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American Aggression on Iraq - Its Effects on the Mental Health of Our Children in the Muslim World

[This article, written by an Egyptian psychologist, provides readers in the West with a glimpse of how America’s war on Iraq is affecting people in other parts of the Arab world. Its value lies in the fact that it was not written as a complaint against the war itself, but merely as advice to parents on how to help their children cope in these trying times.]

It is a well known fact that war has a variety of negative political, economic, and social consequences. It is the psychological effects of war - especially on our children - that often require an explanation. We need to seriously look into the negative effects that the war in Iraq and the conflict in Palestine have on our children in both the Arab and the Muslim world.

Children pick up on their parents’ fear

Dr. Hâshim Bahrî, a professor of Psychiatry at Azhar University, says: “Children rarely discuss war on their own. They only take in the thoughts and feelings that they get from their family and this is usually quite limited.”

Children naturally do not know they are supposed to be scared. They learn this from their parents. Children in our countries today are becoming overwhelmed with fear because of what they hear from adults and from what they see in our faces while America’s war against the Iraqi people is going on. They used to have in their minds a picture of Rambo as an American knight who in the movies always fights on the side of good. That image has suddenly been replaced by that of a quite different Rambo who fights savagely for evil and to bring other people to their knees. Mickey Mouse, who used to bring them delight, has suddenly turned into a horrid pig brandishing rifles and guns. The image of America in their minds has always been that of a torchbearer of freedom. That image has been replaced by that of a harbinger of death and destruction that helps Israel attack Palestinian children. Our children do not understand the reason for this sudden transformation.

Dr. Hâshim Bahrî adds: “I think that we as Muslim families and as an Arab society feel the acute difference between what America says and what America does. Our children feel this as well. These contradictions have a greater and deeper impact on children than they have on adults. This is because adults are more able to accept contradictions than children are. Therefore, parents must not show all of their conflicting feelings, their anger, and their fear to their children. When children see such a painful sight, it besets them with great fear.”

Media exposure to war robs our children of their sense of security

Dr. Mahmûd `Abd al-Rahmân Hamûdah of al-Azhar University is of the opinion that the television coverage of America’s war against Iraq, along with the reactions that household members have to it, has a marked affect on our children and makes them feel unsafe.

When we add to this the graphic coverage of the killing and destruction going on in Palestine, it only increases our children’s fear and makes them even more insecure. We must realize that children have very vivid imaginations. Their imaginations contribute further to their fears. Small children do not accurately understand long periods of time. A moment can be like an eternity. Likewise, they do not comprehend long distances in space. Therefore, they perceive the horror of the war in Iraq to be very close by. The fear, stress, and worry that they see being exhibited by the adults around them when they speak about the war serves to reinforce this idea.

There can be no doubt that the general feeling of insecurity that has of late appeared in our societies in many different ways and the expectations of possible crises has its effect on our children’s mental and physiological well-being. A child in these conditions becomes either fidgety, nervous, and unstable or obstinate and negative. He may cry a lot. A child expresses fear with his body far more than he does with his words or his behavior.

The child may become overly attached to his mother and cling to her, since she is his main source of security. He may think that separation from her puts him in danger and experience anxiety and an increased heart rate. The child will immediately return to clinging to his mother who can make him feel secure and quiet his anxiety. He may also fear for his mother and the other members of his family. He may feel that when they are away from him, they might get killed in the war and never return. This can make a child lose even the sense of security that his parents provide for him.

Moreover, the feelings of inadequacy and helplessness that, in the face of America’s domination and oppression, beset our men - our children’s fathers - cause our children to despair and feel utterly helpless. It can make them listless and inactive so they stop engaging in activities that they used to enjoy before the war. They may lose their appetite and experience weight loss. They may suffer from insomnia and nightmares. They may suffer from feelings of inferiority and guilt. They may have trouble thinking. They might become preoccupied with death. Frequently, children lose the desire to do anything productive and become emotionally unstable because of the dejection that rubs off on them from their fathers’ sense of powerlessness and disgrace.

When the child realizes that the source of this discomfort and fear is America, he develops a deep-seated hatred for that country and its culture that imposes its will on some and metes out destruction to others. He will carry these feelings of hatred into adulthood.

An alternative view

Dr. Muhammad Sha`lân, also a professor of psychology at Azhar University, has a another point of view that we should consider. He says: “Not all children feel the strain of the war going on in Iraq. Some of them, when they see war footage and footage of the atrocities in Palestine, they perceive it as make believe, something unreal, like a cowboy movie. Their minds are not yet ready to comprehend the darker side of war or the reality of pain, death, and deprivation.”

Dr. Sha`lân adds: “As psychologists, we see that the door should be open for frank discussions with children about the war. It should be made clear to them that war is not play. It is not what we see in the movies. It is destruction that affects everyone. We should not be scared to be straightforward with our children. Children are more mature than we think. We should also allow them to follow the news from different media sources. They should be encouraged to write letters to world leaders to express their disapproval of the war. Our children have a message to give that is no less important than the addresses being delivered at conferences and summit meetings around the world.”

Likewise, he adds, they have a role to play with respect to the children of America. They need to send them letters saying: “Please keep your fathers away from ours. This war is going to destroy our childhood and yours.” Children should become aware of important political events very early so they can stand united with the adults in the worldwide sentiment that what is being done to the Iraqi people and its children and what is going on in Palestine is wrong and unjust. 

From IslamToday.com