Author: Thani Arhos

On page 155 of Reza Aslan’s “No god but God,” introduces a concept originally created by Spanish philosopher and physician Ibn Rushd dubbed the “two truths” theory. This theory idealizes religion and philosophy as two different ends of a spectrum, with religion being the truth of the masses, and philosophy as truth itself through the scope of human reasoning. I believe there are certain levels validity to this argument as well as discredibility.

As an atheist raised in the Greek Orthodox religion, I have always agreed with Rushd’s view of religion being the truth of the masses. While I personally believe that religion is a fabrication that has persisted through centuries in order to help rationalize what human perception cannot explain, I do also believe there is a sort of truth within the foundation of religions around the world. Many large religious groups such as Islam, Christianity and Catholicism have had such a tremendous impact on the history of the world, through events such as the crusades, colonialism in the new world, etc. It is hard to ignore and rebuke such powerful entities in their own belief systems after having such a profound effect on history. Simply put, I think that religions have created a sort of validity for themselves throughout their impact on history, which is why they are still so incredibly pertinent today.

However, I disagree with Rushd’s view of philosophy and its standing with religion. Primarily, I believe that the two are not opposing factors, but that philosophy is the marriage of past and present knowledge in the ever-evolving pursuit of trying to find “truth” in a world for those who seek meaning in it. What I mean is that to me, religion and science and any other sort of groups of knowledge and thinking are the building blocks for the concept of philosophy.

What are your guys’ personal views on your own religious beliefs and the “two-truths” theory?

At the beginning stages of the pandemic, there were many Western observers who noted that the outbreak could bring about the end of the Communist Party of China (CCP). However, it seems as though that may not be entirely true now. The Chinese government is known to come out with swift and evident policy responses in the face of crisis. This strategy combined with the ever-present censorship and propaganda has given the CCP regime a lot of wiggle room to operate within the pandemic and maintain control. Aside from the death of Chinese whistleblower Dr. Li Wenliang, a physician who was one of the first to leak information regarding the developing outbreak, there has been little to shake the infrastructure of China’s current political regime.
So at this point, if anything, the CCP’s standing has been bolstered by the COVID-19 outbreak. This is especially due to the political narrative held in place that the authoritarian system is what creates superior leaders, and the “effectiveness” of China’s COVID-19 treatment in “flattening the curve” has been depicted as highly successful by the CCP. As we all have heard, however, that success may not be entirely true since the current regime is known for using censorship and false news in order to strengthen their own standing amongst the world and their own population. However, I don’t know what will happen if a second wave hits China. There will only be a certain level that public censorship can do for the CCP as it tries to maintain control.

Some questions for the class:
What do you think will happen if the CCP continues to censor information about COVID-19 for their own population, as well as the rest of the world?
How might a second wave affect the CCP’s control and the health of the Chinese population?
Do you think US-China relations will change after the pandemic? How?

Mental Health is an incredibly important yet rarely-emphasized piece of the holistic healthcare puzzle. However, according to the World Health Organization, mental health ranks only second behind cardiovascular disease in its impact on disability within the United States. Any sort of mental health disorder can be crippling for day-to-day life, especially for those within religious and cultural minorities who already deal with barriers to healthcare.

The most visible barriers to healthcare for minorities are the cost of care, societal stigma, and the disjointed organization of available services. However, specifically within religious minorities, additional barriers include clinicians’ lack of awareness, bias, or inability to speak the patient’s language—which all result in an additional barrier stemming from the patient’s fear and mistrust of treatment. More generally, health disparities also originate from minorities’ modern and historical experiences with racism and discrimination, which affect their mental health and contribute to a lower economic, social, and political standard.

Specifically for Muslim Americans, there has been a growing rate of psychiatric problems including, but not limited to; major depression, anxiety, mood disorders, PTSD, and OCD. “According to the Hamdard Center for Health and Human Services in Chicago, 43% of Muslim Americans suffer from adjustment disorder, 15% suffer for anxiety disorder, 9% suffer from mood disorder, and 10% suffer from PTSD or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.” In addition to mental health issues, emotional and behavioral health are also important indicators of future mental health status for young Muslim Americans. “16% of Muslim American children are diagnosed with ADHD, 13% with anxiety disorder, 15% with mood disorders and 2% with eating disorders.” According to the same study, there has been an exponential increase in the amount of reported mental health problems within the Muslim community since September 11th. This is a direct result of the victimization, trauma and cultural conflicts that have stemmed from illogical fear among white Americans (or Americans belonging to other minority groups.)

Source: Basit, A., & Hamid, M. (2010). Mental health issues of the Muslim Americans. Journal of the Islamic medical association of North America, 42, 106-108. Retrieved from http://jima.imana.org/article/view/5507/42_3-5

Recently, in the television program Rupaul’s drag race, a Muslim contestant was questioned for their use of a Hijab in their drag appearance. While many people were offended by the judge’s comments about Islamic culture, this raised many questions for me as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. What is appropriate representation? What is the difference between celebrating one’s own culture and being offensive? And a question for myself, a privileged white male; how do minorities within the LGBTQ+ community find acceptance within themselves and their communities?

While the contestant was indeed Muslim, the judge stated that they were representing an anti-gay culture. While this may be true for traditional Islam, it was incredibly insensitive for the contestant. Growing up gay, or especially Trans (which many drag queens are) within religious/cultural communities that do not accept your lifestyle can be incredibly challenging—and these people are constantly fighting to live a normal life. Just because a religious group, whether it be Christianity or Islam, etc, may have traditionally heteronormative views does not mean that individuals should be shamed for not being heterosexual. It is up to the individual how they interpret their own beliefs within their religion, and ultimately, how they choose to express that. Especially for the drag community, which isn’t even fully accepted within the gay community, this sort of moral questioning is highly inappropriate. I do believe it is insensitive, but coming from a place of ignorance, not hate. At the end of the day, however, the intentions behind any sort of cultural, sexual, or lifestyle shaming are unjustified in my eyes.

I would like to open this topic up to the class for discussion, and see what my classmates think considering the topic of LGBTQ+ individuals within cultural and religious minorities that are seen as “oppressive” towards their sexuality. What do you guys think is appropriate and inappropriate for representation in this case—or in any others?

*****link to article for more info*****

https://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanschocket2/jeff-goldbum-asked-a-drag-queen-about-their-hijab

For our Nur-Allah ICR requirement, David and I were asked to research Mental Health programs for Muslim residents in Indianapolis. As a healthcare student, this obviously peaked my interest. Not only in mental health, but all healthcare surrounding different religious groups has to be closely monitored for the patient’s unique needs.

In order to be culturally competent for Muslim patients–diet, religious events (such as Ramadan which involves fasting,) certain medication restrictions, and dress/privacy must be strictly respected and upheld while trying to maintain the patient’s health. This can be very problematic for healthcare workers, who traditionally try to prioritize the patient’s well-being over all. However, making sure the patient is happy is the most important facet of the healthcare field.

An example of how these two interests can conflict would be in the case of a physically-incompetent/comatose patient. This can be incredibly frustrating for the patient and the family of the patient for many reasons. First, for the devout Muslim, prayer is incredibly important in their day-to-day lives. Not being able to pray (which involves prostration,) is a difficult problem for a healthcare worker to make possible for the patient. Additionally, having a caretaker that is the same gender as the patient is very important for Muslim patients. This is in order to maintain privacy and modesty. The usage of a specific hand in order to feed is also important. The left hand is seen as unclean in Islamic culture, so the healthcare worker needs to make sure they use their right hand for activities such as feeding the patient or administering medication.

Paying attention to these small details for all patients, not just Muslim patients, is incredibly pertinent in order to achieve the utmost level of care possible. All groups of people and individuals have needs and desires that need to be met, and I am proud to be part of a field that can accommodate those needs for so many diverse belief-systems and people.