Institutional Islamophobia: How It Impacts the Mental Health of Muslim-Americans

Islamophobia is more than a buzzword, but a widespread discriminatory ideology that sees no difference between Muslim and terrorist. Like many forms of discrimination, Islamophobia is embedded in our society’s institutions, including the government and media. Muslim-Americans have undergone intense racial profiling by government agencies, such as the NSA. Popular news outlets have also shared Islamophobic attitudes—Fox News host Bill O’Reilly once exclaimed “Muslims killed us on 9/11,” failing to differentiate between Muslims and terrorists. The views of these institutions are largely diffusible, easily consumed by the unsuspecting and fulfilling the starving ignorance of the close-minded. In fact, an ABC/Washington Post poll has shown that only 37% of Americans have a favorable view of Muslims.

As Islamophobic attitudes have become almost ingrained in our society’s consciousness, many Muslim-Americans have encountered widespread prejudice, including verbal and physical assaults. Islamophobia can have a piercing impact on their mental health. A 2005 study by the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) states that the harassment that Muslims face in their daily lives “can increase the risk of common mental disorders.” It makes perfect sense that discrimination against identity can have a negative impact on mental health, as mental health issues in the Muslim community are inextricably linked to identity. In an interview with Huffington Post, Kameelah Rashad, a Muslim chaplain at the University of Pennsylvania, stated that identity “comes up repeatedly” when Muslim students approach her about their mental health.

For many Muslim-Americans, forming an identity is a turbulent process. On the one hand, according to Rashad, Muslims who proudly express their religion fear that they will be associated with terrorists. Meanwhile, Muslims who are wrongly associated with terrorism attempt to withdraw themselves from aspects of their religion to ‘fit in.’ Muslim-Americans are also dissociated from larger society. Even if Muslim-Americans attempt to display sorrow with fellow Americans, like after the tragic San Bernardino shooting, it isn’t viewed as genuine—instead, there is a pressure on Muslim-Americans to take ownership for the actions of the terrible individuals who commit terroristic acts. Dissociation, association, dissociation: Muslim-American identity is in constant flux, a taxing push and pull on the mind.

Mental health in the Muslim community is as important an issue as ever, especially in a time where Islamophobic sentiment is so strong. Unfortunately, however, mental health issues in the Muslim community are not well-researched. Aasim Padela, a Muslim doctor at the University of Chicago, did a search of 18 million research studies in medical journals between 1980 and 2009 and found that only 10 included the keywords “American,” “Muslim,” Islam,” “health care” and “health disparity.” A lack of information on the health of Muslim-Americans is troubling, and it can be attributed to difficulties in studying a very diverse Muslim-American population. Nonetheless, a lack of research can also be due to widespread Islamophobia. Islamophobia has become stitched into the fabric of many institutions, perhaps even our health institutions, and it’s certainly possible that Islamophobic sentiment is (at times, unknowingly) perpetuated by them. In an interview with the University of Chicago, Padela states that his grants for research on the Muslim community have been rejected by funders because the Muslim community is “not an important enough population to look at.” Padela believes the lack of spending public health dollars on Muslims may be the result of some “unconscious bias or Islamophobia”. Otherwise, why would individuals from the second largest religion in the world not be an “important enough” population to study?

In addition to being sparsely researched, mental health in the Muslim community is also not appropriately treated by clinicians. According to the study by BUSM, clinicians are often unaware of the prejudice Muslim patients face in their everyday lives. Furthermore, another study explains that clinicians may not be fully accepting of their Muslim patient’s customs. For instance, “if a non-Muslim female psychologist assumes that a hijab is oppressive against women, she may unconsciously try to steer her client away from covering, instead of understanding the significance of the hijab”. Clinicians may unknowingly promote Western ideals, while rejecting Muslim customs that our society views as deviant. Ultimately, it’s more stressful than relieving for a Muslim to discuss how Islamophobia affects their health with clinicians that also possess Islamophobic attitudes.

According to Mona M. Amer, a professor of psychology at the American University of Cairo, the number of studies on the mental health of Muslims has increased since 9/11. Increased research indicates that this isn’t a hopeless situation. However, the problem persists -- there is still a general lack of knowledge on the health of Muslims, largely due to Islamophobic attitudes that are both consciously and unconsciously promoted. Part of the solution is for Muslim-Americans to educate others on the issues that are unique to the Muslim community. But, Islamophobic sentiments, in its multiple forms, must be recognized. Only then can we create an environment of cultural awareness where the voices of everyday Muslim-Americans can actually be listened to and accepted, an environment devoid of Islamophobia -- the diffusible stink that consumes the unsuspecting and fulfills the close-minded.

Imaz Athar is an undergraduate student at the University of Pittsburgh, studying Neuroscience and Sociology. Imaz discovered the art of writing at a young age, and he continues to pursue his passion today. Although he ultimately hopes to become a physician, he aspires to share stories on scientific and social issues and give a voice to the unheard.

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