Ethical Considerations For Social Workers Working with Muslim Refugees

In 2016 almost 39,000 Muslim refugees entered the United States, representing a record of admissions during a time of elevated anti-Muslim political rhetoric and public sentiment. Anti-Muslim attitudes and policies can affect refugees’ ability to successfully resettle and contribute to decreased health status. Given the current social and political moment there is an ethical imperative for social workers to engage in resistance to anti-Muslim sentiment and the encoding of Islamophobia in resettlement policy. In this article, the authors explore constraints on resettlement social workers’ engagement with advocacy and make suggestions for ethical practice that promotes social and emotional well-being.