Alcohol and drug abuse is a serious community issue as well as global public health and medical problem affecting every faith and demographic group.

It is also a highly stigmatizing problem especially among Muslim populations, which limits the data collection and research.

We, as a Muslim community, have failed miserably to address forcefully the problem of substance abuse and have shoved it in the closet.

Substance abuse is frequently found in Islamic countries as well as in the luxury villas of Florida and California.

Many studies have been done by WHO, United Nations, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Journal of Muslim Mental Health (Amer 2009), on prevalence, risk factors, treatment and prevention.

“Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health, 2016” is full of statistics intended to startle people into action.

However, he writes in his introduction “for far too long, too many in our country have viewed addiction as a moral failing… We must help everyone and see that addiction is not a character flaw – it is a chronic illness and should not be criminalized.”

However, with the Muslim culture of shame and stigmatization of those struggling with the problem, the taboo is immensely harmful.

To acknowledge a problem and recognize the human face dealing with it does not equate to its acceptance or normalization.

It is recognition of the human condition and the consequences of having free will.

Our country, America is experiencing an addiction epidemic, especially with alcohol and opioid abuse.

Muslims should be at the forefront of efforts to solve this crisis. But first, we must assess our attitude toward our own victims.

Alcohol is a social and personal problem. Our youth should not be using alcohol at all.

However, once addicted, the treatment is sometimes evaded, largely because of associated stigma and shame.

And when it comes to the subject of substance abuse and addiction, whether it is alcohol, illegal drugs such as cocaine and heroin, or the current epidemic of abusing prescription drugs such as codeine, oxycodone, percocet, and fentanyl, many Muslims believe, albeit naïvely, that this phenomenon is largely confined to those outside of Islam.

Moreover, it is wrongly assumed that practicing Muslims, especially professionals, community workers and youth are immune to this problem.

Moreover, there is lack of interest among Muslims leaders in addressing substance abuse.

The urgency to discuss how this epidemic is manifesting in the Muslim community cannot be overstated. Indeed, a social and moral crisis exists.

What role will Ulama (Muslim scholars), Muslim NGOs, Da’wah (Outreach) Committee and youth organization play? Great strides have been made over past decade in many Muslim countries such as Malaysia and Iran on substance abuse research, however, more research for communities in the United States is needed to reduce public health and medical burden of substance abuse among Muslim populations here.

Far from being an isolated experience in individual communities, my reading and conversations with various community leaders and lawmakers indicate a rising trend of opioid addiction among Muslims, and very little is being done to address it.

Muslim communities are very good at building beautiful Islamic Centers, giving millions of dollars for a “chair” at universities, engaging with politicians and conducting expensive and well-organized conferences but fail to conduct a proper field study to gain insight into the extent of how prevalent is this type of addiction in our community.

Here are the statistics:

·One in seven Americans will experience a problem with alcohol or other drug misuse in their lifetimes;

·20 million have current substance use disorders. Mostly between 15 and 39.

·78 people die from an overdose every day;

· 60 percent of American full-time college students have used alcohol;

·10 percent of people with an addiction receives help toward recovery;

·Over-indulging or bingeing cause lasting health problems such as heart, liver diseases or brain impairment;

·46.6 percent of American Muslim college students have used drugs and alcohol (Abu-Ras, Ahmed and Arfken 2010);

·Majority of younger adults don’t engage in treatment due to stigma or denial that problem exists; and

·59 percent have engaged in at least one risk behavior such as alcohol, drugs, gambling, premarital sexual behaviors and tobacco (Ahmed, Akhtar, and Abu-Ras & Arfken 2014).

As the Muslim community, we face many challenges especially with our youth. I believe we should see our youth not as a liability, but as an asset.

According to Pew Research Center, many Muslim Americans (55 pecent) say it has become more difficult to be a Muslim in the United States, and sizeable minority report have experienced specific instances of mistreatment, discrimination and racial intimidation in the past year

Unfortunately, instead of having sincere concern for each other, we reinforce a culture of shame to a degree that pushes those with stigmatized problems to the margins of our community and makes seeking help even the more difficult. Furthermore, we also live in denial about reality.

No Muslim will dispute the prohibition on intoxicants. There are also professional resources and rehab centers that include Islam as part of their recovery programs so addiction can be treated physically, mentally, and spiritually.

However, the long-term success of these programs, and individual-empowerment to enroll in them is dependent on having a supportive community that embodies the teachings of love, mercy, and care for its members. But we must first acknowledge that despite the protective layer of religious observance, we do have brothers and sisters struggling with addiction.

Suggested Treatments

·Religious education can also go a long way toward emphasizing the importance of keeping a healthy body and mind;

·Programs by professionals at Madrasah and Sunday schools emphasize drug education and coping skills;

·Introduce programs by professionals of family cohesion and communication about substance abuse;

·Make it a habit of reading Islamic books with your children, including the Quran.

· Encourage youth programing with clear directions and objectives at an Islamic Center;

·Youth empowering programs should also provide physically and emotionally safe place to socialize and engage in meaningful activities with supervision;

·Introduction of family strengthening activities such as sport, picnic, comedy night, reading and sharing stories, camping, premarriage workshop, educational and career workshops etc. to build the foundation for positive youth development;

·Muslim youth involved in student activities in high school and universities to make their school and campus inclusive to all.

In counseling Muslims, Ali-Northcott (2012) reviewed Islamic concepts and rituals as cultural consideration for different treatment setting.

She presented a case study of a patient in the UK and a discussion of Millati Islamic, 12-step program design explicitly for Muslims and Arab American Psychology (Arfken & Grekin 2015).

Regardless of treatment approaches, Muslims and non-Muslim clinicians, religious leaders and teachers should be educated about substance abuse.

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Editor’s note: The author, Mohammed Khaku, resides in Upper Macungie Township.