It’s all connected, and it can all hurt. Allah (S) equipped humans with complex physical abilities, mental faculties and spiritual self-actualization, as imperfect as we may be at using and maintaining it all.

The Prophet Muhammad (saw) gave an analogy comparing the ummah to a body, wherein, he said, “If any part of the body is not well, then the whole body shares the sleeplessness (insomnia) and fever with it." In his wisdom, we can glean the intrinsic connections in the body and by extension, those between the physical, mental and spiritual.

“Our thoughts influence our bodies directly because the body interprets the messages coming from the brain to prepare us for whatever is expected,” clinical psychologist, Ron Breazeale explains in his article “Thoughts, Neurotransmitters, Body-Mind Connection.” We must appreciate the relationships between what we think, how we feel and how our bodies respond to the good and bad things that we do or happen to us.

This includes spiritual abuse, which negatively impacts all three. Purposefully and/or negatively engaging in spiritual abuse increases the probability of harming an individual’s body, mind and spirit, many times to the detriment of one’s faith. This is something many Muslims are increasingly realizing, as discussions and awareness about the connections between the physical, mental and spiritual and the effects of abuse on all three – to the detriment of one’s faith – are becoming more mainstream.

Allah (S) says in the Quran:

Allah (S) also says:

Ideally, Muslims should be secure when they are in shared spaces with their fellow Muslims, especially their houses of worship. Unfortunately, that is not always the case, as the reality of our humanity presents in our consistent cruelty to each other. That is part of this dunya (world). Consequently, like with every other aspect of this deen (way of life), Muslims must find ways to productively use their faith and humanity to survive abuse and support survivors.

Alhamdullilah for organizations like the Hurma Project, which focuses on raising awareness about the negative impact of spiritual abuse and work to encourage Muslims to embrace Islamic teachings pertaining to the sacrosanct nature of our bodies, minds and souls.

I recently spoke with Henna Khawja, the organization’s new Mental Health Advisor and a registered social worker and psychotherapist about why she joined the Hurma team, raising awareness about spiritual abuse and the connections between our minds, bodies and soul.

Henna works full-time in social work and at a private psychotherapy practice. She told Haute Hijab, “Mental health is my life. Anytime there's an opportunity to work on that topic, that's what interests me.” Henna is also the Sexual Violence Prevention & Response Coordinator for the University of Toronto. She met Dr. Ingrid Mattson, founder and director of the Hurma Project, through her mental health work in Muslim communities in the United States and Canada.

“I've been in the field now for 12 years. The intersections of my work are primarily trauma, sexual violence and working within faith-based organizations. For me, it was a no-brainer to work with the Hurma Project. I've also been on the receiving end of abuse. I’ve been harmed; my spirit was harmed, and my family was harmed. I had to assess how much my continuous passion for serving the Muslim community was benefitting and harming us,” she says.

Henna had stepped away from working with Muslim organizations after experiencing burnout following ten years of on-staff work. “I … stepped away from the Muslim community professionally [and transitioned into working at a higher education institution]. I said no to all options that came my way for about two-and-a-half years until Dr. Mattson came to me with this opportunity. The only reason why I considered [it was] because I so deeply respect her form of leadership, shedding light on harmful truth and supporting folks who find themselves in vulnerable positions.”

Dr. Mattson’s leadership on this topic specifically spoke to her, Henna says, because she was able to be honest with someone who's a white woman, a Muslim woman, a scholar and a person who holds many positions of power that “I have limits to my expertise, and I know when to step back, stay in my lane and bring in the right people to do the work for my project and not try to be no fake it for myself.”

Henna elaborated on the meaning of the word “Hurma” and what she anticipates doing with her new position to support victims and survivors who share their experiences with all levels of abuse.

“[The] English meaning for the word Hurma is inviolability. It's not a word that many people know [or] is commonplace within our faith,” she says. “It really applies the notion of sacred importance given to the human body, alive or dead, and our minds [being] a part of the human body. Within the sentiment of Hurma is [the idea] that our bodies should be as sacrosanct as the holy city, a holy month or a holy day. Imagine the importance that we give to Ramadan, the mosque and Eid. If we gave [that importance to] our bodies and minds, imagine how much better care we would take of the vessels that we have. Taking care of our bodies and minds should be of the utmost importance.

“The same way we talk [to our kids] about body safety in our community and adab [manners] between the genders, we should speak openly about how to care for our minds.” Clearly, we are not doing that because [many mosques] don’t have social workers, therapists or counseling in any way, Henna says. “If they do have them, they are [conducted by] X auntie or X uncle, not necessarily professionally trained staff.”

“The Hurma Project does receive a lot of disclosures [of abuse]. Folks feel comfortable and safe to say, ‘Hey, this has happened to me.’ Dr. Mattson [decided] that she was not in the position to provide support but wanted to make sure that [victims and survivors] receive it.

“That window [of disclosure] can be so fleeting when someone feels comfortable enough to say, ‘this happened to me,’ or ‘this is happening, right no to so and so. How can I help?’ or ‘I need help myself.’”

Henna fields these disclosures and, “Insha’Allah, [I will] provide relevant community referrals, depending on where they live, and [give] immediate acceptance and validation for the courageous act of speaking out.”

I asked Henna what she anticipates doing at the Hurma Project to narrow the chasm between the mental and spiritual, both integral to spiritual growth and mental healing, especially in the lives of Muslims. Raising awareness for the Hurma Project is essential, she says, to be able to reach all those who need this help.

“The Hurma project is gaining recognition. We don’t have a massive presence on social media just yet, but we're living in a very unique time,” she says. “Social media is a very strong vessel right now for social justice. A lot of eyes are open to different topics that [people] didn't necessarily have easy access to in the past. Now we see a lot of online activism, so this is the time that we can really benefit from that tool.”

One of ways the Hurma Project is raising awareness and doing outreach with Muslim communities is through a Sunday Q&A hosted on Instagram, where Henna will be posting responses from questions she receives during the week. You can email Henna with your questions here, or send private messages through their IG page.

“What I hope to do is bring in trauma-informed content. My approach to therapy and social work is always trauma-informed, and I plan to integrate content [through things like] educational tools, social media posts and tip sheets,” says Henna. “I'm also participating in the Hurma project podcast, hosted by Dr. Mattson, as well as vetting scripts to make sure we use accessible language and engage in topic production, providing content to the podcast and the organization’s website.”

Henna talks about the need for more digital-centered awareness-raising efforts. “We’re in a pandemic world. We’re not in a position where we can travel to conferences or provide in-person workshops. Right now, we can focus more on the online tools.”

The Hurma Project also plans to connect with victims and survivors across a spectrum of Muslim spaces. “Hurma doesn’t just look at masjids,” says Henna. “There are Muslim nonprofits, organizations, third spaces, MSAs [etc.]. It’s really any type of collective, organization or institution where [abuse] occurs in Muslim communities.”