: New Health Centers are Models for Muslim Women

The many cultural differences between the Muslim world and the west has highlighted a special understanding of the needs of Muslim women in the United States, many of whom are recent immigrants. One such clinic in Michigan prides itself on attending to the religious and linguistic needs of Muslim women in particular and is one of many Muslim run clinics that have been set up in poor and underserved urban areas around the country. The ACCESS Community Health Center in Michigan, for example, provides a female staff that bypasses the often patriarchal approach to health care that is often practiced in Muslim countries. Some of the special needs include such issues as family involvement. “Sometimes if someone is having major surgery, there may be 30 members of the family in the hospital,” says one health provider. Another issue involves consent, a mostly cultural requirement that husbands be consulted prior to medical treatment of their wives. “The wife might not be aware of all the risks and benefits of a procedure before consenting,” says Dr. Maya Hammoud, director of the Middle Eastern Women’s Health Program in Michigan, contrasting the American culture’s view of individual responsibility regarding personal health care. Other clinics in New York, California, and Boston have been started under the jurisdiction of national organizations based on ethnicity or religion that supplement existing facilities.

Zahed Amanullah is associate editor of altmuslim.com.  He is based in London, England.