{"id":11263,"date":"2017-11-01T10:00:54","date_gmt":"2017-11-01T15:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/?post_type=insight_posts&p=11263"},"modified":"2025-05-14T16:40:28","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T21:40:28","slug":"islamophobia-muslim-psychologists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/from-the-magazine\/islamophobia-muslim-psychologists\/","title":{"rendered":"Lifting the veil"},"content":{"rendered":"

She turns the doorknob, inhales deeply, and exhales slowly. She\u2019s preparing herself for the stares and mutters as she walks out into the sunlight. Whether the comments are intentionally meant to be heard or not, she\u2019s perfected the art of selective hearing. Onlookers will assume her politics, what her family or friends are like, how her upbringing was, and even the behavior in her marriage\u2014simply because she dared to come outside in traditional hijab attire.<\/p>\n

Sometimes it is just easier to opt out of wearing the simple piece of georgette or polyester material altogether. Ironically by being more exposed, the mystery of her culture and religion aren\u2019t as interesting to others\u2014regardless of whether it\u2019s their business or not.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Nausheen Pasha-Zaidi, Ph.D., TCSPP trustee<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI like wearing a head scarf to religious gatherings,\u201d says The Chicago School Board of Trustees member, Nausheen Pasha-Zaidi, Ph.D., co-editor of the book Mirror on the Veil<\/em><\/a>. \u201cI look forward to events where I can wear it. But right now, the political climate in the U.S. is such that, if you wear the hijab, people mistakenly believe you represent all Muslims.\u201d<\/p>\n

In her book, women share stories of navigating the world practicing hijab and wearing veiling. In many of the essays, their physical appearance consistently leads strangers to prejudge them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have currently made the choice not to wear my head scarf on a regular basis because I am not prepared to represent all of Islam; I\u2019m only trying to represent myself,\u201d Dr. Pasha-Zaidi says.<\/p>\n

\n

It\u2019s relatively easy to show that the stereotypical correlations between the U.S. Muslim population and Islamic terrorism are muddy at best. According to recent data from the Pew Research Center<\/a>, 3.35 million Muslims live in the U.S. today. Nearly a quarter of them are U.S. natives\u2014meaning their families go back three or more generations. And the largest contingent of foreign-born Muslims, 35 percent, immigrated from Southeast Asian countries. Conversely, reports show that up to 75 percent of Arab Americans are Christian.<\/p>\n

But stereotypes have a way of strangling the logical mind and nesting in the hearts of people to create gut feelings and knee-jerk reactions grounded in fear and uncertainty.<\/p>\n

In the second quarter of 2017 (April 1 through June 30), the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)<\/a> received 946 reports of potential bias incidents. Of that total, 451 of these incidents had an anti-Muslim bias. Sixteen percent of those 451 incidents involved nonviolent harassment, while 15 percent were hate crimes.<\/p>\n

Victims\u2019 homes were the most likely place (68 percent) in which they experienced these incidents. Highways, roads, and alleys came in second (58 percent). Air, bus, and train terminals followed closely behind (55 percent).<\/p>\n

When discrimination and bias are used as the basis for public policy decisions, history plainly illustrates that we are heading down a dark path.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Washington State University<\/a> reports that 58 percent of Americans favored a requirement that people of Arab descent receive a more intensive screening process at airports. No matter how unconstitutional this practice may lean, many have experienced this kind of prejudice firsthand.<\/p>\n

In 2016, the Guardian reported that a trio of siblings<\/a> were removed from an airplane after being falsely accused of reading ISIS propaganda materials. While none of them speak, read, or write Arabic, they were curiously questioned about whether they had Arabic texts on their phones or copies of the Quran.<\/p>\n

Singular instances of discrimination are widespread and troubling. When discrimination and bias are used as the basis for public policy decisions, history plainly illustrates that we are heading down a dark path.<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump\u2019s proposed travel ban<\/a> on January 27, 2017 led to pandemonium for American citizens, overseas residents, and refugees coming from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. For many, the ban was shocking and viewed as unconstitutional. And the Muslim community witnessed other signals of a sea change in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n

\u201cEver since the days of President Thomas Jefferson, the White House has recognized iftar, which is the evening meal that breaks the monthlong fast as part of Ramadan,\u201d says Heather Laird, who just graduated from The Chicago School with a Psy.D. in Psychology with a concentration in Marriage and Family Therapy<\/a>. \u201cFor the past 20 years<\/a>, the White House has honored iftar\u2014until the new administration came into office. President Trump canceled it<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

But believing Islamophobia in the U.S. can be blamed on any one person or policy may be the easy way out. Dr. Laird is quick to point out that the Muslim community has been dealing with prejudice and hate long before President Trump, and even long before Sept. 11.<\/p>\n

\n

Last year, I spent time teaching Muslim children resiliency after experiencing Islamophobia, which is something I can relate to,\u201d says Dr. Laird, who converted to Islam 25 years ago and does wear the traditional head scarf. Referring to her undergraduate experience in the \u201890s at Indiana University, Dr. Laird vividly remembers drivers being stopped and randomly searched by dogs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt felt strikingly similar to driving while black,\u201d Dr. Laird says. \u201cAnd the majority of Muslims in America are African-American, so that\u2019s two minority groups being profiled at once. But in our case, it was driving while Muslim. These incredibly disturbing things were happening because of the Gulf War. When I would travel to conferences, I\u2019d get extra searches at the airport. That has always been the case since I\u2019ve been Muslim.\u201d<\/p>\n

From a mental health perspective, the cumulative effect of encounters like these may result in dire outcomes if left untreated.<\/p>\n

\u201cPost-traumatic slave syndrome, coined by Degruy in 2005, is a theory that has been developed from looking at history,\u201d Dr. Laird continues. \u201cFor example, it examines the effects of slavery on the African-American community and its legacy of trauma on people today. What I found in my own research is that different ethnic groups have particular mental health issues that really have to do with their history.\u201d<\/p>\n

Springer Science+Business Media, LLC<\/a> reports that minority populations often experience microaggressive messages. These are brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, and environmental indignities, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults. Victims of microaggressive messages often can exhibit negative mental health outcomes: increased distress and depression; decreased life satisfaction; increased risk for mood and substance use disorders; increased anxiety; and increased suicide risk.<\/p>\n

Both Dr. Laird and Dr. Pasha-Zaidi want to help to change these mental health risks through self-care and education.<\/p>\n

\n

This fall, Dr. Laird is opening the Center for Muslim Mental Health and Islamic Psychology, which will research the mental health of Muslims, expand community outreach, and include a clinic for students and community members to seek psychological services. This model will be replicated at five universities and colleges within five years starting at University of Southern California. The Center will host the conference \u201cMoving Toward Defining Islamic Psychology\u201d in February 2018. The first of its kind in the United States, it will work collaboratively with well-known Islamic scholars and mental health clinicians to define an Islamic psychology and create treatments for the Muslim population through an integration of belief and best practices.<\/p>\n

She previously worked as a consultant with the Muslim Public Affairs Council\u2019s Safe Spaces<\/a> initiative through the LA City Mayor\u2019s Office to help empower communities; secure the sanctity of mosques; and promote Islamic values of civic engagement, public safety, and healthy identity formation.<\/p>\n

Dr. Pasha-Zaidi has worked as an educator and academic advisor in the United States and the United Arab Emirates, where she specializes in English language learners and at-risk students. Her research, which explores culture, gender, and social justice in international systems, focuses on the Muslim population.<\/p>\n

We have the power to be able to give our voice to other communities around the world. But in order to effect change, we have to listen to what is happening in other parts of the world.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve traveled to more than 30 countries,\u201d she says. \u201cAs a psychologist, we have the power to be able to give our voice to other communities around the world. But in order to effect change, we have to listen to what is happening in other parts of the world. Becoming an ESL teacher and gaining international experience allowed me to become more open-minded, receptive, and understanding of different people in different parts of the world. Even as a Muslim who was born in Pakistan, I experienced culture shock when I moved to the Middle East, simply from living in the U.S. for so long and being raised within the American culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a language connoisseur, taking the sting out of common phrases such as \u201cAllahu akbar\u201d (meaning \u201cGod is great\u201d) and \u201cInshallah\u201d (meaning \u201cGod willing\u201d) matter just as much as physical appearance to Dr. Pasha-Zaidi.<\/p>\n

\u201cImagine how you would react if someone ducked for cover because you said \u2018Hallelujah,\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cThat\u2019s how Muslims feel when saying something as innocent as \u2018Allahu akbar\u2019 because it\u2019s been misconstrued as something violent. The media and the entertainment industry have made it so people affiliate positive Islamic language with terrorism. It\u2019s a shame.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Laird and Dr. Pasha-Zaidi agree that if diverse communities nationwide would spend more time learning about each other\u2019s similarities as much as they do differences, the risks of Islamophobia could decrease.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether you are Muslim or not, find Muslims who you can talk with and who have a similar mission,\u201d Dr. Pasha-Zaidi says. \u201cAnd simply hold those hard conversations. \u2018This is me. This is my experience.\u2019 Open up your home for dinners and get-togethers with neighbors, co-workers, families, and friends. Start from a grassroots perspective to help improve and change your own neighborhood, regardless of what\u2019s happening in the political world or on the news.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Are you ready to take the next step?<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you would to learn more about programs at The Chicago School, fill out the form below for more information. You can also apply today through our application portal<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two women are doing their part to help bring understanding and compassion to a community on the defense: Muslims.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":11265,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[118],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1032],"class_list":["post-11263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-from-the-magazine","insight_authors-shamontiel-l-vaughn","insight_issues-fall-2017"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMuslim psychologists help in the fight against Islamophobia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Confronting individual instances of religious discrimination is hard enough. 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