“Please god, don’t let it be Muslims”: perspectives on guiding conversations with Muslim children in a climate with prevalent Islamophobi

ABSTRACT Effective intervention in social work requires addressing the contextual challenges clients face. For Muslim communities and families in the West, the context is characterized by decades of post 9/11 scrutiny and anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiments. Internationally, with terrorist attacks across the globe, and nationally, with a highly-charged political atmosphere, Muslim communities and families in the U.S. find themselves trying to reconcile conflicting influences. While they may seek to establish themselves as positive members of civil society, they are often viewed with suspicion, merely because of their religion, and their children exposed to threats, bullying, and harassment. This manuscript draws from a practitioner-researcher model that applies a developmentally sensitive and contextually grounded perspective to analyzing themes elicited from workshops for parents and guardians in the wake of terrorist attacks. The workshops were designed to provide caregivers with tools to support their children through honest and developmentally sensitive conversations about the sociopolitical climate, including Islamophobia and other systemic issues. The manuscript concludes with suggestions for practitioners and researchers to promote the positive development and integration of Muslim ‘families’ at individual, family, and community levels.