Eurocentric Models vs. Islamic Models of Mental Health
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Mental health care has historically been shaped by Eurocentric models, which often differ fundamentally from Islamic perspectives. Understanding these differences is key to providing culturally and spiritually attuned care, particularly for Muslim communities.
1. Foundations of Understanding Mental Health
Eurocentric Models:
- Rooted in Western philosophies, often grounded in secular, materialist, and individualistic frameworks.
- Mental health is seen largely as a biological, psychological, and social issue (the biopsychosocial model).
- Healing tends to focus on cognitive and behavioural interventions, pharmacological treatments, and clinical diagnoses based on standardised frameworks like the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) or International Classification of Diseases (ICD).
Islamic Models:
- Rooted in the Quran, Sunnah, and Islamic philosophical traditions, emphasising a holistic view of the human being (nafs) as comprising the body (jism), mind/intellect (aql), and soul (ruh).
- Mental health is deeply tied to spiritual well-being, moral alignment, and the remembrance of Allah (dhikr).
- Healing addresses the balance between spiritual, emotional, and physical dimensions, acknowledging the fitrah (innate disposition toward goodness).
2. Core Values in Healing
Eurocentric Models:
- Prioritise autonomy, self-actualisation, and individual agency, often divorced from spiritual considerations.
- Focus on managing symptoms and achieving measurable psychological outcomes.
- Cultural or religious practices may be seen as peripheral or supplementary to treatment.
Islamic Models:
- Emphasise submission to Allah (taqwa), reliance on Him (tawakkul), and purification of the heart (tazkiyah).
- Healing involves restoring harmony with one’s Creator, oneself, and others.
- Community and family are seen as integral supports for mental health, aligning with the collective focus in Islamic tradition.
3. Perception of Mental Health Challenges
Eurocentric Models:
- Mental health issues are often seen as pathological conditions to be diagnosed and treated.
- Secular frameworks may reduce complex experiences to purely chemical imbalances or cognitive distortions.
Islamic Models:
- Challenges are understood as trials (ibtila’) or tests from Allah, with the potential for spiritual growth and purification.
- Mental health issues are seen through both spiritual and physical lenses, integrating causes like sin, spiritual disconnection, or even the impact of jinn, envy (hasad), or the evil eye (ayn).
4. Methods of Healing
Eurocentric Models:
- Psychotherapy (e.g., CBT, DBT), medication, and behavioural interventions dominate the approach.
- Spirituality may be included if a client specifically requests it, but it is not central.
Islamic Models:
- Healing integrates spiritual practices like dua (supplication), dhikr, Quran recitation, and Salah (prayer).
- Encourages practical steps like seeking professional medical help while complementing it with reliance on Allah and trust in His wisdom.
- Incorporates Islamic counselling principles, emphasising ihsan (excellence) and empathy while grounding solutions in Shariah-compliant practices.
5. Purpose of Healing
Eurocentric Models:
- Aim to help individuals achieve functionality, happiness, and self-sufficiency in their personal and social lives.
Islamic Models:
- Healing integrates spiritual practices like dua (supplication), dhikr, Quran recitation, and Salah (prayer).
- Encourages practical steps like seeking professional medical help while complementing it with reliance on Allah and trust in His wisdom.
- Incorporates Islamic counselling principles, emphasising ihsan (excellence) and empathy while grounding solutions in Shariah-compliant practices.
6. Relationship to Colonial Systems
Eurocentric Models:
- Rooted in systems established during colonial rule, where mental health practices were often used to pathologise and control indigenous and non-European populations.
- Frameworks like psychiatry historically served colonial agendas, labelling resistance to oppression as mental illness (e.g., “drapetomania” to pathologize enslaved Africans who sought freedom).
- Modern mental health systems, though improved, remain entangled with structures that marginalize non-Western, non-secular approaches.
Islamic Models:
- Reject the colonial legacy of dehumanisation and instead affirm the intrinsic worth and sovereignty of individuals as creations of Allah (SWT).
- Advocate for mental health systems that liberate rather than oppress, centering cultural, spiritual, and communal practices rather than imported, imposed models.
- Recognise the interconnectedness of mental health with systemic justice, striving to dismantle oppressive systems and replace them with ethical, equitable structures rooted in divine guidance.
7. Commitment to Justice
Eurocentric Models:
- Often fail to address the systemic and structural root causes of mental health challenges, such as economic exploitation, racial discrimination, and generational trauma from colonisation.
- May inadvertently reinforce these systems by maintaining the status quo, focusing on individual coping strategies rather than systemic change.
Islamic Models:
- Uphold the Quranic principle of enjoining good and forbidding evil (amr bil ma’ruf wa nahi anil munkar), emphasising collective accountability and systemic justice.
- Advocate for addressing social injustices (e.g., poverty, racism, Islamophobia) that disproportionately impact mental health in marginalised communities.
- Prioritise liberation from oppressive systems, offering alternatives that align with tawhid (oneness of Allah) and reject reliance on exploitative or colonial frameworks.
8. Practical Implementation of Decolonised Islamic Mental Health
Alternative Models of Care:
- Develop independent, community-based mental health services that operate outside colonial structures.
- Avoid reliance on systems that perpetuate harm, such as those requiring intrusive health records or compliance with discriminatory policies (e.g., CVE).
2. Systemic Advocacy:
- Challenge policies and practices within mainstream mental health systems that disproportionately harm marginalised communities, such as over-surveillance or biased diagnoses.
- Advocate for reforms that dismantle colonial legacies in healthcare, emphasising equity and respect for diverse ways of knowing and healing.
3. Community Empowerment:
- Promote self-determination by empowering communities to design and govern their own mental health initiatives, rooted in their cultural and spiritual values.
- Train culturally competent counsellors and therapists who are aware of colonial legacies and committed to decolonised practices.
4. Spiritual Resilience:
- Encourage reliance on Islamic teachings and practices that nurture spiritual strength and resilience in the face of systemic oppression.
- Reaffirm that ultimate healing and liberation come from Allah, with mental health care serving as a means, not an end.
Key Takeaway
Islamic models of mental health provide a holistic, spiritually aligned framework that resonates deeply with the lived experiences of Muslims. While Eurocentric models offer valuable tools and techniques, integrating them with Islamic principles ensures that care is both effective and culturally sensitive. A decolonised mental health approach bridges these perspectives, offering clients meaningful, faith-based pathways to healing.
Vision for the Future
A decolonised Islamic mental health approach seeks not only to heal individuals but also to dismantle the oppressive systems that contribute to their suffering. By centering justice, liberation, and spiritual alignment, this model offers a powerful alternative to colonial frameworks, fostering a path toward holistic healing and societal transformation.
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