Many of the students Kameelah Rashad interacts with in her work as the Muslim chaplain at the University of Pennsylvania live in a state of fear and insecurity.
"Many students feel Muslims are the exception -- that everyone else has freedom of expression and religion, but for Muslims we have to reassure everyone that our religion is in no way compelling us to kill people," she told The Huffington Post.
Rashad is the founder of Muslim Wellness Foundation, an organization that works to reduce stigma associated with mental illness, addiction and trauma in the American Muslim community. She holds master’s degrees in psychological services and in restorative practices and youth counseling, and is a certified instructor in adult and youth mental health first aid.
The counselor works with Muslim students at Penn and in the greater Philadelphia area, addressing the trauma and anxiety many experience as a result of Islamophobia and mental health stigma. HuffPost spoke with Rashad about the mental health challenges Muslims face in the U.S. today -- and what can be done about them.
[For more of this story go to http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...ealth_n_7018428.html]
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