September 11, 2011 changed not only the world we live in but had a major impact on the mental health of individuals around the world. Some of the individuals most impacted by the events of 9/11 were the Muslims in the United States and abroad. Based on research conducted post 9/11 by multiple individuals, Muslims and Arabs have suffered tremendously. For Muslims and Arabs living in the United States, the impact was two-fold. Not only were they mourning the loss of thousands of fellow countrymen and women who lost their lives on 9/11, but they were simultaneously dealing with discrimination, hate crimes, stigmatization, isolation, and fear for their own well being in a country they called home.
Dr. Mona Amer, a psychologist, conducted research about the mental health of Muslims and Arab Americans in 2006 but ironically ended up as a target of hate and discrimination after her research was reported in USA Today. In an article by American Psychological Association’s Monitor on Psychology, Rebecca Clay reports in her article “Muslims in America, post 9/11”, Dr. Amer received death threats from strangers. The negative attitude towards Muslims has not decreased since the 2006 study by Dr. Amer. Since 9/11, political candidates and TV pundits have contributed to the hostile attitude towards Muslims in the United States. The past 6 months alone Muslims have made front page news due to stories about Quran burnings, The Ground Zero Islamic Center, and anti-Muslim congressional hearings on Capitol Hill. Ms. Clay reports “according to the Pew Research Center, the number of Americans with favorable views of Islam dropped from 41 percent in 2005 to 30 percent in 2010. Ten years after 9/11, the positive attitude towards Muslims in the United States has declined rather than improved. Muslims receive constant negative messages through the media about their religion and culture. Dr. Amer states “there are things that are said in the media about Arabs and Muslims that would never be tolerated or said about any other group…you receive constant messages about how your community is full of terrorists, ignorant people, oppressive people” (APA monitor, 2011).
The constant Islamaphobic rhetoric is having a negative impact on the mental health of Muslims in the United States. Dr. Amer, who has the largest group of participants from the most demographically diverse Arab-American population, has found many Muslims and Arabs suffer from anxiety, depression, and even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although the majority of the participants were Muslims, we must note not all Arabs are Muslim, yet many suffered the back-lash due to being Arab. In the study which will soon be published in the Social Psychiatric Epidemiology, Dr. Amer, along with Dr. Hovey of the University of Toledo, found 50 percent of the study participants had depression that warranted further evaluation and 25 percent reported moderate to severe anxiety. Ongoing racial profiling, discrimination (verbal assaults and work place discrimination), and other stressors unique to Arabs is reportedly the cause. According to Kaplan (2006), violent acts against Arabs and those perceived to be Arabs rose sharply over the 9 weeks following 9/11. Although the majority of participants in the study reported feeling safe to extremely safe pre 9/11, more than 82 percent reported feeling unsafe to extremely unsafe post 9/11. Dr. Amer and Dr. Hovey note feeling unsafe is a predictor of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
According to Padela and Heisler (2009) there are roughly 5.4 million Muslims in the United States, made up of African Americans, South Asians, and Arabs; additionally, there are approximately 2.5 million non-Muslim Arabs residing in the U.S. There is a large portion of the Muslims in the United States who are immigrants, many from war torn countries such as Palestine, Iraq, & Afghanistan. There are many stressors and trauma inherent to immigration, such as loss of home and land, acclimating to a new culture and environment, and dealing with cultural and linguistic barriers. Many immigrants from war torn countries have also suffered trauma as a result of their experiences back home. For these Muslim immigrants, the added stressors related to post 9/11 exacerbate their symptoms.
For many Muslims, turning to religion, as opposed to mental health practioners, is the first line of defense. Many individuals tend to intensify their religious practice by additional fasting, reading the Quran, praying, and regular mosque attendance. Abu-Raiya et al (2011) surveyed 130 Muslims living in the United States and found most experienced at least one stressful event related to their Muslim identity such as anti-Muslim comments, special airport security checks, and discrimination. In the study, Abu-Raiya reports participants used both religious and non-religious coping strategies to best handle these stressful situations. Abu-Raiya identifies the non-religious coping strategies as reaching out to others (either Muslim or non-Muslim). Reaching out to others resulted in positive changes such as personal strength and better appreciation of life. Those individuals who isolated themselves from others experienced increased depression and anger. Abu-Raiya identifies positive and negative religious coping strategies in his study. Positive religious coping involved feeling the love of Allah and praying for consolation. It also involved reading the Quran and seeking support from members of the Mosque. Negative religious coping strategies included feeling Allah was punishing them for their bad actions or lack of religious devotion and practice. Abu-Raiya found the positive religious coping was associated with greater “post traumatic growth” and the negative religious coping was associated with higher levels of depression. Individuals should focus on the positive religious coping strategies and avoid the negative religious coping strategies.
For many Muslims, seeking out mental health professionals is a challenge due to the lack of Muslim mental health practioners in their community, and having to work with non-Muslim mental health practioners. Muslims should seek out mental health support if they are dealing with depression and/or anxiety. Dr. Amer, who is also the co-editor of “Counseling Muslims: Handbook of Mental Health Issues and Interventions” (Routledge), reports many non-Muslim mental health practioners “don’t necessarily get into the specifics of what can or should be done differently when serving a Muslim client”. Dr. Amer suggests mental health professionals should address ethnic background, history, and immigration status when working with Muslims and don’t assume all Muslims are the same. Also consider the fact that Muslim Americans can include African-American, Latino, and Caucasian converts, members of long settled Arab communities, and immigrants from diverse backgrounds such as China, India, Pakistan, Africa, etc. Dr. Amer encourages non-Muslim therapists to bring religion in therapy. Therapists should encourage a religious dialogue with their Muslim clients and make an attempt to better understand the specific needs of their clients.
If you are Muslim and have reason to believe your mental health is suffering from any of the symptoms we’ve described above it is critical that you seek treatment as soon as possible before your symptoms worsen. For information or help finding a therapist in your area please email us at info@mentalhealth4muslims.com.
In the meantime you can also benefit from reading the Seerah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and reflecting on all of the traumatic events he and the earlier generation of Muslims experienced. There are also specific verses from the Qur’an and hadith that can provide relief in time of difficulty such as:
” Certainly, We shall test you with fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits; but give glad tidings to the patient – those who, when afflicted with calamity say, “Truly to Allah we belong, and truly to Him shall we return.” It is those who will be awarded blessings and mercy from their Lord; and it is those who are the guided ones.” (Qur’an 2 :155-157)
“..Be mindful of Allah, you will find Him before you. Get to know Allah in prosperity and He will know you in adversity. Know that what has passed you by was not going to befall you; and that what has befallen you was not going to pass you by. And know that victory comes with patience, relief with affliction, and ease with hardship.” (Tirmidhi)
