A Conversation about Culture, Muslims and Mental Health

Mariam Salie

24 April 2026

religion is often perceived to be a part of culture, and some cultural practices are embedded within religion. Teasing apart culture and religion is a challenging task, and more often than not, their boundaries blur in ways that make clear distinctions difficult.

My first-year anthropology lecturer once said: “There are as many cultures as there are people in the world”. I am inclined to agree with him. My PhD study explores the explanatory models of mental health conditions amongst Muslims through a multi-stakeholder approach. My work and I are inspired by Arthur Kleinman, a medical anthropologist, who coined the term ‘explanatory models’. Explanatory models refer to people’s beliefs, attitudes, understanding, and symptom and treatment knowledge about any given condition. That was a mouthful but stay with me ...

Read the full article here:

https://sayasblog.com/2025/11/27/a-conversation-about-culture-muslims-and-mental-health/