Politicizing Muslim Mental Health: Toward a Decolonial Framework

Abstract

There is a growing recognition that mental illness should be taken more seriously within Muslim communities. In this are calls to Islamicize psychology or psychologize Islam, whereby the former attempts to adapt contemporary psychological practices for Muslims while the latter endeavors to indigenize and establish a psychology rooted firmly in Islamic traditions. An extensive body of work demonstrates how Muslims are uniquely politicized across the Global North as the common “Other” in nationalist discourse. There is a need to underscore the significance of the political which underpins the relationship between the concepts of ‘Muslim’ and ‘mental health’. The political domain will be explored by addressing three paradigms and their particular relationship to Muslim mental health: neoliberalism, nationalism, and securitization. I argue that Muslim mental health, irrespective of approach or discipline, is unique in its ability to cultivate loyal and productive subjects of the nation-state. Emerging Muslim mental health models may succeed in their stated objective—alleviate suffering or raise God consciousness—but they do not address the political dimension underlying mental health practice itself. I argue that a decolonial movement must remain in constant resistance with dominant ideological paradigms. Furthermore, it must be rooted in an interdisciplinary praxis based on communal trust and shared responsibility, and ensure Muslim suffering is neither commodified nor rationalized from its causes.