ABSTRACT
Domestic violence is not simply a family matter: it is a complex web of social, cultural, and religious challenges. This section focuses on a review of literature within the Islamic tradition, particularly on the problematic text Q 4:34, of theories of culture that intertwine with tradition to normalize domestic violence, and of social scientific approaches to domestic violence. This chapter does not provide a full literature review as I will engage more literature from the Islamic studies, counselling and the social sciences in the case studies. However, this chapter focuses on some key aspects of domestic violence that will provide a background for our analysis of the case studies later.
