Effective Approaches to Teaching Women’s Self-Defence in Traditional Muslim Communities

Insights and Practical Guidance for Instructors

Leicester and the Midlands are celebrated for their rich cultural diversity, with a tapestry of ethnicities, languages, and traditions shaping our local community. In particular we have a strong Muslim presence, and as a self-defence instructor, I am frequently invited to deliver workshops specifically tailored for women within these communities.

Drawing from my own experiences, I hope the key considerations below will help other instructors prepare meaningful, respectful, and empowering self-defence sessions for women from conservative Muslim backgrounds.

1. Practical Arrangements for Respectful Learning

In conservative Muslim communities, it is customary for women to attend women-only classes, taught by female instructors. Mixed-gender sessions or male-led instruction are not appropriate due to cultural and religious values around modesty and privacy.

When organising a session, ensure the venue offers secure, private access. The main entrance should be lockable to prevent men from entering during the class, and be mindful that opening the door for late arrivals could expose the participants to view from outside. Cover any windows with curtains or blinds, and provide a space—such as coat hooks or benches—where students can comfortably remove and hang their abayas or other outer garments.

2. Adapting Content to Community Needs

If you are not familiar with the needs of the group, don’t assume them! Instead, arrange a meeting in advance with the group leader—and ideally some participants—to discuss the challenges they face and the skills they wish to develop. It’s not a problem if you don’t know the group you’re teaching – you’re an expert in self-defence, not the specific culture – but it is vital to do your research before you go by asking them what they need from you.

For women who wear traditional attire such as abayas or chadors, public visibility can unfortunately make them targets for hate crimes or harassment. I’ve found it very useful to facilitate discussions around dealing with street harassment, and please do remind your participants that any kind of harassment based on gender, race or religion is a crime and should be reported to police once it is safe to do so.

The other type of violence, less discussed but sadly relevant to all women, is domestic abuse.

Being attacked by a partner, acquaintance or family member is sadly far more common than the threat of a stranger attack. Domestic abuse is tied up with the control of traditional gender roles in society, which makes it that much harder to spot the warning signs - particularly in cultures that strongly define women’s roles. As such, survivors of abuse can find it hard to recognise, and – if that community attaches strong importance to maintaining family structure – they may experience shame and discouragement to leave the abuse.

Therefore it is vital to talk about all types of domestic abuse with participants, not just the physical violence but emotional, psychological and financial too, and to educate them about the red flags to watch out for in a partner’s behaviour. Research what the local support groups and domestic abuse charities are so that you can signpost to these organisations where needed.

And remember – not all self-defence needs to be physical. Verbal techniques to de-escalate a situation can be just as useful! Consider including exercises to help your participants communicate unwanted behaviour more effectively – even just practicing the word ‘no’ can be hugely helpful.

3. Sensitive and Inclusive Language

When teaching unfamiliar groups, be particularly mindful of the language you use, especially regarding parts of the body that may be considered sensitive or taboo. Avoid slang terms and, where possible, invite participants to suggest their preferred terms. For instance, you might ask the group to name areas of the body they consider vulnerable, and then adopt their terminology throughout the session.

4. Considering Clothing and Movement

When outside the home, Muslim women may wear chadors, abayas, hijabs and other types of loose Islamic coverings that can restrict movement and can be easily grabbed. I have had participants talk about how some clothing designs were easier to pull off in an emergency than others, or avoiding the use of pins to secure a hijab or scarf, but in reality it’s not reasonable (or indeed respectful) to expect women to make such changes on the basis of a potential threat.

Bear in mind that if pins are used near the throat to secure a scarf or hijab, this will affect the way you teach how to escape chokes or strangles from behind.

Although traditional garments rarely impact hearing or peripheral vision, loose material can sometimes obscure the eyes during a confrontation. Loose clothing brings a higher risk of tripping too, as the abayas and chadors are designed to cover the whole body so the hemlines will reach the ground. This means that the standard emphasis on escape by running away from a threat doesn’t work as effectively. I like to include information about falling safely (in case of tripping during escape), and consequently, what options are available to protect yourself from the ground.

With the apparel in mind, I also like to focus on different types of grabs, either to arms or clothing, from different heights and angles, and how to deal with them.

If it’s appropriate to do so, ask participants to practice without their traditional garments first, to get the basic principles. Once comfortable with the movements, they can then practice in their usual Islamic dress for outside, and you can adapt the techniques as needed.

5. Building Confidence in Physical Techniques

Growing up, girls tend to experience less of the rough-and-tumble type play that is evidenced amongst boys. In addition, female participation in marital arts is around half that of males (Sport England), and, when combined with societal expectations of femininity, women have fewer opportunities to learn how to use force effectively.

Moreover, because of rules against mixed gender classes, many of my conservative Muslim participants complain they have fewer opportunities to practice martial arts, so I have found it useful to get participants hitting the focus pads straightaway, using palm heel and elbow strikes, hammer fist, even slapping. Not only does this help them overcome any misgivings they might have about retaliating with power if faced with an attack, but often they find it hugely empowering when they discover just how hard they can strike!

6. Valuing Participant Feedback

Finally, it is always worth spending a few minutes at the end of each session on a Q&A. If the group is small, you may be able to go round each individual and ask how they found the session, what worked and what they found challenging. These end-of-session conversations are so valuable – they allow women to voice their fears, their triumphs and ask questions. It always brings up new topics specific to the group, or areas of self-defence that I may not have anticipated but can work into future sessions.

I hope this guide offers useful insights for instructors working with women from conservative Muslim communities. For further information or to enquire about booking a self-defence course, please visit www.defence4women.com.

Tamsin Davis is the lead facilitator and instructor at Defence4Women, which specialises in teaching evidence-based and trauma-informed self-protection skills encompassing the broad spectrum of gender-based violence.