Altaf Husain

Religious Microaggressions: A Case Study of Muslim Americans

ABSTRACT The increasing population of Muslims in America faces challenges not uncommon to other faith and immigrant communities. One particular challenge is Muslim experiences of various forms of discrimination, prejudice, anti-Muslim bigotry, and microaggressions, especially in post-9/11 America. While microaggressions have been discussed in the social sciences literature, religious microaggressions have not been clearly addressed in the social work literature. This article aims to fill this gap in the literature by examining the connections among racial microaggressions, the racialization of religion, and ultimately religious microaggressions. The article concludes by presenting implications for social work policy, practice, and education in the area of religious microaggressions.

Islamically modified cognitive behavioral therapy: Enhancing outcomes by increasing the cultural congruence of cognitive behavioral therapy self-statements

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most widely used and effective therapeutic modalities. When utilized with devout Muslims, however, outcomes may be enhanced by modifying traditional CBT self-statements to reflect Islamic values. Toward this end, the values that inform the Western counseling project are discussed. Areas of differing value emphasis are noted between Islam and traditional CBT. The process of constructing Islamically modified statements is illustrated, and it is proposed that this culturally congruent modality may engender (1) faster recovery, (2) better treatment compliance, (3) lower rates of relapse, and (4) reduced treatment disparities. The article concludes by providing suggestions to assist social workers implement Islamically modified CBT statements in a manner that maximizes the potential to achieve these salutary outcomes.

Examining the relationship between encouragement and health-related quality of life among Muslims

ABSTRACT This study examines the relationship between encouragement and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among a sample of American Muslims, in tandem with the potential mediating effects of depression and spirituality. To conduct this cross-sectional study, a model was developed and tested using structural equation modeling (SEM) with a community sample of Muslims (N = 284). The results indicate that encouragement has a direct, positive effect on HRQOL. Neither depression nor spirituality mediated the relationship between encouragement and HRQOL. Rather, both variables exhibited a direct, independent effect on HRQOL. In addition, spirituality exhibited an indirect effect on HRQOL through attenuating depression. The findings underscore the importance of encouragement as a pathway to enhance HRQOL among Muslims in post-9/11 America. The results also suggest that spirituality can play a significant role in fostering HRQOL among Muslims, both directly and indirectly by reducing the effects of depression on HRQOL.

Islam in the 21st century: Challenges and opportunities for social work with Muslims

Whenever I pick up a social work journal or book, I am always curious if “Islam” the faith, or “Muslims” the people, have been mentioned. Although religion and spirituality are gaining some acceptance in the social work field, the profession is still trying to overcome two facts stated by McGrew and Cnaan (2006) over ten years ago: 1) that “social scientists of the latter half of the century were for the most part content to ignore religion almost entirely,” (p. 22), and 2) that “evidence-based practice seems, at least to secular practitioners, the very antithesis of faith-based practice” (p. 22). This is particularly true regarding meaningful inclusion of content on Islam and Muslims. For publications dated 2001 or before, Muslims as a group were rarely included in social work literature and, if they were, it was in the form of a short paragraph on world religions, or the content was fraught with stereotypical and caricatured presentations, reducing Muslims to the “other,” the ones whose beliefs, values, and lifestyles were “incongruent” with mainstream American values (Hodge, Baughman, and Cummings, 2006). In 2010, I was honored to co-author with Dr. Fariyal Ross-Sheriff the first chapter on culturally competent practice with Muslims in the 4 edition of Professor Doman Lum’s highly acclaimed book on cultural competence in social work practice (Husain & Ross-Sheriff, 2010). Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, there has been considerably greater interest in understanding social work practice and research with Muslim clients. This increased interest in better understanding and serving Muslim communities has been made manifest in several social work professional organizations. For example, the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) introduced the “Islam and Muslims Track” in 2007, and the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) supported the creation of a Special Interest Group on “Social Work and Research with Muslims.” These Muslim-specific groups were created in response to requests from Muslim faculty and graduate students. Even with the increase in attention on Islam and Muslims, there are still gaps in the existing literature on social work education, practice and research with this population. This special issue was conceived in 2015 to respond to this gap. From the outset, the focus of the special issue was

Validation of the Intrinsic Spirituality Scale (ISS) With Muslims

This study validates an existing spirituality measure--the intrinsic spirituality scale (ISS)--for use with Muslims in the United States. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted with a diverse sample of self-identified Muslims (N = 281). Validity and reliability were assessed along with criterion and concurrent validity. The measurement model fit the data well, normed χ2 = 2.50, CFI = 0.99, RMSEA = 0.07, and SRMR = 0.02. All 6 items that comprise the ISS demonstrated satisfactory levels of validity (λ > .70) and reliability (R2 > .50). The Cronbachs alpha obtained with the present sample was .93. Appropriate correlations with theoretically linked constructs demonstrated criterion and concurrent validity. The results suggest the ISS is a valid measure of spirituality in clinical settings with the rapidly growing Muslim population. The ISS may, for instance, provide an efficient screening tool to identify Muslims that are particularly likely to benefit from spiritually accommodative treatments.

Correlates of Self-Rated Health Among Muslims in the United States

Despite the large and growing population of Muslims in the United States, a paucity of research exists on the variables that may impact health status among members of this distinct cultural group. We address the lack of research by identifying correlates of self-rated health among a community sample of Muslims in the United States (N = 269). We examine the effects of demographic characteristics, health behaviors, psychological health, and contextual factors in the form of discrimination and spirituality. The results of our sequential logistic regression indicate that Muslims who were younger, married, had a graduate degree, and prayed more frequently were more likely to report higher levels of self-rated health. Conversely, respondents who reported clinically significant levels of depressive symptoms and those who reported being singled out by law enforcement as a result of being a Muslim were more likely to report poorer self-rated health. We conclude by discussing the implications of the results for social work practice with Muslims.

The American Islamic Community: Which Muslims are Likely to be Encouraged by Other People?

ABSTRACT Encouragement—or expressions of support designed to instill perseverance and hope in the face of challenging circumstances—is an important concept in the strengths perspective and a central feature of social work practice. Encouragement may be a particularly significant factor for Muslims living in post-9/11 America. Yet, little research has examined this topic despite its relevance. To address this gap in the literature, this cross-sectional study employed a community sample of Muslims (N = 274) to identify which Muslims are disproportionately likely to report receiving expressions of support from other people. The results of the logistic regression indicated that Muslims who were single, Middle Eastern, non-Sunni, and frequent Mosque attenders, were more likely to receive expressions of support compared to those who were married, European American, Sunni, and less frequent Mosque attenders. Conversely, Muslims without a 4-year college education and born aboard were less likely to receive expressions of support compared to those with a graduate degree and born in the US. The paper concludes by offering a tentative explanation for the results and suggesting some implications for practice with Muslim clients. Future researchers might build upon the findings by replicating the study with nationally representative samples.

The Islamic community in post-9/11 America: Which Muslims are likely to report being called offensive names?

ABSTRACT American Muslims are frequently called offensive names. Yet, despite the pernicious effects of such derogatory language, a paucity of research has examined this phenomenon. This study set out to address this gap in the literature by determining which Muslims are most at risk to report being called disparaging names. Using a community sample of Muslims (N = 275), the logistic regression results revealed that Muslims who were younger, single, and spoke primarily English at home were comparatively more likely to report being called offensive names within the past 12 months. Conversely, both Asian and African American Muslims were less likely to report being called offensive names compared to European American Muslims. The article concludes by offering some tentative explanations for the findings and suggesting some implications for practice with, and on behalf, of Muslim clients.

Modeling the Relationships between Discrimination, Depression, Substance Use, and Spirituality with Muslim Americans: A National Sample

from 9th Annual Muslim Mental Health Conference Modeling the Relationships Between Discrimination, Depression, Substance Use, and Spirituality with Muslim Americans: A National Sample Tarek Zidan, PhD Indiana University David R. Hodge, PhD Arizona State University Altaf Husain, PhD Howard University Background: This study sought to examine the relationship between discrimination and two health outcomes of critical importance to social work educatorsdepression and substance usein tandem with the protective effects of spirituality. Drawing from stress/coping theory, a theoretically based model was developed and tested using structural equation modeling (SEM) with a national sample of selfidentified Muslims (N = 265). In addition to demographic items, the selfreport survey included measures of perceived discrimination, developed by the Pew Research Center (2011); depression, assessed with the short form of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD); substance use; and spirituality. After pilot testing, the survey was placed online and various Islamic organizations were contacted. Methods: Based upon prior related research, it was hypothesized that higher levels of discrimination would predicts higher levels of both depression and 74 Tarek Zidan, David Hodge, and Altaf Husain substance use, and spirituality would mediate the relationship between discrimination and both health outcomes. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted using AMOS. Preliminary analyses indicated that some variables were highly skewed (e.g., substance use). Mardia’s test of multivariate normality was not supported, violating a key assumption upon which Maximum Likelihood estimation is based. Accordingly, the asymptotically distribution free estimator was used. Results: Findings show partial support for the study hypotheses. Discrimination predicted higher levels of depressive symptoms. Discrimination did not, however, predict higher levels of substance use. Spirituality did not function as a mediator. Rather, spirituality exhibited an independent effect on both depression and substance use. In other words, higher levels of spirituality predicted lower levels of depression and substance use, apart from the effects of discrimination. Discussion: The results regarding the protective effects of spirituality on depression and substance use underscore the importance of incorporating Islam’s spiritual strengths into direct practice content. For instance, courses featuring training in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) might include content on adapting CBT protocols on cultural sensitivity a strategy to increase the cultural relevance and effectiveness of the intervention.