IUPUI is Indiana's premier urban research university. The campus enrolls more than 30,000 students in 21 schools and academic units.
Khadija Khaja
Assistant Professor
Social Work
khaja@iupui.edu
A QUALITATIVE RESEARCH STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF 9/11 ON MUSLIMS LIVING I
One billion or nearly one in five people are Muslim, and in fifty countries they represent the majority of the population (Carter & Rashidi, 2004). The global priority since the attack on the World Trade Centers has been to enforce the security of nations against Islamic terrorism. Rigid immigration/refugee policies, stricter surveillance of international travelers, and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have led to some calling this the age of turbulence and uncertainty (Cainkar, 2004; Greenspan, 2007). To add, 48% of Muslims believe their emotional well-being has since deteriorated (Bayoumi, 2002; Byng, 2008). Muslims who embraced the west calling it their home now feel vulnerable, and not wanted. They fear physical attacks, social prejudice, employment discrimination, deportation, immigration roadblocks, stigmatization, and incarceration (Piwowarczyk & Kearne, 2007). This emotional toll has led to feelings of shame, guilt, depression, panic, fear, alienation, and anxiety. Muslim families are worried about what the future holds for their children with post-traumatic stress disorders becoming evident in homes (Shoeb, Weinstein, & Mollica, 2007). This international study will illustrate findings from an international study that examined the impact of 9/11 on Muslims living in Australia, Argentina, Canada and the United States. It will also illustrate recommendations about social service needs, and appropriate cross-cultural interventions that will prove critical to maintaining the well being of Muslim communities.
