2 results
2 - COVID-19, Health Inequalities and the Lived Experience of British Muslims
- Edited by Sufyan Abid Dogra, Bradford Institute for Health Research
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- Book:
- British Muslims, Ethnicity and Health Inequalities
- Published by:
- Edinburgh University Press
- Published online:
- 18 October 2023
- Print publication:
- 31 January 2023, pp 19-46
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- Chapter
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Summary
COVID-19, Health Inequalities and British Muslims
Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19: death rates are higher and survival rates are lower, with statistics varying in different BME communities (Public Health England 2020b). BME communities are at risk of higher infection rates and mortality rates due to certain pre-disposed health conditions and living in poorer, overcrowded housing (Meer et al. 2020). These higher infection and mortality rates together with the fear of spreading the virus or catching it from others have caused further distress. Ethnic minorities in Britain have experienced a disproportional impact of COVID-19, as for these groups the pandemic was translated as a syndemic pandemic (Bambra et al. 2020) because of pre-pandemic inequalities on all social determinants of health such as unhealthy dietary practices, poor housing and working conditions, unemployment, poor access to healthcare, high levels of inactivity and discrimination that ethnic minorities and the majority of British Muslims live with.
This chapter highlights the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on British Muslims and how the pandemic exposed prevalent health inequalities in the UK. We critically analyse the discussions around faith in relation to COVID-19, victim blaming, its impacts and the socioeconomic consequences of COVID-19 lockdowns on marginalised British Muslims. We evaluate the vulnerabilities of British Muslims working in the NHS and healthcare and the responses by professional Muslim organisations providing healthcare awareness. We explore the interplay of ethnicity, religion and deprivation in negotiating the particular challenges of living through COVID-19. We critically evaluate and problematise the notions around ‘vaccine hesitancy’, and question the emphasis on national religious organisations of British Muslims for responses to COVID-19 instead of professional medical organisations or small-scale community-based organisations. We assess the impact of COVID-19 on British Muslim families, children, charity and voluntary organisations, physical activity, mental health and wellbeing, and how British Muslims living in deprived neighbourhoods responded to the pandemic through engaging with community groups. We highlight the work of neighbourhood and community-based organisations and services for healthcare awareness by professional Muslim groups. This chapter also includes multidisciplinary perspectives of academics and practitioners on the pandemic, lockdown, vaccination and subsequent socioeconomic implications of COVID-19 with regard to British Muslims’ lived experience.
16 - Health Promotion through Mosques and Muslim Health Professionals: A Case Study of the British Islamic Medical Association’s Lifesavers
- Edited by Sufyan Abid Dogra, Bradford Institute for Health Research
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- Book:
- British Muslims, Ethnicity and Health Inequalities
- Published by:
- Edinburgh University Press
- Published online:
- 18 October 2023
- Print publication:
- 31 January 2023, pp 359-377
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- Chapter
- Export citation
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Summary
Introduction
Muslim communities in the West come from diverse backgrounds and are a growing population cohort. These communities are heterogeneous and represent a rich tapestry of cultural, denominational and socioeconomic mixing. Reports of Muslims in Britain date back to the 1300s, with references in The Canterbury Tales, the first large groups then arriving over 300 years ago as subjected during the British Raj in India, followed by another large influx of economic immigrants during the mid-twentieth century. Today, the majority of British Muslims hail from the diaspora of the Commonwealth – mainly from South Asia, with smaller but significant numbers of those with Sudanese, Nigerian and Malaysian heritage, as well as those from the various nations of the Arab world. According to the 2011 census, the British Muslim community is almost split down the middle by way, with 47 per cent of Muslims born in the UK. The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) reports that one in three Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) people in the UK are from a Muslim background (MCB 2015).
British Muslims and Health
The rituals and practices of Muslim communities lend themselves to certain behaviours and beliefs which can present unique challenges and opportunities for public health. For instance, fasting during Ramadan is observed by most Muslims across the globe, and many Muslim patients report that their religious beliefs play an important part in how they approach their health and their lives more generally (Ghani 2013; Rasool 2014; Sheikh 2007).
Despite being a relatively young population (33 per cent under the age of 15 and 4 per cent over 65), the self-reported quality-of-life measures and health outcomes of these communities are not good. Long-term conditions, which are costly to health systems and livelihoods alike, are poorly managed in this patient population (Ali 2015; Mir and Sheikh 2010; Lynch et al. 2000; Karlsen and Nazroo 2002; Harriss 2007). Furthermore, the MCB analysis of the 2011 census (MCB 2015) reports that 24 per cent of Muslims aged over 50 claim to be in ‘bad’ or ‘very bad’ health, and in approximately fifty local authorities 40 per cent of Muslim women aged over 65 report ‘bad health’.