ABSTRACT
Major events and psychosocial issues affecting endogenous and migrants Muslims include the impact of September 11, Islamophobia, stigma, identity and intergenerational crisis, acculturation, refugee and microaggressions. Muslims Individuals with a mental health problem are faced with ‘double whammy’ of multiple layers of discrimination as a result of their mental health problems and their identity of being a “Muslim.” Muslims are at a greater risk of developing mental health problems as a result of Islamophobia, workplace discrimination and chronic daily hassles and harassment. Muslim women face numerous stressors that threaten their mental health including discrimination, acculturative stress, and trauma “gendered Islamophobia” and microaggressions. Many of the psychosocial issues faced by Muslim adolescents and the Muslim community at large are inextricably linked to identity and intergenerational conflicts. Acculturation has also been related with depression, social withdrawal, familial isolation, despair, hostility, anxiety, somatisation, a sense of isolation, adjustment difficulties, and family conflicts, and persecution. Stigma in the Muslim communities indicate that Muslims endorsed common stereotypes about people with mental health problems. They would not consider marriage or having a close relationship with a person with mental health problem and the disclosure of mental health problem is considered “shameful.” The failure to address the problems faced by Muslims would result in creating high demands on the medical and psychological healthcare services. Moreover, some of the socio-political and psychological issues faced by Muslims obviously cannot be resolved by the healthcare system alone. There is a need for political leaders to engage with Muslim faith leaders, key community leaders and significant others in addressing the problems faced by Muslims. The problems faced by Muslims like Islamophobia is not just a Muslim issue, it is a global issue.
