Acculturative Issues of Muslims in Australia

Abstract

Muslims in Australia are from a range of cultural and language groups. In spite of their long presence in Australia, research on this population is a recent development. The information that is emerging indicates that, in general, acculturation process is not problematic for the majority of Muslims. Most of them integrate well and report a blended identity. They value Australian institutions and contribute to the society in all spheres of life. However, acculturative stress has also emerged in the form of language barriers, employment challenges, financial disadvantages, and marginalization. These challenges have been associated with widespread negativity toward Muslims as a result of domestic and international terrorist attacks. Further, an adverse portrayal of Muslims in the media has contributed to the development of prejudices and Islamophobia among non-Muslim Australians, leading to discrimination and strained relations between the two groups. Although there is an ongoing attempt to repair relations between Muslims and the larger society in Australia, more effective strategies are required. Suggestions for stakeholders are discussed.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with Ecological Systems Theory: Addressing Muslim Mental Health Issues and Wellbeing

“…Although ACT has been effective with many biopsychosocial, spiritual, and contextual issues for diverse groups, none of the studies have addressed how ACT could be utilized with Muslims. The author of this paper has utilized ACT for his diverse clients and attended many ACT related events such as conferences, bootcamps, interest meetings, and supervision; however, he witnessed that many mental health providers utilizing ACT for their clients did not consider clients' multilevel contexts (individual, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem), which is strongly suggested in the literature on Muslim mental health (Arfken et al, 2018;Khawaja & Khawaja, 2016;Tanhan & Francisco, 2019). For example, the author was part of facilitating small groups at one of the three-day ACT bootcamps in the US where six well-known ACT authorities, including Steven Hayes, provided the main training, and only Hayes stressed the importance of considering ACT in context while the other seasoned ACT trainers stressed clinical details of ACT and acted from a more intrapersonal perspective.…”

Impact of a Pilot Peer-Mentoring Empowerment Program on Personal Well-Being for Migrant and Refugee Women in Western Australia

“…For the more vulnerable mentees, the benefits of the program were social connection and a greater sense of belonging. The program was designed to enhance employability, but achievement of this goal is mitigated by both the personal attributes of the mentee and systemic barriers to employment, such as a lack of work experience and discrimination [ 10 , 53 , 54 ]. Not all mentees made progress towards finding employment.…”

Cultivating mindfulness: evaluation of a community-based mindfulness program for Arabic-speaking women in Australia

“…This was to expected given that most of the female Muslim participants were relatively recent arrivals from Iraq and other war-torn countries (the program was delivered during the peak of Syrian refugee settlement in Australia) and dealing with ongoing trauma and loss as well as settlement issues (Slewa-Younan et al, 2015;Slewa-Younan et al, 2017). Since the September 11 (9/11) terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001, life has not been easy for Muslims in Australia (Khawaja & Khawaja, 2016a) and other Western countries (Khawaja & Khawaja, 2016b).…”

“…Arabic was the third most common language spoken (1.4% of the total population), after English and Mandarin (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2017). The Arabic-speaking community in Australia comprises individuals from various countries and religions and both long-standing residents and new arrivals, including refugees and others with refugee-like backgrounds (Jupp, 2001;Khawaja & Khawaja, 2016a).…”