Islam And Eating Disorders

Eating Disorders in Muslim World? Yes they are real, they exist. Eating Disorders don’t Discriminate and Affect Muslims too. Islamic body of law has not dealt with many cases of Eating Disorders. In Muslim culture people struggle to come to terms with this level of illness, as it becomes difficult to rationalize and understand whether it’s self afflicted or psychological.

Welcome to ‘Islam and Eating Disorders. Eating Disorders are a growing problem in the Muslim world . We don’t have the statistics for this disease but it is affecting many from Pakistan to Gulf to Western Africa to Indonesia. We can’t even guess the number, since doctors have no requirement to report eating disorders to health agencies, and since most people who suffer disordered eating never seek treatment, it’s hard to get accurate statistics. However, directly or indirectly Muslim communities across the world are affected by this disorder. The depth of misery and despair may be hidden from majority of people but that doesn’t mean
Eating Disorders are Not Real. They are Real and They Kill.

There are horrific and destructive consequences for sufferers and their families. Detecting the signs of eating disorders early can help prevent its progression Thus, early diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders should be considered an urgent matter.

Crude mortality rates are 4.0% for anorexia nervosa, 3.9% for bulimia nervosa, and 5.2% for eating disorder not otherwise specified. There’s also a high suicide rate in bulimia nervosa. But sadly when it comes to effective treatment strategies, we in Muslim world clearly lag behind West. The Prophet Muhammad (saw) says: “Seek medical treatment, for God has not created an illness without creating a cure for it.”

Join us in Our War Against Eating Disorders, one of the most devastating and horrific psychological disorders of our time. In words of Theresa Khalil Egyptian Film Maker ‘We will not be empathetic, we will stand together and fight this”.

Don’t let the challenge of recovery scare you. In words of Imam Ali: “Your cure is within you, yet you do not sense it! Your sickness is from you, yet you do not see it! You consider yourself a small body; Yet encapsulated within you is the entire universe!”