Intersectional complexities of South Asian Muslim Americans: Implications for identity and mental health

While interest in the mental health of South Asian Muslims has observably increased over the last couple of decades, South Asian Muslims are often grouped together with either other South Asians or other Muslims, depending on the identity of interest in the literature. This chapter aims to explore the gap within research literature in which the intersectional complexities of South Asian Muslims lie by examining the historical and geopolitical contexts of South Asian Muslim experiences in the United States. The aftermaths following the attacks on September 11, 2001 have had an enormous impact on the psychological well-being of South Asian Muslim Americans. We have discussed the ways in which contemporary South Asian Muslim American experiences are further complicated when navigating additional marginalized identities such as gender and sexual orientation, age and generational influences, disability status, class, and national origin.