Abstract
Working with people of the Muslim culture can be very difficult if you do not know and understand their religion. They require specific cares tailored to meet the needs of their culture. Muslims would rather use home remedies and prayer to prevent or cure an illness rather than using prescription medications because they are not created by their God (Allah). It is important to understand this culture because it does affect the way that they care for themselves.
Islamic Culture
Reason. I chose the Islamic culture because it is a culture that is increasing rapidly around the state. Not many nursing staff has the education needed to care for this culture, so I will be researching it and hopefully passing along my findings to help nurses better communicate with this culture.
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Islam refers to ‘the submission to the will of God.’ People who follow Islam are referred to as Muslims. The Islamic culture is the second largest religion worldwide. It contains over one billion followers. Muslims believe there is only one God, whom they refer to as ‘Allah’. Their holy book is the Quran and the Sunnah.
According to Islam, there are five pillars, or practices, that they must follow. Shahadah, which is reciting the Muslim profession of faith. Salat, in which they pray at least five times a day. Zakat, where they give money to the poor or needy. Sawm, which is fasting. They are not allowed to drink, eat, have intercourse, or smoke from the break of dawn until sunset. And lastly is hajj, where the Muslims get together in Mecca, stand before the Kaaba, and praise Allah together. Completing these five pillars each day is important to them because it shows that they put their faith first.
Family. The typical Muslim family is traditional, normally spanning over three or more generations. (Dhami, Sheika, 2000). The father chooses the names of their children but will involve the wife in the decision to make her happy. Children are named after their fathers, even if he is deceased, divorced, or does not care for the child in any way. The only time a child would be named after someone else would be if the child was a result of adultery. (Dhami et al. 2000) Muslims do not believe in abortion.
Language and Communication. Members of the Islamic culture speak Arabic. Like most people, Muslims also use body language as a way to communicate. In this culture, showing the soles of your feet is rude, as well as sitting or standing back to back with someone. Islamic cultures believe that prolonged eye contact is a way of showing someone trust and interest in the person as well as the conversation. If you do not maintain eye contact during a conversation, you will be thought of as untrustworthy.
They also speak very loudly to show strength. Muslims do not like to be touched or touch anyone with their left hand. Doing this is rude because they believe you only use your left hand while using the restrooms. You are to use your right hand when feeding, giving medications, or when touching is needed. People of the same sex touch, kiss, hug, and hold hands as a way to show that they like and accept you. However, members of the opposite sex are not expected to shake hands and are expected to keep their distance.
Client – Nurse Interaction. In the culture of Islam, they do not allow alcohol pork, by products of pork, or meat from any animal that has not been slaughtered according to their custom. (Attum et al.) They are also not allowed to take any medications that may contain these items. During Ramadan, Muslims fast. Which means they are not allowed to eat or drink between the times of sunrise and sunset. This may lead to severe health problems if they are not getting the proper nutrition needed. It may cause even more problems with patients who have diabetes. As your nurse, you should teach them that they need to be eating plenty of carbohydrates before sunrise and after sunset, to release energy slowly throughout the day. In their culture they use many different home remedies, so it is important to ask what they are taking to avoid any side effects in combination with other medications they may be given. As stated above, female staff should be caring for female patients, and vice versa.
Time and Space. Muslims do not mind confrontation or being walked towards. Women may not say anything to men, and vice versa while passing each other. You must not touch them with your left hand, and men and women are expected to keep their distance. In Islam, they see time as gold. They believe that the Lord gives them this time to carry out good deeds while they still can, because tomorrow is never guaranteed.
Nutritional Patterns. Muslims have foods and drinks that are allowed, and some that are not. To obey Allah’s rules, they must abstain from eating certain foods and drinks such as meat from a dead animal that was not slaughtered properly, pork, blood, and anything that may contain alcohol. The Islamic law that’s that “meat must come from an animal that was killed according to specific practices.” (Huffington Post, 2014) The animal must have been healthy when it was slaughtered, and must be cut by the jugular, windpipe, and well as the carotid artery.
Health Beliefs. In the Islamic culture, they mainly use a holistic approach to health. They use plants, foods, and their religion to heal. They use medicinal plants in the forms of oils, ointments, syrups, and teas. The most commonly used plant is black seed. They use honey to improve circulation, as well as a topical antibiotic. (Attum et al., 2014) Muslims rely heavily on prays to heal and improve wellness. They recite certain prayers specific for their illness. They also pray over their food, then later eat it to promote their healing.
Spiritual. In Islam they follow the Abrahamic monotheistic religion. This religion teaches that there is only one god, Allah, and the Muhamad is the messenger of Allah. In this religion they believe that their God gives them life, health and wellness, even though the medical staff is providing the treatments. They find it very important to follow their gender rule even while in a hospital setting, you must give them time and space for prayer, and you must meet their nutritional needs according to their religion.
Biological. The type of clothing that Muslims wear can vary from country to country, as well as person to person. They let very little skin show, and wear a keffiah, or a head dress at all times because their God do not believe you should be showing any part of your head. The color of their skin is main light brown in color. Because they have very specific diets even when it is not Ramadan, they can be prone to health problems because they are not getting the proper nutrients in their diet. It is very common in young children. Anemia is very common, as well as vitamin A and D deficiency, and iodine deficiency.
Conclusion
Muslims use a very different approach to health care than the typical American does. While caring for them as a nurse, you must consider their differences and be aware of them. It is very important to be conscious of their gender rules, to not use your left hand, to maintain eye contact, and to be understanding of their culture. Because they fast during Ramadan, it is important for us to be understanding of this, try to make their stay as comfortable as they can, while giving them the best care we are able to while keeping their culture in mind. Because of this, I now know how to approach the Islamic culture and better communicate with them.
References
- Dhami, S., Sheikh, A. (2000, Nov. 15). The Muslim Family. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1071164/
- Attum, B., Shamoon, Z. (2019, Jan. 19). Cultural Competence in the Care of Muslim Patients and Their Families. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499933/
- (“We are all familiar” 2018, Jan. 22) Importance of Time in Islam. Retrieved from http://www.quranreading.com/blog/importance-of-time-in-islam-from-quran-and-sunnah/
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