Glossary

Abolition is a transformative method aimed at dismantling oppressive systems, particularly within the criminal justice system. This framework proposes divesting resources from the state, and investing those resources into community-based alternatives that prioritize healing, repair, and justice. It proposes, for example, that instead of funding law enforcement, communities invest in addressing root causes of violence, such as behavioral health crises and homelessness.  

At HEART, advocacy is a comprehensive approach that combines individual support with broader systemic change efforts. It involves providing trauma-informed assistance to individuals seeking help with sexual health or sexual violence issues, offering them information, emotional support, and referrals to specialized services such as trauma-informed therapists or lawyers, as well as safety planning assistance.  Advocacy extends to systemic level changes to remove the barriers for our communities to advance reproductive justice. The tools used in systems advocacy are  policy change, organizing, solidarity coalitions, and movement building. 

A strategy aimed at stopping a harmful behavior before it starts. This can include educational campaigns, legal bans or limitations, and more. 

A trained professional who provides support in multiple ways including informational, physical, and emotional support. There are many kinds of doulas including birth, abortion, death, and full spectrum doulas who will provide support at different stages of one’s reproductive journey. Although they do not always perform clinical tasks, their role heavily surrounds advocacy and guidance. 

Islamic theory of law (Sharia). Fiqh includes the man-made interpretations of laws given to Muslims through the Quran and Prophet Muhammad PBUH. Different sects and schools of thought will typically have differing fiqh. 

A collection of Islamic traditions containing sayings, actions, and approvals of the Prophet Muhammad. Hadiths are crucial for understanding Islamic law, ethics, and daily practices. They also provide necessary context for chapters of the Quran. 

Interventions aimed at reducing the negative consequences of a health behavior rather than targeting the behavior itself. This shifts away from over policing and using a punishitive lens and values bodily autonomy and respect for one’s choices. 

A perspective that views heterosexuality as normal and assumes that there are only two genders (male and female). This lens is typically held by conservative or traditional people, and it undermines queer relationships as well as other sexual orientations and identities and the fluidity of gender expression. 

An Islamic tenant and Arabic word meaning “sacred inviolability” or “sacred boundaries.” Every single body is sacred and valuable, and any harm to them is considered an injustice. HEART is dedicated to centering those who have been harmed and their healing. 

Process in which eggs are extracted and fertilized with sperm in a laboratory setting, which is then placed in the uterus. 

An Islamic tenant and Arabic word meaning “individual moral agency and self-determination.” Each person has free will, and they are responsible for the consequences of their actions.

Social relationships that develop either through blood, marriage, or other social avenues. These social connections may happen through marriage, adoption, breastfeeding, and more. HEART defines kinship expansively and advocates for Muslims to practice and acknowledge kinship in a variety of ways beyond blood relations. 

Teaches us how to accompany each other as we transform the root causes of harm in our lives. We put our values into action using real life strategies to reduce the negative health, legal and social consequences that result from criminalized and stigmatized life experiences. Liberatory harm reductionists support each other and our communities without judgment, stigma, or coercion, and we do not force others to change. 

 Descent from an ancestor or family tree. Lineage falls under a form of kinship, typically referring to a direct line of descent. There is an emphasis around blood relationships when defining lineage. 

Healthcare providers who deal with pregnancy, childbirth, newborn care and postpartum health. Some midwives provide routine reproductive care like pelvic exams, Pap tests, or counseling on birth control. Midwives tend to be more holistic and supportive of natural approaches to pregnancy and birth. People often choose a midwife when they know they want a non-medicated birth or want to give birth at home.

Medical procedures, treatments, and technologies used to help individuals or couples conceive. These typically involve the manipulation of the egg, sperm, and embryo in a way that increases the likelihood of a healthy pregnancy. These technologies include fertility medications, in vitro fertilization (IVF), artificial insemination, and more. 

Refers to the physical, mental, and social well-being in relation to one’s reproductive life. This includes the ability to decide whether or not to have children, have access to birth control, and have access to any medically necessary reproductive health service. 

SisterSong defines Reproductive Justice as the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities. HEART’s application of reproductive justice includes the right to: 

• Be treated like the sacred beings we are

• Make informed decisions about our bodies, safety, health, and wellness. This includes being able to make decisions informed by your faith, individual experiences, and moral agency as you choose to.

• Access culturally sensitive, affordable and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health resources and services

• Live, work, pray and/or parent in communities free from gendered and other violence and that sustain and support us, not that oppress or harm us.

A systemic form of control and exploitation that targets individuals, particularly women and marginalized communities, through their bodies, sexuality, labor, and reproductive capacities.

Individual-level legal rights and freedoms relating to one’s reproductive life including the right to an abortion, contraception, reproductive education, and more. This can be guaranteed through legislation, court rulings, or executive orders.

Abuse relating to one’s reproductive life including sabotaging contraception, rape, pregnancy pressure, and more. 

An Islamic tenant and Arabic word for “personal choice or consent.” This includes a person’s reproductive choices such as deciding whether or not to have children. Bodily autonomy is a God-given right, and consent includes being fully informed before making any decision free from pressure. 

An approach to sexuality based on accurate knowledge, personal awareness, and self-acceptance. It involves the ability to be intimate with a partner, communicate explicitly about sexual needs and desires, be sexually satisfied (having desire, becoming aroused, and having sexual satisfaction), act intentionally and responsibly, and set sexual boundaries.

A measure that considers numerous factors including occupation, income, and education. SES impacts a person’s access to resources, health outcomes, and overall quality of life

An Arabic word referring to a chapter of the Quran. Each chapter is composed of Ayat, or verses. These are considered divine revelation meaning the direct words of God and hold a foundational significance in framing Muslims’ understanding of Islam. 

Traditional surrogacy involves using the surrogate’s egg and the donor’s sperm. The surrogate carries the fetus to term. Gestational surrogacy involves the donor’s egg as well as the donor’s sperm. The egg is then fertilized in a laboratory setting similar to that of IVF. This embryo is then placed in the surrogate’s uterus and carried to term.