ReligionLink

The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, were stressful for all Americans, regardless of national origin or religious background. But while most Americans say their general stress level has declined, doctors across the country say that is not the case among Arab-Americans and Muslims, which various studies number between 2 million and 7 million people. The doctors say their Muslim and Arab-American patients have complained of more stress-related conditions, including depression, intestinal disorders and heart ailments.

Like all Americans, these patients worry about terrorist attacks and wars. But they also face other pressures that have been bearing down on their communities since 9/11 – increased immigration requirements, heightened scrutiny by law enforcement and neighbors, and backlash from people who blame their faith or country of origin for the terrorist attacks. Many are turning to the Muslim “uma,” or community, for support, health care and solace.

Questions for reporters

Are Muslims and Arab-Americans in your area reporting more stress-related illnesses since Sept. 11? How are they coping with it? Where are they turning for help? To the mosque? To health-care professionals? How are secular social services coping with their special needs and any higher demands for help? Muslims have begun opening more health-care clinics in recent years; has that happened in your community?

Why it matters

With the war on terror in full swing, the sources of stress and anxiety felt by many Muslims and Arab-Americans show no sign of abating. Doctors say long-term stress affects physical and mental health, which, in this case, could affect an entire community.

Jump to background

National sources

• Dr. Shahid Athar is president of the Islamic Medical Association of North America. He says there has been a general increase in stress-related complaints in the last year and a half, not only among Muslims and Arab-Americans, but among the entire U.S. population. Contact 317-872-5159, sathar3624@aol.com.

• Joe Feagin is an associate professor at the University of Florida in Gainesville and is an expert on anti-Muslim and anti-Arab prejudice and its effects on health and psychology. He is co-author of The Many Costs of Racism (Rowman & Littlefield, 2003), in which he interviewed African-Americans about the impact racism has on them every day. He says racism has severe health effects, most of which are linked to stress, and he likens the current plight of Arab- and Muslim Americans to the plight of black Americans living with the constant presence of prejudice. Contact 352-332-9399, feagin@ufl.edu.

• Carolyn Jacobs is acting dean of the Smith College School for Social Work in Northampton, Mass., and a specialist in religion and social work. She can discuss what she calls unprecedented challenges facing social workers and their clients – especially their Muslim and Arab-American ones – in the post-9/11 world. Contact 413-585-7977, Cjacobs@smith.edu.

• Dr. Adnan Hammad is president of the Michigan chapter of the National Arab American Medical Association and director of community health and research at the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services in Dearborn, Mich. He says that since 9/11, visits to the ACCESS clinic have increased by 30 percent. Contact 313-216-2239, ahammad@accesscommunity.org.

• Dr. Stevan Hobfoll is a professor of psychology at Kent State University. He says that Muslims and Arab-Americans are more at risk for stress-related illnesses since the 9/11 attacks and that because they are part of a culture that generally shuns therapy, they are at even higher risk for serious psychological problems. Contact 330-672-2137.

• Muqtedar Khan is the director of international studies and chairman of the department of political science at Adrian College in Adrian, Mich. At 36 years old and in top physical shape, he landed in the hospital in February with what he believed was a heart attack. He says doctors told him his symptoms were caused by stress. He says almost every Muslim he knows is suffering from some stress-related complaint. Contact 517-264-3949, muqtedar@yahoo.com.

Background

• Read an article on Aetna’s InteliHealth web site about how Americans’ general sense of stress has declined since Sept. 11, 2001.

• Read an article by Nora Belfedal from Islam Online about how Muslims can cope with stress related to the events of Sept. 11, 2001.

• The American Psychological Association has a list of sources to help people cope with stress and anxiety in the wake of disasters and terrorism.

Regional sources

State by State

• The National Arab American Medical Association is a professional association of Arab-American doctors and health-care professionals with chapters in 25 states. Director Ellen Potter can direct reporters to chapter presidents in their areas. Contact 248-646-3661, naama@naama.com.

IN THE NORTHEAST

• Dr. Yousef Abou-Allaban is an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Mass. After the 9/11 attacks, he organized a number of mental health professionals who provided free counseling to members of the Boston area’s Islamic community. He can discuss the kinds of stress-related complaints he heard then and sees now. Contact 508-660-7949, abouanas2000@hotmail.com.

• Khalilah Karim-Rushdan is a clinical social worker and chaplain at Smith College in Northampton, Mass. Contact 413-585-2370, kkarimru@smith.edu.

IN THE EAST

• Emira Habiby Browne is the founder and executive director of the Arab-American Family Support Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., which provides social services, including health services, to Brooklyn’s Arab-American residents. Contact 718-643-8000.

• Jay Segal is a professor of health education at the College of Allied Health at Temple University in Philadelphia. He is an expert on stress and anxiety and has served as director of Temple’s Stress Management and Biofeedback Laboratory. He is conducting ongoing surveys of Americans’ anxiety levels since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Contact 215-204-5107, jay.segal@temple.edu.

• Dr. David S. Krantz is a professor and chairman of the department of medical and clinical psychology at the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Md., and an expert in acute stress. He can discuss the effects of stress on the heart from events such as terrorist attacks. Contact 301-295-3273, krantz@bob.usuhs.mil.

• Dr. Amar Bukhari runs a free non-emergency clinic through the Islamic Society of Central Jersey. Contact 732-745-6664.

IN THE SOUTHEAST

• Dr. Nancy McGarrah will moderate a panel on “Building Resilience in a World of Terrorism” on May 28, 2003, at a conference of the Georgia Psychological Association. Contact 404-728-0728, cvp2@bellsouth.net.

• The Community Mosque of Winston-Salem, N.C., runs a free health clinic on the first Saturday of every month. Contact 336-650-1097, 336-650-1095.

• Salma Abugideiri is a licensed professional counselor in Herndon, Va., who specializes in Muslims and families of Middle Eastern origin. Contact 703-435-8667, salmaabu2@gmail.com.

• Dr. Husain Nagamia is a heart surgeon in Tampa, Fla., chairman of the International Institute of Islamic Medicine and past president of Islamic Medical Association and chairman of the Tampa Bay Muslim Alliance. Contact 813-654-4466, h.nagamia@verizon.net.

• Samuel Sears is an associate professor of clinical and health psychology at the University of Florida in Gainesville. He specializes in the psychology of disaster aftermath and coping with serious illness and disaster-related stress. Contact Jill Pease, 352- 846-1153.

IN THE SOUTH

• Dr. Paul Ragan is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., and can discuss the effects of stress on health. Contact 615-322-4747.

IN THE MIDWEST

• Dr. M. Fayaz Malik is a cardiologist with Heart Care Midwest in Peoria, Ill. He says his office has never been as busy as it has been since Sept. 11, 2001, and his Muslim patients complain of stress from worry over civil rights, immigration and job issues. Contact 309-691-4410, mfm@heartcaremw.com.

• Dr. Ali Alhaddad is a physician in Cleveland, Ohio, who says he has heard many stress-related health complaints from Muslim patients. Contact 440-449-4600.

• Ismael Ahmed is executive director of the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services in Dearborn, Mich. Contact 313-842-7010.

• Contact the Islamic Health and Human Services in Detroit, Mich., 313-961-0678.

• Mona Amer conducts research among the Muslim and Arab-American communities in northeastern Ohio and says she has seen numerous stress-related complaints. Contact 419-699-0920.

• The Inner-City Muslim Action Network runs a free clinic every other Sunday in Chicago. Contact 773-434-IMAN.

• The Islamic Center of Minnesota in Minneapolis runs a health clinic. Contact 612-571-5604.

• The Islamic Center of Greater Toledo, Ohio, provides health services. Contact 419-874-3509.

• The Central Illinois Mosque and Islamic Center in Urbana, Ill., has a health and wellness committee. Contact 217-344-1555 or 217-344-0022, cimic@prairienet.org.

• Aminah Beverly McCloud is an associate professor of religious studies at DePaul University in Chicago and can discuss the repercussions in the Muslim community as a result of the terrorist attacks and civil liberties violations. Contact 773-325-1290.

• Leonard Jason is director of DePaul University’s Center for Community Research and can discuss the effects of stress and stress-related illnesses on entire communities, including religious and ethnic communities. Contact 773-325-2018, epaljason@dul.edu.

IN THE SOUTHWEST

• Dr. Carl Pickhardt is a psychologist in Austin, Texas, who can discuss the psychological effects of stress and the long-term effects of chronic stress. Contact 512-452-4543, pickha@swbell.net.

• James Campbell Quick is a professor of organizational behavior at the University of Texas in Arlington, Texas, and can discuss the effects of stress. Contact 817-272-3869, jquick@uta.edu.

• Houston Islamic Social Services provides access to medical services. Contact Shaista Ashraf, 281-893-2613, or Robina Ali, 281-376-1123.

• The Islamic Association of North Texas in Richardson, Texas, operates a health clinic. Contact 972-231-8451.

• Dr. Basheer Ahmed is a psychiatrist who operates the Muslim Community Center for Human Services in Arlington, Texas, and can discuss the stress-related complaints he has seen since 9/11. Contact 817-907-6080 (cell) or 817-516-8100 (office).

IN THE WEST/NORTHWEST

• Dr. Sandy Shulmire is a psychologist who has a private practice and works in schools in Beaverton/Portland area in Oregon. She can discuss the complaints she has heard from Muslim schoolchildren and their parents and the effects these complaints can have in the long run. Contact 503-533-1875 (M,W,F), 503-533-1815 (T,TH), 503-645-2944, sandylou29@yahoo.com.

• Dr. Yasmin Attar is a psychologist and personal coach in Ventura, Calif., and can discuss the stress-related health complaints she has heard from Muslims. Contact 805-647-7628, drattar@msn.com.

• Dr. Miriam Hamideh is a clinical psychologist in Ventura, Calif., and can discuss the stress-related complaints she has heard in her practice and community. Contact 805-987-3162.