Kasim Rashid Sajjabi
A Ugandan person with disability and disability scholar and inclusion advocate, I want to know more and more about disability.
Location Uganda
Activity
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Dear Asma, a most illuminating presentation. My question is , while we know Muslims cannot be and are not homogeneous, why is the stereotyping of Muslim by non Muslims as violent radical elements almost universal?
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
It does not come as a surprise in the least , that migrants face mental health challenges. It is also not surprising that second generation offspring face mental health challenges associated with their identity crisis. it becomes incumbent upon duty bearers that migrants who are recognized officially do receive appropriate psycho-social support. The reality is...
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I learn with much surprise that Muslims even in Britain are more likely to be living in lower social- economic conditions. I am also intrigued but not surprised that Muslims are more likely to be unemployed or under employed, largely due to discrimination. I was not aware of this and thought it was typical of my country-Uganda.
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I would argue that media is a reflection of society. If evidence does indicate that Muslims are more likely to be unemployed, or under employed, it follows that Muslims households are more often in circumstances of poverty. Would it then surprise anyone that offenders of petty crime and gangster activity are more likely to be Muslims. In my language, there is...
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@RodericVassie My own interpretation is that the sentence in pretty clear. The affected persons affected by limiting long term illnesses are less likely to report their condition that counterparts. But hey Roderic, your mastery of the langue is certainly impressive.You could be right
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The unit presents interestingly informative data about ethnic composition of Muslims in Britain. We are introduced to the role of ethnicity in mental health amongst Muslims as a minority in UK. We learn among other aspects that ethnicity and religious could easily get mixed up, with ethnicity being an intersection. On one hand, one's ethnic practices could be...
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@AsmaKhan in 2014, as a student I worked part time with a charitable organisation with a branch in London's Kensington and Chelsea. as a family support worker, my job meant visiting needy households (with children with disabilities). Most of the households I visited were comprised of single mothers , largely from Somalia and Eritrea. The policies then seemed...
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@DebraWinstanley I did my graduate studies at UCL, United Kingdom. For some time, I was bewildered by the constant barrage of questionnaires slipped under my door. Essentially these official documents sought to establish whether or not I had sympathies for terrorism. I felt hounded , wondering if other foreign students with non Muslim names similarly received...
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
A very refreshingly informative article, thank you very much for this. case control and cross sectional studies would be the natural options respectively. I led a qualitative study in Rwanda -please refer to earlier comments. I have also done in the past a cross sectional study on school drop out amongst CWDs.
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A technical adviser -preferably a PWD fills this gap
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PAR is more self revealing than FGDs as the latter is based on an external researcher's questions and mindset.
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
I have an example of how PWDs were involved in all research stages as Sarah marks so rightly presents. I was deployed by VSO International to offer technical support to the disability movement in Rwanda. Our task was to establish to what extent PWDs were participating in Rwanda's social protection program -VUP2. The concept of researching on this...
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Very true. PWDs too, ought as well to be more accommodating of non disabled persons, avoiding an acrimonious relationship.
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After utilizing participatory action research (PAR) to investigate a phenomenon about PWDs, I have also become a fanatic of this approach. there is a whole range of techniques which include Rivers of life , Transect Walk, Customer window, 24 hour diary, seasonal calendar , digital story telling and forum theatre. They all share certain feature- engaging the...
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
Sadly, leadership contradictions go to the times of the demise of the prophet Muhammad (PBUH). those who felt his next in line of the family were the natural leaders of Islam and those who argued that leadership was not a preserve of the prophet's family. Sunni section seems to be in sync with the spread of Islam globally. what we need to work on are the petty...
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Hi Roderic, you raise an increasingly valid observation. Differences in outlook by our clerics or authorities. In Uganda , we have more than 2 parallel leadership structures , all complete with District Khadis right upto Grand Mufti. we have those who make no distinction between royalty and Muslim leadership. We see those who associate with scholarly pursuit,...
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@ThereseGrace The academic debate whether women are oppressed in Islam has been around for a while. I can say that while the scriptures give lots of respect to women, there is also a tendency to offer them protection. This is not to subject them to social injustice but to acknowledge a natural phenomenon that a woman was created different from a man. Others...
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
The mosque is simply an amazing place-magical to be precise. taken from whichever angle, the mosque whether it be London Mosque situated amidst the hustle and bustle or some dusty small mosque in a rural village in Uganda, the mosque is a place where the mind is put at rest. For Muslims, it is God's house and the one place where God prefers to see human...
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@TayyebTahir Dr Tayyeb, Isn't this is a rhetoric question? Now that you are through this course being exposed to the dynamics around your profession, you may want to be proactive and mentor other medics to be more accommodating. Do more advocacy and community education and the world will be a better place.
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Muslim world view is rarely , if ever incorporated in mental health service provision. Given the work load of health providers especially in Africa, no medic has time to listen to what is considered ramblings of an affected person about Allah and Jinns. Some psychiatrists are fast at making a prognosis.
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
Health workers need to reflect on this seriously. If your client holds a Muslim or other world view, going on with the medication with total disregard to this world view may be equivalent to taking a horse to the river...but not able to force it to drink. I have people afflicted by some condition who discarded their drugs , because they held a certain world...
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
Excellent presentation, Dr Ali. How a person views things may as well determine their healing outcome.
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@ThereseGrace Hi Therese, a few years ago, I was involved in a campaign against FGM in Somalia (Puntland state). With the unequivocal support of the Minister for women then, we clinched a presidential decree outlawing FGM. but our triumph was short lived! when this was brought before Parliament, it caused a big hue and cry and the President was forced to...
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
Amongst several Muslim communities, the cutting of a girls genitalia is considered a religious practice-never mind the evidence for this has not been adduced in the holy Quran or hadith. while this practice -carried out on girls as young as 7 is traumatizing, it is considered normal and holy. another example is that whilst the holy Quran gives leeway to marry...
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A Muslim affected person is certainly more comfortable talking to a professional who is of the same faith. Religion in general has the potential to polarize the population. A Muslim adherent is groomed to view a non Muslim as "deviant". In my country, a Muslim professional is conversely perceived to be second rate until you prove yourself!
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@ProfessorSophieGilliat-Ray Now professor, that is a Pandora's box! One is not likely to commonly find a Muslim cleric (Imam) although we have Shiekat (female Muslim scholar)
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I haven't either, although the phrase "person with a lived experience" has been banded around.
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Indeed what is in a name ?
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I have come across the 3 terms : clients, patients an service users. but as the sub topic runs, "what is in a name?"as echoed by the love bird in Shakespeare's tragic love story Romeo and Juliet. while in Rwanda, I noticed the use of Users and survivors of psychiatry. There is more likelihood that the service provider will routinely use "my patient" or at...
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Interesting observation there Roderic. To digress a bit, just a small thing -did you intentionally write Darfur ...Rwanda? The former is in Sudan (one of Africa's biggest countries) a tiny enclave which was home to the orchestrated killing of non Arabic Sudanese by militia groomed by then leader Omar Bashir(now incarcerated). Rwanda is a small east African...
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Great insights Dr Yusuf. My question is "Why isn't spirituality considered a part of psycho-social support? "
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I agree absolutely that bio psycho social support, spiritual considerations needs to be factored in for Muslims. What is more, I think that is is likely to become the more efficacious model for all sorts of affected persons especially with a religious background. take your average faithful amongst Muslims. One prays 5 obligatory times spending 5-12 minutes...
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The use of a peer educator being a person with lived experience of psychiatric or PSS difficulties is an approach which has been tried in Rwanda and Somalia. an affected person tends to open up better after learning that the support worker "has been through the same experience." this works especially with volunteer field workers.
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@RodericVassie Research carried out in Somalia shows that people facing psychological problems got much better after going to religious clerics for spiritual healing.
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Roderic, Karl Marx's sentiments cannot go unchallenged. Rephrased , the philosopher argued that religion is really of no good except serving to dis empower oppressed people. rather than tackle the injustices head on , religion offers an escapist route. Now, those who do not believe in God will agree with Karl Marx. For a Muslim and possibly other believers,...
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@AsmaKhan Hi Asma, you may agree that for a Muslim person, whether one is part of the minority or the bigger majority, the belief that everything is predestined by the Creator is non contestable. maybe this explains why interventions (biomedical) which tend to exclude spirituality are shunned by an average Muslim. Tayyeb's observation is therefore food for...
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@ProfessorSophieGilliat-Ray I believe the two are uniquely different as well as inter related. I know of individuals who have manic depression , autism or other development problem and naturally display personality disorders. so while their brains may be intact, the affected are looked at by society as having mental difficulties. lo and behold, as the stigma...
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A comprehensive definition
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I concur with Dr Yusuf about the definition and 3 aspects. One-lets look at the brain. It is a material tissue located clearly in the skull. mental issues are likely to arise , once the brain tissue gets some physical damage. Scientifically, one can be put under an imaging scanner which would point out blood clot, damage or some foreign object logged into this...
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
Evidence is a prerequisite to effective policy advocacy. It is vital in planning and critical in evaluating an intervention.
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Anttti, you certainly raise pertinent points there. My understanding is that there is no contradictions between what you observe and the literature provided. Yes, evidence is about a particular group of people or person being researched upon. So once we get evidence about a sample group (representing the wider target group;), we can generalize and say with a...
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James, congs about your PHD work. I am somewhat surprised that you mention a lack of evidence (read supported data) for your scholarly work. whether you are employing qualitative , PAR or quantitative approaches, I would expect you to be generating tonnes of data and evidence. Case studies, testimonies ,numbers of affected persons,. You may want to seek your...
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The Corona virus data in itself speaks volumes about paucity of data in LDC. During COVID, not once was segregated data captured to highlight disability let alone PWDs by their impairment. the dead were mere statistics and OPDs relied on the rumour mill to mention a PWD who died during COVID. as regards prevention of possible injury, how true that is. Sadly in...
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@DonnaKoolmees I also advise that a dissemination meeting if well organized brings together important stakeholders including media. Thereafter dialogue meetings may also further enhance your agency's reach with the evidence.
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
In my country Uganda, legislation is impressive but remains a white elephant. The UN special reporter on disability, the panel of experts which oversee the CRPD and other development partners need to promote more evidence generation by soliciting and availing funding for research.
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You are right Claire. Inadequate research and evidence generation may persist as government prioritize other sectors. here in Uganda, the national government watch dog agency receives a million dollars to oversee inclusion across the entire country of 46 million people . Research is only conduced as adhoc activity when and if an INGO offers a small grant. the...
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I am surprised that Muslims are under referred for professional help. It is two way as the affected are suspicious of the professionals, perceiving them to be ill informed about the mental health challenges of a Muslim. a Muslim person especially woman is not likely to open up to a non Muslim professional and it might not be surprising that the professional...
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@HusnaraBegum-shohid Husnara provides food for thought. If Imams were trained in first aid and early identification of mental health difficulties, would they provide adequate intervention? Research in Somalia, where the population hugely faces MH problems owing to perennial humanitarian conditions,use of drugs and other issues revealed that affected persons...
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@NicholasGeorge well Nicholas, you raise an interesting point about referral pathways. The reality is that family members will tend to put up with an affected person until a violent episode occurs. Sensing the individual could him oneself or other family members, calling in law enforcement for restrain the person is rational. Maybe this introduces an aspect of...
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@MartinH This is an intricate topic. Certainly suicide is not acceptable in Islam. The logic being that one's life is given by the Creator. Indeed when one dies, you will hear an invocation that " It is Allah who gives and Allah who takes away." and yet what can one say about suicide terrorist attacks. These have been justified by some with inferences that it...
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I think that it is increasingly challenging for a Muslim to balance the demands from society and recommended ways of practicing Islam. for instance, with high youth unemployment, many find themselves getting jobs related to alcohol which includes being transporters, waitresses, radio presenters, hotel owners not to make the lucrative business of selling...
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@SiobhanJackson Dear Siobhan, I worked in Somalia for several years and witnessed womenfolk stressed on several accounts. As you may know, it is one of 23 countries which practice female genital mutilation- the slicing away of labia in a girls genitalia. all our respondents pointed out the scarring effect they lived with. What is paradoxical, there was a...
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Spirituality is certainly a life and death matter in Africa. and caution here-my next statements may be disturbing to the extra sensitive. In Uganda, every so often, a child's decomposing body is found after being dismembered(tongue and private parts removed). When the culprits are arraigned, they confess to having been driven by the desire to get rich....
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
Great meeting the entire facilitation team. I hope that we shall hold candid discussions about intricate issues around Islam and the modern world. How does one avoid Ribba for instance. I have to check myself almost every other day not to borrow airtime when it runs out on my mobile phone and I have what I naively perceive at the moment to be an urgent call?...
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Salaams Azim, a researcher myself in disability matters, I hope we can collaborate long after this course. My last assignment was leading a team of PWDs to establish through Participatory Action research (PAR) the participation of PWDs in Rwanda's flagship social protection programme-VUP.
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
Asalaam aleikum warahamatullahi wabarakatu,
I am a Ugandan disability adviser, with mental health as one of my thematic focus areas. I have worked with the National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda (NUDIPU) as well as National Union of Disability Organizations of Rwanda (NUDOR) and National Union of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry in Rwanda (NOUSPR). ... -
Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
Hi Sophie, I am delighted to be here and look forward to sharing experiences and gaining new knowledge and skills from peers and facilitators.
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I personally have over all the years found DALY to be too simplistic if not complex to be of much use. I suppose in developed countries where systematic support is accessible, the tool may be significant. In Africa and Uganda in particular, social protection is almost non existent. DALY calculations may be found almost of no relevance to your average PWD.
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Hullo James, actually it is a much more complex process. There is a model which you may find of interest explaining attitudes. It indicates that attitudes, stereotyping,mindsets do exist amongst people or communities, for various reasons. men may feel superior to women especially in patriarchal societies. A PWD may be considered unable to have a family or fend...
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
Disability is defined as the activity limitation and movement restriction arising from an impairment one is born with or acquires in life coupled with the barriers in the environment including physical, communication , legal as well as societal attitudes.
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
Hello colleagues, I am Kasim Rashid Sajjabi, a Ugandan. Disability is close to my heart , having survived polio during infancy. I have pursued a disability researcher and advocate career and worked with umbrella OPDs in Uganda and Rwanda. Not so long ago, I was privileged to attend the global health and disability course on this platform and was greatly...
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
Thank you and look forward to the interaction with staff and fellow learners
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@MariaZuurmond Nice meeting you, Maria. I am passionate about qualitative inquiry and not so long ago , led a participatory action research (PAR) for the umbrella OPD in Rwanda. We empowered PWDs to establish the extent to which PWDs were involved in the country's social protection program. I hope we can keep in touch and share experiences.
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@PatriciaBarr , Hi Patricia, in Uganda, we boast of an impressive array of laws promoting social inclusion of PWDs. Ironically, but not surprisingly, it all remains on paper!
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Hi Hannah, great to meet you again. It was a great experience having you as facilitator last time and I have no doubt this will be another fulfilling course.
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Hi James, I am a PWD myself, have disability training and have worked with organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) in Uganda and Rwanda. As you tackle your disability studies, I would be happy to share insights when and if contacted.
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
Hi folks, I am Kasim from Uganda. I am glad to join this course. My past experience on the other course was more than rewarding.
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi replied to [Learner left FutureLearn]
Hi Melina, great observation there. Persuasion and persistence is indeed critical in advocacy work. Policy makers will argue and rightly so that to get a simple decision involves lots of bureaucracy. I stay in a rural part of Uganda not far from the city. The road is terrible and I have been talking to officials to fix our roads. The top leader in the sub...
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
Many thanks and kudos for a course well assembled and presented. It did not disappoint in the least. If anyone is in Uganda and wishes us to collaborate on research matters , I would be happy to do so. Best to all
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
I will be looking at the application process as I really want to take forward the PHD intention. I would urge others to do so. Best
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
Thank you to our facilitators and course mates. My highlight was the unit on measuring disability. Equally so, the unit dubbed sustaining ability process (SAP) was indeed an eye opener. I have since got on firmer ground in my knowledge on this and other aspects. Like others, I have reinvigorated my earlier interest to pursue a PHD in disability so that I...
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
A most informative and challenging week 3. thank you our facilitators
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
CBID is indeed the way to go. the approach of twin tracking is effective to ensure that services in the community (both mainstream and disability specific) improve. Now that the SDG Africa centre in right next door in Kigali- the international community is called upon to support LMICs to adopt this twin track approach so that the targets are realised and can...
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
Carers are God send to PWDs with severe impairments. the notion of paid carers is not common here and often times , it is a relative who takes up the responsibility. What has been introduced in Rwanda, is that a person may offering care services to a PWD as part of the social protection programme. That way a needy person gets to earn a small fee for the...
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There is a girl of about 8 in my neighbourhood. with an intellectual impairment, she seeks company of other children but is excluded from play and conversation. she is therefore lonely. she doesn't go to school ostensibly because there are special needs schools in our rural setting. Filthy always and not attending school, what she needs is more...
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
The sustaining ability process (SAP) with the sustainability framework are carefully thought out to facilitate us as planners to consciously aim at a systemic change. Confessedly, I have found the material and logical steps/methodology somewhat overwhelming given the intensity of this fast paced course. I implore prof Hannah /Myroslava and the rest of the team...
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Very informative expose from the trio-Dr Pollack, Dr Eaton and Phillip. I had opportunity to attend the recent conference in Dhaka , Bangladesh on Disability and disaster management and was impressed by the level of commitment from diverse stakeholders. Starting with the country's head, Premier Sheikh Hasina Wazed. CSOs including DPOs were loud and clear...
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Besides those given, countries prone to disaster situations incl Bangladesh and Somalia offer very informative case studies.
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
I concur that task shifting/sharing is the way to go for LMICs. In Rwanda (and indeed in Uganda) epilepsy continues to debilitate sufferers, all coz the Dr is either too busy, inaccessible or hardly knows what to do about this. Volunteers can greatly ameliorate with basic anti epilepsy drugs.
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
Well done to all innovators.
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
With assistive devices, one gets to live a more meaningful life. We must quickly appreciate that one does not become as efficient as the abled person next door-but it does minimise movement restriction and activity restriction . For those a bit unclear about how to differentiate equity and equality, pse check out this illustration...
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
The role of CBR has been captured perfectly well here. Perhaps WHO's cal to action needs to be followed up with technical and financial support in low resourced countries. Even here, decision makers have cited lack of resources to implement comprehensive rehabilitation services. but with a change of heart in political will , even few resources can translate...
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
Uganda certainly has a long way to go before truly inclusive health services can be seen. At the policy level, our government needs to demonstrate its commitment to inclusion. Having signed and ratified the CRPD, stakeholders need to see more than lip service in service delivery. For starters, the appointing authority would do well to appoint a state Minister...
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Thanks Richard for being spot on!
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
The IEH project is a true inspiration to all who take inclusion seriously-and I mean ready to walk the talk. It could also be adopted by the SDG teams in Africa and Asia if the SDG targets on health, poverty etc are to be realized. Thank you Dr Babar and entire team at CBM
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
The inclusive eye health (IEH) project is a true inspiration. Thank you Dr Babar and entire CBM team
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
Accessibility -without seeming to pour water on its importance-remains a tall order in Africa. I was part of a validation team which looked at accessibility of WASH facilities in Rwanda not so long ago. Few public facilities including commercial premises had low urinals, accessible toilet seats, doorways accessible by wheel chair users....and so on....
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Santhi would benefit from a community based health worker who visits her regularly with basic psychiatric drugs and does one to one counselling. her family can be enlisted for a social protection programme like public works or direct support. With money they may afford services better including formal diagnosis. a support network can also offer the...
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The issue of accessibility (all forms) to the health facilities is more grave than decision makers discern. Look at my country Uganda- there has been commendable effort to construct health centres (dubbed level 1-4) which are about 2-10 kilometers radius from an average location. The roads were pathetic but thankfully things are getting better. The most common...
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
Thanks Hannah and Myroslava. I look forward to week 3. How time rushes!
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
Thank you Hannah and Myro (and the behind the scenes team) for putting together week two course material. I have no doubt found it very informative and challenging. Just a little clarification on the quiz before the summary one this week. Question one asked why a health worker ignored the woman with disability not offering her contraceptives (or choices). My...
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
I relate well with the disability spiral. In my career promoting inclusion of PWDs, I have invariably used two tools to establish as well as communicate evidence of exclusion. I will share these here briefly just in case another course participant finds this useful. The first is the Stepping Stones communication manual. In this tool initially developed to...
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Thanks Hannah for the presentation. It is not surprising that in situations of disaster like Somalia, South Sudan and Bangladesh, we tend to see more children with disabilities.
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Indeed NCDs notably Diabetes, depression, cancer and obesity are becoming common causes of death in Uganda. Alcohol, smoking, eating junk foods and little physical activity are predictors.
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Onchocerciasis (commonly called river blindness) seems to be a significant cause of blindness. Parts of North western Uganda and lower down have high numbers of affected persons as is the incidence of a parasite said to be responsible for epilepsy. when I was in Rwanda, locals intimated to me that rice growing-a a lucrative occupation has become terribly...
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
Thanks for the case studies from Senegal and Cambodia. Anecdotal evidence indeed suggests that HIV is disproportionately higher amongst PWDs. A key factor possibly not effectively addressed is self stigma. PWds more often than not have a lower sense of self esteem. Women with disabilities (WWD) find themselves taking on casual partners and as one WWD told me...
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
Thanks for the case studies from Senegal and Cambodia. anecdotal evidence indeed suggests that HIV is disproportionately higher amongst PWDs. a key factor possibly not effectively addressed is self stigma. PWds more often than not have a lower sense of self esteem. Women with disabilities (WWD) find themselves taking on casual partners and as one WWD told me...
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
Access remains a key hindrance to the improved health status of PWDs. Listening to the presentation, I am reminded of an experiential training tool called the social model of exclusion. Briefly it looks at discrimination this way: Attitudes (mindsets,prejudices, stereotyping and assumptions) +power to act =discrimination. Discrimination + ideology of...
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I must confess it is the first time hearing of EDS. I hope you are working on a support organisation so that you raise awareness about this rare condition and seek and offer support.
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Kasim Rashid Sajjabi made a comment
Dr eaton rightly observes that institutionalization esp in low resourced settings may not be the best way forward. rather inclusion in primary health care and I add home based community based rehabilitation (CBR.)