The American Muslim Community Foundation (AMCF) is honored to have Muslimat Al Nisaa Shelter (aka Inge Benevolent Ministries) as a nominee of the 2025 Muslim Women’s Giving Circle. For more than 30 years, the shelter has been more than a safe space—it has created a home where women can heal, rebuild, and live with dignity as Muslims.
More Than a Shelter
The origins of Muslimat Al Nisaa Shelter are deeply personal. Chaplain Asma Inge-Hanif, RN, CNM, ANP, MA was shaped by her grandmother’s death from a preventable condition and by her mother’s wisdom to make a difference in the lives of those marginalized, discriminated against, and deemed “societal discards.” This foundation led her to pursue a nursing career, establish her own health clinic, and ultimately uncover the often hidden crisis of domestic violence within the Muslim community.
What she found was disturbing: when Muslim women were referred to mainstream domestic violence shelters, many were turned away. Some shelters claimed that “because they were a part of a religion which says it was ok to ‘beat’ women,” the only way they could be served was to renounce Islam and accept another faith. Even shelters that did accept Muslim women were not accommodating—enforcing curfews that prevented taraweeh prayers, failing to provide meals after maghrib, or restricting fasting during Ramadan.
From that point forward, Chaplain Asma adopted her guiding mantra:
“Domestic Violence is Criminal, Not Religious.”
To meet this unmet need, she opened her own home as a culturally competent sanctuary. What began as one woman’s act of compassion has grown into one of the nation’s longest-standing shelters designed to serve Muslim women—and all survivors seeking dignity alongside safety.
A National Impact
Today, Muslimat Al Nisaa Shelter receives 5-10 calls, letters, or referrals daily from mosques, law enforcement, social services, domestic violence agencies, and international refugee and human rights organizations. Survivors travel to Baltimore from across the country—a significant reminder that Muslimat Al Nisaa Shelter serves individuals nationwide, not just locally in Maryland.
They come not only seeking refuge, but seeking a home—a space where cultural, social, economic, and religious needs are respected, and where self-esteem, self-worth, and self-sufficiency can be rebuilt. Operating without government funding, the shelter maintains the independence to offer this culturally competent care, ensuring survivors are never asked to compromise their beliefs in order to be safe.
As one de-identified client testimony highlights (watch here), Muslimat Al Nisaa is often the only place where Muslim women feel they are fully seen—not just as victims of violence, but as human beings deserving of dignity and belonging.
Recognition by the AMCF Women’s Giving Circle
The AMCF Women’s Giving Circle is proud to uplift Muslimat Al Nisaa Shelter (aka Inge Benevolent Ministries) as part of the 2025 nominee cohort. Their work demonstrates what it means to transform injustice into resilience, and stigma into healing.
Muslimat Al Nisaa is not just a shelter. It is a sanctuary, a home, and a declaration that every survivor deserves safety, dignity, and the freedom to live as their whole selves.
Learn more about their mission:
- Website: mnisaashelter.org
- Videos and survivor stories: Muslimat Al Nisaa YouTube Channel
Discover all of the 2025 Women’s Giving Circle nominees:
amuslimcf.org/donors/giving-circles/womensgc-2025-giving-circle-nominees