Nurses in the United States need to be aware of various cultures. One group of people living in the United States is the Arab Muslim population. Understanding the religion, social structure and practices of childbearing women is crucial to the nurse caring for a woman of this background. The nurse should be aware of common beliefs and traditions so that they can integrate the client's cultural values while providing care.
Because of the increased migration that is occurring throughout the world, nurses need to understand the differences among cultures and apply this knowledge to provide culturally appropriate care. This culture awareness will improve the quality of care and health outcomes. Flexibility and a respect for others viewpoints is required to adapt different culture beliefs and practices. A full understanding of cultural factors that influence health and care behaviors is extremely important to the profession of nursing (Luna, 1989). The intent of this paper is to provide the reader with an insight of the religion, social structures and healthcare practices of the Arab Muslim client. .
There are 6 million Muslims in the United States, and that number is increasing steadily (Lawrence & Rozmus, 2001). Islam is the religion practiced by Muslims. The religion of Islam serves as a cultural influence upon the daily life of the people. Tawhid is the most important principle of Islam. Tawhid means unity, which refers to the unity of one god. The Koran is the Muslim holy book that serves as the principle for Muslims to live by and envision their world. Although there are many regulations in the Koran, there are five basic articles or "pillars of faith." These pillars include the profession of faith which means there is no god but Allah, daily prayers (5 times/day) facing the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, fasting during the month of Ramadan which prohibits eating, drinking, smoking and sexual intercourse from dawn to dusk, almsgiving in which each family gives a percentage of their wealth to the poor and pilgrimage to Mecca during one's lifetime (Lawrence & Rozmus, 2001).
