Cultural Immersion – Islamic
Culture
Preconceptions, Observations, and Dialogue
Steven P. Malm, M.A.
June 7, 2013
Part 1:
PRECONCEPTIONS OF
MUSLIM PEOPLE
The Chosen Group
For this cultural immersion project, I
identified the Islamic cultural group.
 Islam is one of the Abrahamic religions

◦ They follow the teachings of the prophet,
Muhammad, and believe in the One God, Allah
◦ While they acknowledge the existence of
Jesus, they believe he is a prophet, not the son
of God.

The term “Muslim” is often used to refer
to people who follow Islam
The 5 Pillars of Islam
Islam is based on 5 key rules, called “Pillars”
 1: Believe that there is but One god, Allah,
and that Muhammad is His messenger
 2: Muslims must pray 5 times per day
 3: Observe Ramadan

◦ Fasting from sunrise to sunset


4: Muslims will practice charity to help those
less fortunate
5: At least once, Muslims will make a
pilgrimage to Makkah
Additional information about
Muslims
Millions of people practice the Islamic
faith
 Their holy book is the Qur’an
 The language of Islam (In the Qur’an and
spoken in prayers) is Arabic.
 The “churches” of Islam are called
Mosques
 Their religion condemns homosexuality
(like the other Abrahamic religions)

Stereotypes about Muslim People


They are all either Middle Eastern or Black
Terrorists are Muslim (definitely false, but it’s
a known belief held by people)
◦ By extension, Muslims are violent
 There has been war between Muslim tribes in the
Middle East for thousands of years


The Qur’an preaches death to non-believers
(I don’t know why people believe this, but
I’ve heard it before)
They are patriarchal and oppressive to
women.
My Perceptions of Muslim People

Islam is a religion, not a race
◦ An individual from any race can be Muslim
◦ That said, many Muslims I know are from the Middle
East

In general, Muslims are very peaceful and moral
◦ They have extremists, but so does every religion!
◦ Their religion teaches love and respect.

There is a power differential between men and
women that I do not fully understand
◦ It seems that women are beneath men.

I really do not know much about this group going
into this project!
Prior Sources of Information
TV and News (Not the best source for accurate,
unbiased information)
 Psychology of Religion class in my undergraduate
work at Bradley University
 Discussions at Church

◦ I am a Missouri Synod Lutheran

Growing up next door to a Muslim family
◦ They are good friend of the family
◦ The mother of the household explained some
features of Islam to me

My parents – to help me respect other people,
regardless of religious beliefs
Why this Group?

I chose this group for a number of reasons:
◦ It is one of the Abrahamic religions
 There is already some similarity between my religious
upbringing and Islam. That makes it more accessible to me
while allowing me to understand the differences
◦ Of the 3 religions (Christianity, Islam, and Judaism), it
is the one I know the least about.
◦ There are a lot of negative stereotypes that I want to
investigate
 I know they’re not true, but I want to know what the truth is
in these areas.
◦ The Muslim group is very large and I am likely to have
Muslim clients in the future.
◦ Religion is a very impactful type of culture with
specific opportunities for observation
Part 2:
OBSERVATION
Cultural Observation
Location: Muncie Islamic Center
 Date: May 24, 2013
 Time: 1:30-2:30p
 Activity Observed: Prayer service


The Muncie Islamic Center functions as a
mosque for the Islamic community
in/around Muncie
Walking In…
Everyone took off their shoes prior to
entering the prayer room.
 The room was moderately-sized
 Clear of chairs and pews

◦ Except for a single row of chairs along the
back wall

In the front, there was a pulpit
Before Prayer


There were some people in the room.
Everyone was seated on the floor
◦ Some of the older/larger members sat in chairs


Some were reading from the Qur’an
Others prayed silently near the front
◦ These people would occasionally bend forward and
touch their forehead to the carpet

People greeted each other warmly with a
handshake (and the occasional hug)
◦ Several approached me and asked me about who I
was and why I was there.
◦ Very polite and accommodating
The People

Incredibly diverse
◦ Several appeared of Middle Eastern descent
◦ Several appeared to be of African descent
◦ Some Caucasians.

One thing did seem strange:
◦ They were ALL MEN
Prayer Begins
Due to my limited understanding of the
terminology used in the Islmaic faith, I will
compare what I saw to what I
experienced growing up as a Lutheran
 Prayer began at 2:00p
 A member stood up and began chanting
in Arabic

◦ Occasionally, the congregation would chant
back a few words
◦ Quite unlike Christian hymns
The Message



Led by a man who appeared analogous to a priest
or minister.
Much like the sermons I’ve grown up with
All about love/respect for each other and giving
to those less fortunate.
◦ Very similar to Christian teachings

Discussed the recent terrorist attacks in England
◦ Denounced the “Muslim terrorists.”
◦ “They are not Muslim!”
◦ The Qur’an teaches only love and good deeds, not
violence
◦ The “Muslim terrorists” are enemies of Muslim
◦ Pointed out that every religion has terrorists
After the Message


Everyone stood up, shoulder-to-shoulder
The “priest” began praying in Arabic
◦ Congregation chanted responses quietly.

Then, they fell to their knees and touched
their foreheads to the carpet
◦ Repeated this a couple of times before rising


The service was then over
People approached each other and said
something in Arabic while shaking hands
◦ Seemed like the point in the service when
everyone would say “God’s Peace” or “Peace be
with you.”
Comparison to My Religious
Experiences

Differences
◦ Shorter service
◦ Did not seem to include multiple scripture
readings or hymns
◦ Prayer seemed more personally driven

Similarities
◦ Core messages (belief in One God, love and
respect, do good deeds and give to charity,
etc.)
◦ Racially/Ethnically diverse within the culture
Why did I choose this service?

Because the identified cultural group is a
religion, I believed a prayer service would be
the best representation of the general
practices of this group.
◦ Also, the times for observation were easily
identifiable and concrete.


Furthermore, this activity would allow to
more easily approach someone to engage in
a discussion about Islamic culture.
Finally, since I was raised as a Christian, I
would have something with which to
compare what I observed.
Feelings and Reactions


I was confused about the absence of women from the service and
made a note to ask about it (see Part 3).
I felt really awkward when everyone else stood around me and
started praying.
◦ I wasn’t sure if I should stand or remain seated


It was really beneficial for me to listen to the message and hear the
denouncement of the terrorists’ actions.
I’ve come to realize that, at their core, Christianity and Islam are
not all that different
◦ As far as teachings and morality.

Some of the rituals (i.e., pressing their foreheads to the ground)
seemed a little strange to me
◦ I was also not used to conducting services partially in another language
 It made it really difficult to understand what was going on.

Overall, I felt this experience was very beneficial for my
understanding of Muslim beliefs and how Muslim prayer is
conducted
Part 3:
DIALOGUE WITH
GROUP MEMBERS
Setting:
Location: Muncie Islamic Center
 Date: May 24, 2013
 Time: 2:30-4:00p


Members present:
◦ Myself
◦ Caucasian Muslim revert (will explain)
◦ Middle Eastern (I believe Saudi Arabian)
Muslim man active at the Muncie Islamic
Center
The Caucasian Man
Appeared to be in his mid 40s
 Vietnam Veteran
 Raised Christian
 “Reverted” to Muslim after returning
from Vietnam

◦ Muslims believe that all people are born
Muslim but that some fall off the path.
◦ As a result, coming into the Muslim faith is
called reverting instead of converting
The Middle-Eastern Man
Appeared to be in mid-late 20s
 In the U.S. while his wife studies at Ball
State
 Is still learning to speak English

◦ His English was very good and generally
understandable
◦ Had trouble finding words for some concepts
Why Were No Women Present?


As I noted in the observation section, I did not
see any women at the prayer
They were there! They were behind me, in
another room watching/listening through a
window
◦ This is due to space constraints at the Islamic Center.
Physical barriers between the genders is uncommon

Women sit behind the men during prayer
◦ To avoid men staring at the women during prayer
 Supposed to be focused on Allah
 Reduces temptation
 If she is not your wife, why are you looking at her?

NOT an attempt to oppress women
Men, Women, and Family Structure

Men and women are equal but different in Islamic culture
◦ They share equal responsibility, but in different areas

The man is the head of the family
◦ Responsible for providing and protecting the family

The woman is the head of the household
◦ Responsible for raising the children and teaching them to be
good people

The mother is one of the most respected family members
◦ Do not disrespect the mother!

Women are not to be alone with another man other than
her husband.
◦ A male family member must be present

Elderly family members are seen as wise and are sought for
advice.
Marriage

Islam looks down on divorce
◦ The family needs both parents to function correctly
◦ When you get married, you are bonded for life


Homosexual marriage is strictly prohibited
Inter-racial marriage is not an issue
◦ All people are equal in the eyes of Allah, regardless of
race

Inter-religious marriages are a little more
complicated
◦ Muslim men can marry a non-Muslim woman
◦ Muslim women can not marry a non-Muslim man,
unless he reverts to Islam
Education and Working
Islam teaches that education is everyone’s
right.
 Girls and boys both need to be educated
 While the man is traditionally the
provider for the family, women are
allowed to work

◦ As long as it does not interfere with her
duties of raising the children.
Resolving Conflicts

Men are NOT to beat their wives!
◦ Doing so is a perversion of Islam
◦ Women are not the property of the husband

Conflicts are to be handled through the
inclusion of a neutral third-party who
mediates and helps resolve the conflict
◦ Usually the local religious leader, if available

Supposed to maintain respect for all
parties involved
Coping
Pray about it
 The Islamic community is very close and
offers each other guidance, advice, and
support through difficult times.

View on Physical/Mental Health
Pray for people with physical or mental
ailments
 However, these people do need to seek
help from trained professionals

◦ They are encouraged to get help!

All acquaintances should visit the ill
individual to show support and to pray
for them
Food
No pork!
 Meat should only be consumed if the
animal was slaughtered in a certain way

◦ Often not the case with food sold in
restaurants and stores
The Role of Religion
Given that the culture selected is defined
by its religion, the role of religion is
critical in understanding this culture
 The 5 pillars of Islam are very important

View of Other Groups
Everyone should coexist in peace
 Muslims have good relations with Jews
and Christians
 All races are equal under Islam
 Less was said about Eastern religions, but
they assured me that Islam teaches love
for everyone, regardless of religion
 In short, they stated that there were no
specific groups that Islam has a problem
with

Feelings of Discrimination

Caucasian Muslim
Revert
◦ Caught a lot of flak from
friends and neighbors
for taking a “foreign”
religion
◦ Makes people visibly
uncomfortable when he
says he is Muslim
◦ Has difficulty with the
de-emphasis on
nationalism that Islam
teaches (especially since
he is a veteran)

Middle-Eastern Muslim
◦ Occasionally feels
outright discrimination
based on his looks
◦ Hears a lot of antiMuslim statements
◦ Says he copes by
reminding himself that
these people are
ignorant of the truth
Personal Feelings on Culture

Both members believe they are doing well
living up to the expectations of their
culture
◦ Both have trouble from time to time, but it “is
expected”
The Caucasian revert mentioned he
wished he could eat bacon
 Otherwise, both held that they wished to
retain all of the foundations of their
culture.

Part 4:
CONCLUSIONS AND
CLINICAL
IMPLICATIONS
Conclusions

A lot of my preconceptions of Islam were corrected through this
experience in addition to shattering many of the negative
stereotypes
◦ Islam teaches that violence in any form is bad
◦ Men are NOT supposed to beat their wives
◦ Though filling different roles, men and women have equal responsibility
in Islam culture

Anyone can be Muslim.
◦ There are no key physical features of this cultural group
◦ It is a group defined by religion

Islam is not so different from the other major monotheistic
religions
◦ Definitely not enough to warrant the animosity towards Muslims often
seen in the media


Though Muslim extremists exist, so do extremists from every
religion.
This project was extremely helpful for my own knowledge about
Islam and also gives me some ideas on how to interact with future
Muslim clients (to be discussed on the next slide)
Clinical Implications
When working with children of Muslim families, I should
address the father first (as head of the family), but he will
likely have me talk to the mother about the child
 As a male, I cannot be in a room alone with a Muslim woman.
A male family member must be present.

◦ I will be unable to do personal therapy with Muslim females
 May have to stick to couples or family therapy with this
◦ If interviewing about a child, either a son or the husband would
have to be present.

The Muslim community is very supportive of its members in
regards to seeking mental health services.
◦ Encourage the client to reach out to community for support
A special thanks to the
Muncie Islamic Center
For allowing me to come and observe their prayers and to
help me better understand Islamic culture.