Muslim Elders Issues in Aging
What problems face the aging in Islam?
In Islam there are many, cultural, ethnic, racial and social groups and each one has varying aspects on aging. In the U.S., the majority Muslim population is Arabs. Yet, there is a wide variety of sub-cultures that Arabs have depending on their country or region of origin. Racially, Arabs describe themselves as white. In their study Pew Research Center found that “More than eight-in-ten U.S. Muslims from the Middle East and North Africa region describe themselves as either white (60%) or other/mixed race (22%). By contrast, 91% of Pakistanis and 69% of those from other South Asian nations describe their race as Asian” (Race and ethnicity, para. 2).
Therefore, in speaking about problems that elderly Muslims face in America I will address those issues in regards to what Islam says about the elderly. How does the elderly Muslims or the Muslim community in general deal with these issues? What can libraries or other social agencies do to help address or reduce the problems of the elderly Muslims? I will center most of my findings on the Arab and Indo/Pak senior citizens that I know from my Muslim community.
The problems facing today’s elderly Muslims would mainly be the feeling of seclusion, language barriers, and no social outlets. There also is a growing problem of disrespect by the younger generations. In Islam God has said:
Your Lord has commanded that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to your parents. If one of them or both of them reach old age with you, do not say to them a word of disrespect, or scold them, but say a generous word to them. And act humbly to them in mercy, and say, “My Lord, have mercy on them, since they cared for me when I was small.”
“The ethic of filial piety requires children not only to show respect but also to assume their duty toward their parents, regardless of the burden” (Fakouri, 2001, p. 163). The problem today is that the younger Muslim generations are assimilating into some of the negative aspects of the American culture of the “me generation”. Muslim youth spend less time adhering to their religion, in regards to their duties towards their parents, and the elderly. Not all, but most seem to spend more time chasing their self-interests.
How do they cope with these problems?
The older generations of Muslims look at the problem of disrespect as something that the youth will grow out of as they grow older and marry and the majority of the time this is the answer to this problem. The elderly Muslims deal with seclusion and lack of social outlets mainly by just accepting it. Most elderly Muslims do not drive, thus they rely on their kids or grandkids to take them to any religious functions or social events. As far as coping with the language barrier, elderly Muslims also rely on their kids or grandkids to translate for them. “However, in the United States such relationships may become strained in multigenerational households” (Katz, 2001, p.7) This puts stress on both parties as the elderly has to rely on that help and those that translate for them are not always available to help.
What role can libraries, information agencies, and other social service agencies play in reducing and/or addressing these problems?
To help the elderly Muslim communities I believe that information agencies and other service agencies could and should do more research on the growing Muslim communities within each racial and ethnic group. I think that there is a need for more social workers who are Muslim, or at least social workers that understand Islam so that they can better understand the needs of the elderly of the Muslim communities. Libraries can help by assessing the needs of their communities that serve Muslims of different ethnic and racial backgrounds to see what services they could provide for the elderly. It could be something as simple as providing assistance to translate for elderly Muslims and help them to use technology in the library.
Conclusion
There is a growing elderly Muslim population in America and not just of first generation Muslims but an ever-increasing population of immigrant Muslims bringing their parents with them to America. There is a rising need for addressing issues in regards to helping the elderly Muslim community from within their own community and from the general communities they reside in. Overall, this is a very big topic and one that requires further examination and research, as most information is outdated.
Resources
Fakhouri, Hani (2001). Growing Old in an Arab American Family. Olson, Laura Katz. Age through Ethnic Lenses: Caring for the Elderly in a Multicultural Society (pp. 163). Oxford, UK:
Lowman & Littlefield,
Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. (2011). Muslim Americans: No Signs of Growth in Alienation or Support for Extremism. Mainstream and Moderate Attitudes. A Demographic Portrait of Muslim Americans. Race and Ethnicity. Retrieved from http://people-press.org/2011/08/30/section-1-a-demographic-portrait-of-muslim-americans/
Olson, Laura Katz (2001). Introduction. Olson, Laura Katz. Age through Ethnic Lenses: Caring for the Elderly in a Multicultural Society (pp. 7). Oxford, UK: Lowman & Littlefield.
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