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Islamophobia and Psychiatry pp 277–291Cite as

Islamophobia and the Mental Health of Rohingya Refugees

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Abstract

The Rohingya, a long-persecuted minority in Myanmar, have been victims of genocide because of their Muslim faith. Through systematic discrimination and apartheid, the state has denied them their fundamental human right of citizenship. For generations, stateless Rohingya have been struggling for survival. Unfortunately, despite clear prior warnings of their genocide, the rest of the world failed the responsibility to protect them. To escape murder, rape, and mass violence, more than a million Rohingya have fled to other countries in desperate conditions. Resonant with rest of their neglect as a group, there is a dearth of research about their mental health challenges and needs. This chapter attempts to understand their historical background, ongoing genocide, and the underlying attitudes that facilitated the perpetration of genocide. Next, this chapter attempts to provide a framework by which to conceptualize the impact of these atrocities on their mental health at an individual, family, and community level. The chapter concludes with ideas and suggestions for intervention based on this understanding of the challenges faced by the Rohingya and other minorities who are victims of similar atrocities.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, USA

    Salman Majeed

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  1. Salman Majeed
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Correspondence to Salman Majeed .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Medical College of Wisconsin (Retired Tenured Professor), Milwaukee, WI, USA

    H. Steven Moffic

  2. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    John Peteet

  3. Bedfordshire Centre for Mental Health Research in Association with Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK

    Ahmed Zakaria Hankir

  4. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA

    Rania Awaad

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Majeed, S. (2019). Islamophobia and the Mental Health of Rohingya Refugees. In: Moffic, H., Peteet, J., Hankir, A., Awaad, R. (eds) Islamophobia and Psychiatry. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-00512-2_24

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-00512-2_24

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-00511-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-00512-2

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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