MUSLIM CULTURE

ISLAM

to submit freely to The Commandments and Will of The One and Only God, Allah who is the creator of all creatures including mankind

PILLARS OF ISLAM
Shahada (Testify) Salah (Prayer) Siyam (Fasting) Zakat (Charity) Hajj (Pilgrimage)

SHAHADA is an Islamic creed which declares belief in the oneness of God and acceptance of Muhammad as God's prophet. The declaration in its shortest form reads: There is no god but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God. (in English)

RAK'A/SALAH

Muslims are strongly encouraged to pray in the masjid, but if that is beyond their ability, they can pray anywhere that is clean. But not in the bathroom!

NURSING ACTIONS

1. Provide a basin for Wudu with clean water and towel 2. Provide the patient with chair facing to the Mecca 3. Provide privacy 4. Never interrupt the patient when he/she doing rituals

SIYAM

For fasting regulated by Islamic jurisprudence. Avoid from eating and drinking (including water) during daylight hours.

NURSING ACTIONS

Encourage patient to eat a well balanced meal Never forced patient to eat. Encourage the patient to increase water intake Instruct the patient to avoid caffeine Proper ventilation

THE ISLAMIC SHARIAH (LAWS OF ISLAM)

Shariah is the divine code of practice which guides a Muslim in all affairs of his/her life, it is divided into two categories: Ebadat (system of worship), and Muamalat (system of dealing).

THE LAWFUL AND THE UNLAWFUL IN ISLAM

Things are lawful unless one of the sources of the Islamic laws specifies that they are unlawful.

In Islam it is prohibited to:

drink alcohol use drugs use interest Use all immoral conducts to eat the meat of pork, predators (animals and birds) and all dead animals.

WOMEN IN ISLAM

Islam looks at the woman as an equal, mature and capable partner of a man.
Treated with full respect and honor. Marriage cannot take place unless the female freely agrees to it and a dowry is given to her.

DRESS

For both males and females, Islam requires that they wear proper, decent, modest, and clean clothes.

Wears a minimum Hijab (head covering).

Tight clothing, transparent clothing, clothes that expose those parts of the body which are sexually attractive, extravagant clothes, swim suits, makeup or perfume in public are prohibited. Wigs and hairpieces, gold and silk are prohibited to Men only, but lawful for Women.

MUSLIM BELIEFS ABOUT ILLNESS AND HEALTH PRACTICES

Muslims receive illness and death with patience and prayers. They consider an illness as atonement for their sins. They consider death as a part of a journey to meet God. However, they are strongly encouraged to seek medical treatment when required.

ISLAMIC HEALTH PRACTICES

Cleanliness is considered 'half of the faith'. The Qur'an prohibits eating pork or pork products, meat of animals who have not been slaughtered in the halal manner, blood and all intoxicants. RAMADAN: Fasting from dawn to dusk daily for one month per year. Meditation and prayers bring psychological tranquility.

ADDITIONAL ISLAMIC HEALTH PRACTICES

Circumcision of male infants is recommended. Blood transfusions are allowed after proper screening

Assisted suicide and euthanasia are not permitted

Autopsy is not permitted unless required by law Maintaining a terminal patient on artificial life support for a prolonged period of time in a vegetative state is not encouraged Abortion is not permitted except to save the mother's life.

 Transplantation is allowed in general with some restrictions.

Artificial reproductive technology is permitted between husband and wife only during the span of intact marriage.
While Islam opposes homosexuality, it does not prohibit Muslim physicians from caring for homosexual patients. Genetic engineering to cure disease is acceptable but not cloning. According to the Qur'an mothers feed their babies for a period of two years.

MUSLIM FUNERAL TRADITION

WHEN DEATH IS IMMINENT

When a Muslim is approaching death, family members and very close friends should be present. They should offer the dying person hope and kindness Encourage the dying person to say the shahada, confirming that there is no God but Allah.

WHEN TO HOLD A MUSLIM FUNERAL

According to Islamic law (shariah), the body should be buried as soon as possible from the time of death, which means that funeral planning and preparations begin immediately.

PREPARING THE BODY

The body must be washed (Ghusl) and shrouded (Kafan). The body should be washed three times.

(the body should be washed an odd number of times.)

The body should be washed in the following order: upper right side upper left side

lower right side

lower left side.

 Womens hair should be washed and braided into three braids. Once clean and prepared, the body should be covered in a white sheet. To shroud the body: three large white sheets of inexpensive material should be laid on top of each other the body should be placed on top of the sheets. Women should, at this point, be dressed in an ankle-length sleeveless dress and head veil.

 If possible, the deceaseds left hand should rest on the chest and the right hand should rest on the left hand, as in a position of prayer.

The sheets should then be folded over the body, first the right side and then the left side, until all three sheets have wrapped the body. The shrouding should be secured with ropes, one tied above the head, two tied around the body, and one tied below the feet.
The body should then be transported to the mosque (masjid) for funeral prayers, known as Salat al-Janazah.

VIEWING, WAKE, OR VISITATION BEFORE A MUSLIM FUNERAL

When a Muslim dies, the body should be buried as soon as possible after death, thus there is no viewing before the funeral.

POST-FUNERAL RECEPTION
After the funeral and burial, the immediate family will gather and receive visitors. Provides food for the family for the first few days of the mourning period (usually three days). Generally, the mourning period lasts 40 days, but depending on the degree of religiousness of the family, the mourning period may be much shorter.

MUSLIM MOURNING PERIOD AND MEMORIAL EVENTS

Widows are expected to observe a longer mourning period, generally of four months and ten days. It is acceptable in Islam to express grief over a death. Crying and weeping at the time of death, at the funeral, and at the burial are all acceptable forms of expression. However, wailing and shrieking, tearing of clothing and breaking of objects, and expressing a lack of faith in Allah are all prohibited.

BUDDHISM CULTURE

BUDDHISM

Buddhism is a highly disciplined philosophical religion which emphasizes personal salvation through rebirth in an endless cycle of reincarnation.

Buddhism adheres to the belief that human existence is part of an ongoing cycle of multiple lives (samsara) the circumstances of which are governed by ones deeds or actions (karma).

CULTURE AND CELEBRATIONS

Buddhists are of many cultures and therefore celebrations of religious events are also not uniform. Religiously, the most important celebrations are the days of the birth, enlightenment, and entry into Nirvana of the Buddha.

BELIEFS RELATED TO HEALTH CARE

Both illness and death are understood as the natural events for all living things. use of blood transfusions, artificial reproductive technology, and genetic engineering to cure conditions is permitted Artificial Life support and abortion is also permitted Organ transplants (both donor and recipient) are generally permissible Artificial insemination and birth control are acceptable. There are no restrictions on blood or blood products.

MEDICAL & NURSING CARE

Buddhism places strong emphasis on "mindfulness. Some Buddhists may express strong, culturally-based concerns about modesty Some Buddhists are strictly vegetarian Patients or families may pray or chant out loud repetitiously. As a patient approaches death, medical and nursing staff should minimize actions that might disturb his/her concentration or meditation in preparation for dying.

SPIRITUAL CARE/PRAYERS

The medical-nursing team and family are encouraged to ascertain the wishes of the patient. A simple altar might be provided upon the patients request. A visit by a chaplain or priest can take several forms.

END OF LIFE CARE:

Staff should try to keep the body as still as possible and avoid jostling during transport
Phowa, a Tibetan Buddhist practice For ethnic Japanese, cremation is the predominant custom; for non-Japanese people inhumation (burial) may be preferred.

HINDUISM

HINDUISM
Hinduism is the religion of the majority of people in India and Nepal. It also exists among significant populations outside of the sub continent and has over 900 million adherents worldwide. Unlike most other religions, Hinduism has no single founder, no single scripture, and no commonly agreed set of teachings.

RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND PRACTICES

Hindu religious belief begins with the assumption that all living things have a soul, which passes through successive cycles of birth and rebirth.
Belief in karma and rebirth will be important to many Hindu patients and will influence their care. Purity (Suddha) is a very important value in Indian culture.

FOOD BELIEFS
Most Hindus do not eat beef or pork and many follow a vegetarian diet. Classify foods as Hot and Cold Hindus do not consume garlic or onion Some may refuse food prepared by other people because they cannot be sure that the cooking methods have adhered to the purity code of the religion. Fasting is an integral part of Hinduism

DRESS
Hindus choose to dress modestly and may be reluctant to be examined by health care providers of the opposite sex Hindu women may wear a sacred thread or gold chain around their necks Hindu men and boys may wear a sacred thread across the chest

FAMILIES AND RELATIONSHIPS

Hindus are expected to marry and have children Parents remain responsible for their children all their lives.

Children are expected to obey and show respect for elders. Most children will look after their parents rather than allow them to be cared for in a care home.
Often it is the duty of Hindu parents to arrange the marriages of younger family members. Divorced people may be strongly disapproved of or even rejected.

BELIEFS TO HEALTH CARE

Hinduism supports the donation and transplantation of organs. Many Hindus believe that the moment of conception marks the rebirth of an individual

Hinduism encourages the acceptance of pain and suffering as part of the consequences of karma.

DEATH AND DYING

Hindus believe that the time of death is determined by ones destiny and accept death and illness as part of life.
If death is imminent, the patient's family may wish to stay near the bedside and be involved in care. The family may bring clothes and coins for the patient to touch before they are given to the poor Any jewellery or religious object on the patient should not be removed. A Hindu priest (pandit) may pray with the dying person and relatives

DEATH PROCESS

They may recite hymns (bhajans) from holy books. A sacred thread may be tied around the neck or wrist, and holy water sprinkled over the person or used to wet his or her lips. A dying person is placed on the floor on a clean sheet or mat Some Hindus are very strict about who touches the body after death The hair or beard should not be trimmed without first checking with the family. Some may wish to light a clay lamp using a piece of cotton wool soaked in ghee, while others may wish to burn an incense stick in the room.

NURSING IMPLICATIONS

Hindus are modest and women may prefer to wear a sari. They may be reluctant to undress in front of a male doctor and could ask to be examined by a woman.

Hindu women may refuse to wear open-back gowns. If possible, longer closed gowns should be provided.
The body and hair is particularly important to Hindu women. Many have long hair and may refuse to cut it without their husband's permission. They may also be unwilling to sign a consent form without first consulting their husband or father.

 In matters of diagnosis, treatment and consent, the senior elder and, in some cases, the extended family, will expect to be involved.

Many Hindu patients may continue to take traditional Indian medicines while in hospital.