http://quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jmmh/ Journal of Muslim Mental Health http://hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.10381607.0006.101 Hamada Hamid 2011 The first five volumes of the Journal of Muslim Mental Health featured seminal studies that have profoundly shaped the interdisciplinary field of mental health among Muslim populations. Our contributing scholars introduced new psychometric scales tailored for research with Muslim populations; advanced theoretical debates on the intersections between religion, culture, and mental health; filled gaps in basic epidemiological data on diverse Muslim communities; offered innovative models for mental health services; and provided practical clinical pearls in cross-cultural mental health counseling. One of the major missions of the journal since its inception is to elevate the discourse in resource poor countries and help close the “90/10 Gap”, in which 90% of research resources and capacity is allocated to 10% percent of the global population (mostly the United States and Europe). Volume VI of the journal marks a major milestone in which we have transitioned to an open access model so that researchers and providers from across the globe may access our publication and more easily contribute to the literature. Journal of Muslim Mental Health VI 1 http://hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.10381607.0006.102 Neil Krishan Aggarwal 2011 Critics have increasingly questioned who benefits from the discourse on terrorism permeating American life since the second Palestinian intifada of 2000 and the War on Terror declared by American President George W. Bush in response to the 9/11 attacks. The field of critical terrorism studies has challenged current knowledge about terrorism and elucidated current biases in publications (Smyth, Gunning, Jackson, Kassimeris, & Robinson, 2008). A terrorism industry has developed in which politicians, bureaucrats, journalists, entrepreneurs, and academics overestimate the threat of terrorism for profit when the actual risk is minute and unpredictable (Mueller, 2006). A recent study of the most-cited experts on terrorism reveals a close-knit “invisible college” with overlapping academic, governmental, and research relationships that advance state narratives (Miller & Mills, 2009). Since most terrorism industry authors have ties to the government through direct employment, funding, or consulting, their publications tilt toward a tangible counterterrorism agenda with concrete policy recommendations (Al-Rasheed, 2009). This focus on problem-solving and policy relevance has restricted the impartiality of the field (Jarvis, 2009) since it has not originated from the reflexive location of the university (Burke, 2008). Journal of Muslim Mental Health VI 1 http://hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.10381607.0006.103 Wahiba Abu-Ras 2011 Spirituality and religion are key strengths in personal well-being (Ellison & Levin, 1998). Although distinct terms, they are overlapping and are often used interchangeably (Carroll, 1997), but delineation between chaplaincy and spiritual care services are drawn by perceived differences between religion and spirituality. According to Lee (2002), religion is referred to as “a social organization of belief and practice with a particular faith community” (p. 343; e.g., Roman Catholic, Methodist), and spirituality is understood as “the experiential integration of one's life in terms of one's ultimate values and meanings, without the institutional element connoted by religion” (p. 343). Spirituality has also been defined as a relationship with God, or some semblance of an ultimate power that fosters a sense of meaning, purpose, and mission in life (Carroll, 1997). Journal of Muslim Mental Health VI 1 http://hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.10381607.0006.104 Abdulaziz Aflakseir 2011 Religious coping involves the use of cognitive or behavioral strategies that are based on religious beliefs or practices to help manage emotional stress or physical discomfort (Koenig, 1994). Religious coping comprises the various ways people use their religion and faith to manage stressful situations. Pargament has been the major researcher in the field of religious coping since the publication of his 1997 book The Psychology of Religion and Coping, and many studies have been conducted on religious coping's impact on well-being. Pargament (1997) describes religion as "the search for significance in ways related to the sacred" (p. 32) and coping as "the search for significance in times of stress" (p. 90). Central to his approach is the diversity of the religion-coping connection: "the many faces of religion in coping" (p. 163). Journal of Muslim Mental Health VI 1 http://hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.10381607.0006.105 Jeffrey P. Bjorck 2011 Religiousness has frequently been linked with positive psychological functioning (see Koenig, McCullough, & Larson, 2001, for review), though this relationship has commonly been tested only with crude measures. For example, until more recently, support from one’s religious community was measured primarily by implying it from one-item church attendance measures (Bjorck & Kim, 2009). Clearly, more sophisticated scales provide a better assessment of variance regarding any construct (Nunnally & Bernstein, 1994). Religiousness deserves this level of inquiry, given the range of faith traditions and the multifaceted nature of religiousness within traditions (Hill & Pargament, 2003); religious support is one construct that exemplifies this multidimensionality. Journal of Muslim Mental Health VI 1 http://hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.10381607.0006.106 Yagoub Y. Al-Kandari 2011 Several studies discuss the relationship between both social support and religiosity with health. Some concentrate on the association of social support and religiosity on psychological impairment, such as depression and anxiety, which is considered to be one of the most essential factors of somatic symptoms. On the whole, they have found that social support and religiosity can buffer one against anxiety and depression. Other studies also showed that both social support and religiosity have a major effect on one’s quality of life (e.g., Lim & Yi, 2009; Thomas, 2002) and serve as a protective factor against suicide, as shown among one ethnic group in Wingate and colleagues’ (2005) study. Journal of Muslim Mental Health VI 1