Muslim Mental Health (MMH) is on the rise, its ascent driven by a growing awareness that Muslims must finally take mental illness more seriously. Such is a viewpoint not only shared by a growing number of Muslim grassroots movements, but increasingly recognized by the upper echelons of the health industry. The purpose of this post is not to unpack what MMH is or how it should look - though this is important - but rather to propose an element which MMH cannot deny: the political context of MMH. To explain, let me preface this discussion by summarizing how, in my estimation, our (grassroots organizations, health institutions, etc.) desire to ‘improve MMH’ boils down to two, interrelated objectives: cultural sensitivity and stigma reduction.
RSS Feed