Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought

Islam in the 21st Century: Challenges & Opportunities for Social Work with Muslims

Call for Papers

Deadline: 15 August 2016

Guest Editor: Dr. Altaf Husain, Howard University School of Social Work

Within the last few decades, social work has begun to reclaim its roots as a profession whose founding was inspired in part by teachings of the Judeo-Christian tradition. Within the same period, due to national and international events of tremendous import within the macro social environment, the beliefs and values of Islam and the lives of its adherents in North America and around the world have emerged as topics of intense interest and scrutiny.

Within the decade following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, there are population estimates of Muslims around the world range between 1.2 to 1.5 billion and within the United States, the population is estimated at between 7 to 8 million. Within the US, the growth in the population has occurred mostly post 1965 when immigration reforms opened the doors for migration to the US from Asia and Africa among other regions. Articles have appeared increasingly in the social work literature which address practice and research with specific populations of Muslims such as adolescents or the elderly, or immigrants and refugees, or with specific topics such as depression or discrimination. Most of these articles do not elaborate in-depth on the Islamic belief system which has such a pervasive impact on the daily lives of self-identifying Muslims.

This special issue of the Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought aims to fill the gaps in the existing literature on social work education, practice and research with Muslims, with a particular focus on the examination of issues of social justice and Islam, and the concomitant impact of Islamic teachings on the development of policy and the delivery of social services. The special issue is intended to allow prospective authors the latitude to delve deeper into the role of Islam in the daily lives of potential clients and in the healthy functioning of organizations and communities.

Conceptual, research-based, and practice-oriented articles are being solicited in these four broad areas:

• Islamic beliefs and values;
• Micro direct practice;
• Macro direct practice; and
• Best practices in serving Muslim clients, organizations and communities.

More information at: Routledge