involved in this survey upheld traditional views towards wife beating and are less likely to seek formal services to address their partner.

 16% of women agreed that wife beating is justified under special circumstances, such as adultery, publically insulting a husband, constantly disobeying him, and challenging his manhood

24% of women expressed approval for the idea of killing women who have been sexually unfaithful

 In Arab society the question of sexual unfaithfulness and its consequences is a serious cause for concern. The custom of killing for family honor does persist, although many do not agree with it, but it does remain a norm in many homes despite socioeconomically and political changes in the region. This norm has also been practiced by immigrants in the United States despite laws that clearly define its legality.