“Trust in God, But Tie Up Your Camel”: Perceptions of Cervical Cancer Screening Among African American Muslim Women in Philadelphia

Background: This study attempted a qualitative investigation of the interaction between Islamic law and preventative gynecology among African American Muslim women in Philadelphia. Prior research on the ways in which Muslims choose to access health care has focused primarily on patients from South Asia and the Middle East, tending to confound culture and religion.  Very little has been done to evaluate specifically the needs and perspectives of indigenous American Muslims.

Methods: This study investigates an area of intersection of American values and Islamic values as they relate directly to attitudes and behaviors regarding health delivery among African American Muslim women: regular, voluntary Pap tests to screen for cervical cancer and other abnormalities. To this end, eight participants who self-identified as observant African American Muslim women between the ages of 21 and 65 were interviewed about their perspectives concerning Pap tests. Qualitative analysis was utilized to evaluate themes of interactions between medicine, religion, and culture.

Results: It was found, contrary to what data among other Muslim populations suggest, that a majority of participants choose to access regular cervical cancer screening. Some, though, did choose to avoid these preventative measures as a function of specific modesty restrictions in Islamic law.  Participants reported that they and their communities experience significant and avoidable barriers to achieving their health objectives.

Conclusions: Patient and provider autonomy, facilitated by education and empowerment, provides a multifaceted mechanism for mitigating the difficulties faced by Muslim patients and their physicians in the provision of appropriate and feasible care.