Cultural Humility in Practice: Supporting Unaccompanied Muslim Youth
Cultural humility is the continuous practice of learning and self-reflection that encourages us to examine our own biases, acknowledge power dynamics, and recognize the limits of our cultural understanding. It invites us to listen deeply, honor diverse cultural identities, and learn from the communities we serve. [1] Unaccompanied Muslim youth may experience heightened challenges due to the intersectionality of their identity. It’s important to center respect for their individual identity, religion, and cultural values, while having a learner lens to youth’s lived experience.
Some Cultural Practices of Muslim Youth:
- The Five Pillars of Islam: 1) Possession of faith (shahada), 2) Prayer (salat), 3) Alms (zakat), 4) Fasting (sawm), 5) Pilgrimage (hajj).[1]
- Collectivist culture: focusing on community and family over individualism.
- Respect: emphasizing obedience towards honoring parents and older adults.
- Prayer facing Mecca: five times a day, individually or together in a mosque.
- Fasting during Ramadan: includes abstaining from food, water, and certain behaviors from sunrise to sunset.
- Pilgrimage: to visit the holy city of Mecca, located in Saudi Arabia, at least once.
- Diet: including eating Halal meat, avoiding pork, and refraining from drinking alcohol.
- Dressing modestly: some girls/women may wear the hijab, and boys/men may wear cultural/religious garments.[2]
Key Practices for Advocates:
- Avoid assumptions about beliefs, cultural practices, or religion. If you make an incorrect assumption, your response is pivotal to cultural humility in practice. Acknowledging you made a mistake and offering a sincere apology is key. Your openness to learn can make a difference in building your rapport with Muslim youth.
- Ask open-ended questions about how youth identify (respecting personal definitions) and what is important to them.
- Honor religious practices (prayer times, fasting, modesty preferences).
- Be flexible with schedules and offer privacy for prayer as best you can.
- Ask about names, pronouns, and comfort with gender-specific providers/interpreters.
- Understand cultural norms around eye-contact and physical contact. Muslim youth may not make direct eye-contact with you as a sign of respect and deference. [3]
- For many Muslim youth, faith plays a central role in processing trauma and navigating their migration experience. Some youth may associate discussing painful memories with disobedience to parents, betraying the family, or fear disappointing God. These beliefs often reflect deep moral and spiritual values rather than resistance. As an advocate, it is important to acknowledge how religion can both shape fear and provide comfort, viewing faith as a source of strength, grounding, and resilience.
- Respect collectivist values by understanding the importance of family unity, obligation, and dignity. Avoid framing independence as superior.
- Recognize mental health conversations may be new, carry stigma, and that youth may have conflicting feelings about mental health and their faith.[4]
- Create a safe and inclusive environment where the youth feel seen and respected.
- Commit to continuous self-reflection to better understand your own biases and strengthen your cultural understanding to better serve your clients.
By CILA social work team
[1] Harvard University, The Pluralism Project- Islamic Practices, last visited November 3, 2025, available at https://pluralism.org/islamic-practices
[2] Learn Religions, At What Age Do Muslim Girls Wear the Hijab and Why?, last visited November 3, 2025, available at https://www.learnreligions.com/when-do-muslim-girls-start-wearing-the-hijab-2004249
[3] Alta California Regional Center, Understanding Islamic Etiquette, last visited November 3, 2025, available at https://www.altaregional.org/sites/main/files/file-attachments/uie_aw._islamic_etiquette_training.ppt_embedded.pdf?1597350315
[4] Sound Vision, Addressing the Stigma Related to Mental Health in the Muslim Community, last visited November 3, 2025, available at https://www.soundvision.com/article/addressing-the-stigma-related-to-mental-health-in-the-muslim-community