Muslim-majority Nations Research Articles

Analyzing the commonalities between Islamic social finance and sustainable development goals

Purpose This study aims to explore commonalities and differences between Islamic social finance (ISF) and sustainable development goals (SDGs). Design/methodology/approach The study has adopted a qualitative library-based research method, and the secondary data is collected through the available literature on the topic. Findings This study concludes that the majority of SDGs are compatible with ISF. Moreover, it finds that the global ISF possesses adequate financial resources to assist Muslim majority nations in achieving some of the most critical and urgent SDGs on time. Research limitations/implications The scope of this study is confined to examining the possible role of ISF in achieving many of the most pressing development goals aligned with the SDGs. To maintain coherence within the study’s focus, this paper makes no comparisons between the ISF and other types of endowments/charities. Practical implications This paper outlines an agenda for the ISF-led development strategy and makes some crucial recommendations on how the global ISF might potentially lead the charge of Islamic charities in achieving the SDGs in Muslim majority nations. Originality/value This paper adds original value to the available literature on the potential of ISF and SDGs in the arena of development. The paper analyses the role of ISF in achieving the SDGs.

Clinical Applications of the History of Medicine in Muslim-Majority Nations.

Since the early twentieth century, a number of physicians and professional historians have argued for the integration of the history of medicine into both medical education and clinical practice. After the supplanting of the humoral model of medicine in favor of the germ theory of disease in the late nineteenth century, medical school administrators have repeatedly asked medical historians for their rationale for studying "outdated science" in medical training programs beyond antiquarianism and knowledge for knowledge's sake. However, a number of arguments can be adduced for the use and relevance of the history of medicine, including the observations that history: 1) provides examples of inspiring or highly ethical individuals who can serve as role models in practitioner identity formation; 2) helps to develop critical analytical skills and other modes of humanistic thought and behavior directly relevant to patient care (e.g., empathy); 3) promotes culturally-competent care, since history informs culture; 4) encourages inquiry into the sociocultural factors that affect the development of modern medical ecosystems; 5) provides a philosophical tradition for critiquing ethics in the medical profession. This contribution specifically traces the potential uses of Islamic medical history in the clinic and medical schools in Muslim-majority countries, primarily in the Middle East.

Behavioural Approaches to Muslim Politics: The State of the Art

The behavioural approach to Muslim politics in academic literature is a recent development. The approach emerged only in the early twenty-first century, largely as most Muslim-majority nations have been autocracies constraining the freedom of speech required to study political attitudes and behaviour. Many behaviourally driven studies have examined dimensions of Islam as predictors of political attitudes and behaviorr. These include religious affiliation, religiosity, and religious political orientation. While democracy is rare in Muslim majority nations, at the individual level, Muslim religious affiliation and religiosity only partially predict political attitudes and behaviour. Taking an expansive measure of Islamism or Islamic ideology helps us understand this, as it potentially predicts the absence of liberal democracy in Muslim countries. To do this successfully, however, more realistic external validity is required. Scholars still often define and measure Islamism differently, therefore a more standardised measure is required for comparative study.

The impact of transnational culture on countering terrorism in Muslim countries: A critical explanation from Tawhidic paradigm

This paper tries to address the impact of transnational culture, which is basically consists of cultural diversity, multi-ethnicity, and multi-languages, on countering the terrorism. Transnational culture, through globalization and internationalization, can play a vital role on countering the terrorism both within and across nations, particularly in Muslim-majority nations. For the research purpose, the study obtained the opinions of 59 post graduate students from different universities in Turkey and Bangladesh through a survey on the impact of transnational culture in reducing terrorism. The study found that transnational culture has a significant impact on changing people’s perspective about countering terrorism in today’s Muslim world. The informants also viewed that the Tawhidic paradigm (Unity of God) offers spiritual dimension to educate and nurture people to respect other views, multi-ethnicity, cultures and languages which may lead to counter the terrorism in the Muslim nations. Nevertheless, the results of the study are constrained by the size of the sample and robustness of the analysis. IIUC Business Review Vol. 7-8, Dec. 2018-19 pp. 47-60

Compulsory Heterosexuality in Indonesia: A Literary Exploration of the Work of Ayu Utami

The fall of Suharto from the presidency in the Reformation of 1998 created space for greater freedom of expression, including for women, in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, Indonesia. Ayu Utami is an Indonesian writer whose first novel, Saman, was published at the time of the Indonesian Reformation to critical and commercial acclaim. Other women writers followed her lead, expressing their work on women and sexuality. Through her writing, Utami challenges a patriarchal culture which continues to marginalise women. This paper focuses on the two of Utami’s literary works, Si Parasit Lajang: Seks, Sketsa dan Cerita (The Single Parasite: Sex, Sketches and Stories) (2003) and Pengakuan Eks Parasit Lajang (Confessions of a Former Single Parasite) (2013). These two books have parallel themes, representing Utami’s challenges to dominant discourses on women and marriage. In the first book, Utami shows that women face discrimination if they remain single. Her political stance to remain unmarried is a way to show that women can choose alternative ways of life, rather than submit to the valorised option: to get married. Utami’s shift of position, as elaborated in the second book through the story of her autobiographical character A, who is a Catholic, has to do with a developing tendency of the Islamic conservatism in Indonesia to silence the expression of minority groups, including minority religious communities. This paper argues that to understand Utami’s shift in position on marriage, we must understand the ways in which her position as a member of a minority and, sometimes endangered, religious community shapes her position.

Indonesia’s Hospitable Democracy

Abstract Although much scholarly work has been done to present the depth and diversity of Islam around the world, positive encounters between Islam and Christianity in modern democracies continue to merit exploration. Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim majority nation, includes organizations and thinkers at the forefront of re-examining assumptions of Islamic orthodoxy. This article will present the current activities of Humanitarian Islam and its partnership with Christian organizations to build peace and shared civilizational values. Unique partnerships like this are possible through Muslim reform efforts, which have been underrepresented. These significant efforts are partly conceivable due to two Indonesian thought leaders, Nurcholish Madjid and Abdurrahman Wahid, who made significant contributions to Indonesian expressions of Islam. Two recent events in Indonesia show the progress and challenge for Christian minorities in Muslim majority contexts. While tension remains, Muslim reform efforts in Indonesia suggest possibilities for Islam’s peaceful integration with modern democracy and establishing conditions where Christian minority communities can thrive.

The secularizing effect of education in Indonesia

Does education influence support for the separation of religion and governance? This question is particularly important in the context of today’s Muslim-majority nations. I analyze data on a large school construction program in Indonesia to investigate the relationship at the micro level. Implementing a difference-in-differences framework, the results indicate that the rise in the level of educational attainment increased the tendency toward secularization. Furthermore, the findings show that people who believe in the majority religion but live in extremely religious or extremely non-religious regions are more likely to change their opinions on secularization as a consequence of educational attainment.

Ramadan Fasting and Maternal and Fetal Outcomes in Pregnant Women with Diabetes Mellitus: Literature Review.

There is an emerging Muslim and diabetic population in the United States and other Western countries and majority of pregnant women and patients with diabetes mellitus choose to fast during Ramadan. Fasting during Ramadan in pregnant women with diabetes may represent a ‘perfect storm’ of metabolic disturbances including hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia and ketosis. Recent continuous and flash glucose monitoring data suggests increased glycemic variability (fasting hypo- and post-Iftar hyperglycemia) in non-pregnant patients with diabetes during Ramadan. Only five small-scale studies, predominantly focused on women with gestational diabetes mellitus in Muslim-majority nations have explored maternal glycemic outcomes during Ramadan which is associated with lower mean blood glucose levels and higher frequency of fasting hypoglycemia. Data is limited however on important clinical outcomes such as symptomatic and serious hypoglycemia requiring hospitalization. Results have been conflicting regarding maternal Ramadan fasting and association with fetal outcomes in women without diabetes. Only one recently published study reported on perinatal outcomes in pregnant women with gestational diabetes which found no effect of Ramadan exposure on mean birthweight or macrosomia frequency but lower neonatal hypoglycemia prevalence, however a significant limitation was lack of documentation of maternal fasting status. At this stage, due to paucity of data, the current medical recommendation is against Ramadan fasting for pregnant Muslim women with diabetes. Large-scale population-based studies are warranted regarding maternal and fetal outcomes in pregnant fasting women with diabetes and such studies should characterize maternal fasting status and have meaningful and consistent clinical outcomes. High-quality data derived from these studies can assist clinicians in providing more evidence-based advice to safely navigate both mother and fetus through a potentially challenging pregnancy.

Ljudska prava u islamskoj pravnoj nauci / Human Rights in Islamic Jurisprudence

In the diversity of their religious communities, Muslim cities of the Middle Ages, such as Istanbul, Jerusalem, Baghdad, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Cairo, looked like the modern New York, San Francisco, Berlin, Paris, and London. In contrast, European cities during the Middle Ages were quite homogeneous, usually encompassing one predominant Christian denomination. This continued more or less until the second half of the nineteenth century. Since then Western cities have clearly turned into cosmopolitan metropolitan centers housing diverse faith and ethnic groups. What made Muslim cities during the Middle Ages similar to modern cosmopolitan centers? I contend that it was because they operated under norms of Islamic jurisprudence regarding universal human rights, particularly freedom of religion. This finding is surprising given the lagging status of religious freedom in many Muslim-majority nations today, and it suggests that recovering that classical Islamic tradition could have enormous global significance.

Islamophobia as a Phenotypical Racism: The Case of the Islamic Style of Clothing in Turkey

There are many more debates about Islamophobia’s racist dispositions in a Muslim-majority society, but the way these dispositions are exercised would be better studied if the fundamental causes were addressed first. Any form of racism can be defined as premeditated acts of degradation, humiliation, and hatred that occur in the context of everyday or regular actions. In previous centuries, racism was limited to phenotypic characteristics such as skin color, hair color, and eye color, but in today’s age of image, phenotypes have been transformed into body extensions such as clothing, resulting in a new type of “racial bias” directed at those who appear to be different from the rest of society. Turkey stands out above many other Muslim countries in terms of culture, traditions, and history, as one of the few superpowers to have ruled over a vast territory without being colonized at any point in its history. The transition from the Ottoman Empire to the Turkish Republic, the social fabric was forced to transform into a new pattern. By showing, representing, and projecting Islam as a specter of reactionary forces, it was alleged it may be eradicated from people’s daily lives. Islam was labelled a public enemy, along with anything that reminded people of it; women were singled out for their outer clothing standards. The self-proclaimed emancipators were able to save and free women from their oppressors by portraying them as meek and backward. Some people in Muslim-majority nations may be treated differently solely because of their phenotypical physical distinctions, which could be termed racism and eventually lead to Islamophobia.

"Blood, Sweat, Tears:" A Muslim Woman Law Professor's View on Degenerative Racism, Misogyny, and (Internal) Islamophobia from Preeclampsia and Presumed Incompetent to Pandemic Tenure

From classical literature, popular press, law, everyday conversations, and social media rampages, society scrutinizes visible Muslim women even though they are a part of a vast global population. From E.M. Forrester’s A Passage to India—the Orientalist summer reading I endured in high school—to the incessant online attacks on U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, the hatred has no end and no bounds. Visible Muslim women are accustomed to erasure and censure for simply existing. In France, legislators sought to expel visible Muslim women under the age of eighteen from the public space. Women’s rights have been used as a pretext to invade Muslim-majority nations. This paper examines the perspective for deep thought and the impetus for change that the pandemic parenting experience offered me. Being around my children and at their beck and call 24/7 allowed me to see the world more through their eyes. The subtle bigotry and insensitivities that I experienced pre-pandemic intensified because not only did I want to survive, I wanted my children to grow up in a world free from hate. Sitting around and ignoring the slights would be impossible. Free from daily microaggressions, constant commuting, and code-switching, but saddled with intensive childcare, cooking, cleaning, and sanitizing responsibilities, I developed a keener awareness for the degenerative biases I faced in the periphery of my pre-pandemic life. Being a pandemic academic parent empowered me to confront systemic racism, misogyny, and (internal) Islamophobia. My only goal was to stay alive, be authentic, and stop self-censuring. If it all went to hell in a handbasket, so be it. I survived 2020. Over 1.81 million people did not survive the coronavirus in 2020. This is my journey from a shy little girl in Central Florida to motherhood and the faculty tenure vote put into perspective by the pandemic.

THE EVOLUTION OF COLONIAL LEGACY AND SOCIAL STATUS OF WOMEN, A CASE STUDY OF EGYPT BETWEEN 1952-2016

The topic of female’s rights and gender equality is an issue of the Arab uprisings call for democracy. In the Arab Muslim-majority nations, some creeds have influenced the impact of the gender discussion. Namely Islamic teaching and local cultural practices about females' duties in a culture in the Arab world: Western, European colonial perceptions of the rights of females, as well as ultimately policy reforms that are gender-related nationwide. The study aims to look at the situations (gender inequality) of women 11. in the Arab world before and after colonization, with a focus on Egypt. The impact of colonial heritage on women’s formal and higher education as well as recent gender practices in the public sphere, the responses from the global actions taken, and response from the national level regarding females’ rights. This research used the descriptive approach relying on literature from publications, presented papers, journals, books, and useful websites to focus on the topic. It also examines the parallels and variations in gender parity reform strategies in Egypt. However, part of the findings is that women's abilities have been deliberately relinquished to the back and downplayed by society.

Disentangling the Roles of Modernization and Secularization on Fertility: The Case of Turkey

Second demographic transition (SDT) theory argues very low fertility results from the simultaneous processes of modernization and secularization. However, this theory has primarily been examined in the Christian countries of Northern and Western Europe. The assumption that modernization and secularization are co-occurring processes may not apply in other non-European, non-Christian contexts. Notably absent are studies of Muslim-majority nations, where modernization has occurred separate from secularization because the primary interpretation of Islam views the pursuit of secular knowledge as important as the pursuit of religious knowledge. Therefore, there is a critical need to examine the applicability of SDT theory to fertility in a Muslim-majority country. Using data from the 2008 and 2013 Demographic and Health Surveys of Turkey (sample size 13,575), and a series of Poisson regression models, we examine the independent and joint effects of modernization and secularization on married women’s parity. Overall, we find that modernization and secularization are independently associated with married women’s parity. We conclude that the specification of the SDT theory that modernization co-occurs with secularization to limit fertility does not follow—and therefore does not—explain low fertility in the Muslim-majority country of Turkey.

Health Care Utilization Before and After the “Muslim Ban” Executive Order Among People Born in Muslim-Majority Countries and Living in the US

The health effects of restrictive immigration and refugee policies targeting individuals from Muslim-majority countries are largely unknown. To analyze whether President Trump's 2017 executive order 13769, "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States" (known as the "Muslim ban" executive order) was associated with changes in health care utilization by people born in targeted nations living in the US. This retrospective cohort study included adult patients treated at Minneapolis-St. Paul HealthPartners primary care clinics or emergency departments (EDs) between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2017. Patients were categorized as (1) born in Muslim ban-targeted nations, (2) born in Muslim-majority nations not listed in the executive order, or (3) non-Latinx and born in the US. Data were analyzed from October 1, 2019, to May 12, 2021. Executive order 13769, "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States." Primary outcomes included the number of (1) primary care clinic visits, (2) missed primary care appointments, (3) primary care stress-responsive diagnoses, (4) ED visits, and (5) ED stress-responsive diagnoses. Visit trends were evaluated before and after the Muslim ban issuance using linear regression, and differences between the study groups after the executive order issuance were evaluated using difference-in-difference analyses. A total of 252 594 patients were included in the analysis: 5667 in group 1 (3367 women [59.4%]; 5233 Black individuals [92.3%]), 1254 in group 2 (627 women [50%]; 391 White individuals [31.2%]), and 245 673 in group 3 (133 882 women [54.5%]; 203 342 White individuals [82.8%]). Group 1 was predominantly born in Somalia (5231 of 5667 [92.3%]) and insured by Medicare or Medicaid (4428 [78.1%]). Before the Muslim ban, primary care visits and stress-responsive diagnoses were increasing for individuals from Muslim-majority nations (groups 1 and 2). In the year after the ban, there were approximately 101 additional missed primary care appointments among people from Muslim-majority countries not named in the ban (point estimate [SE], 6.73 [2.90]; P = .02) and approximately 232 additional ED visits by individuals from Muslim ban-targeted nations (point estimate [SE], 3.41 [1.53]; P = .03). Results of this cohort study suggest that after issuance of the Muslim ban executive order, missed primary care appointments and ED visits increased among people from Muslim-majority countries living in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Hegemonic Muslim Masculinities and Their Others: Perspectives from South and Southeast Asia

AbstractThis article provides ethnographic, comparative, and theoretical perspectives on Muslim masculinities in South and Southeast Asia, home to more than half the world's 1.9 billion Muslims. Its empirical and thematic focus broadens the scholarly discussion of gender and sexuality among Muslims insofar as most of the literature deals with the Middle East and North Africa and is devoted to women and the discourses and practices of femininity and sexuality associated with them. More specifically, the article develops theoretical insights bearing on gender hegemonies and the pluralities and hierarchies of discourses on masculinities in the Muslim-majority nations of Pakistan and Malaysia, each of which illustrates broad trends in the region. It thus sheds important light on the empirical diversity of Muslim masculinities (amidst commonalities) and some of the ways they have been informed by locally and regionally variable macro-level processes keyed to colonialism, postcolonial nation-building, global/neoliberal capitalism, and post-Cold War geopolitical struggles including the Global War on Terror.

Attachment, Religiosity, and Perceived Stress Among Religious Minorities During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Impact of Cultural Context

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on stress levels around the world. In developing nations such as Pakistan, lack of resources and socioeconomic inequalities have compounded the negative impact of the pandemic, especially for minorities. Religion in the developing, collectivistic, Muslim-majority nation of Pakistan is a powerful identity marker inherited at birth and reflected in all identifying documents. A well-developed conceptual framework for religion is attachment to God, which has demonstrated strong predictive value for perceived stress in Western samples. Given the importance of other attachment relationships as well, this study has examined the predictive value of attachment to parents, attachment to God, and religiosity on perceived stress in Christian minorities within a Pakistani context. The sample consisted of 183 adult Christian Pakistanis. Multiple regression indicated that religiosity, attachment to father, and attachment to God were the strongest predictors of perceived stress, though not in the same pattern as expected in Western contexts. This finding demonstrates the importance of the impact of culture, attachment relationships, and religious context on perceived stress, indicating a need to consider both religion and culture in psychological care, as well as local and international public policy, to mitigate stress along minorities in developing nations in such uncertain times.

Muslims Responses to Pandemics: Lessons from the Best Generation

The world is currently suffering from another episode of respiratory disease pandemic as Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) spares no continent. The disease which is caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, has so far claimed many lives in multiple countries, including Muslim majority nations like Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. The situation has become a significant public health concern with several measures being carried out in an attempt to break the chain of the virus transmission. These include the introduction of movement control order and total lock down across the world. The closure of places of worship including mosques have raised concerns and inconvenience to Muslims. Pandemics are not unprecedented in the history of mankind as several documented outbreaks like the plague pandemic in the mid fourteenth century also known as ‘the Black Death’, caused a demographic decline in both Muslim and Christian countries which led to millions of lives loss worldwide. We attempt to identify the parallels between the current COVID-19 pandemic with the experiences of previous Muslim generations, and draw lessons on general and practical responses to pandemics with special reference to the generation of the Prophet’s companion.

The Impact of the “Muslim Ban” Executive Order on Healthcare Utilization in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota

Background: On January 27, 2017, President Trump issued Executive Order (EO) 13769, “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States,” which suspended the U.S. Refugee Resettlement program and prevented citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries (Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen) from traveling or immigrating to the U.S. The impact of EO 13769 on healthcare utilization among people from EO-targeted nations is unknown. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of primary care and emergency department (ED) visits to HealthPartners clinics and hospitals in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, home to the largest Somali Muslim community in the U.S. We compared visit counts, missed appointments, and visits for stress-responsive diagnoses before and after EO issuance among three groups: 1) adults born in EO-targeted nations, 2) adults born in Muslim-majority nations not listed in the EO, and 3) U.S.-born non-Latinx adults. We evaluated visit trends using linear regression and differences between groups using difference-in-difference analyses. Findings: From 2016 to 2017, 252,594 patients were included in the analysis: 5,667 (2.2%) in Group 1, 1,254 (0.5%) in Group 2, and 245,673 (97.3%) in Group 3. In early 2016, primary care visits and stress-responsive diagnoses dramatically increased for individuals from Muslim majority nations (Groups 1 and 2). Following EO 13769 issuance, there was no change in missed clinic appointments and an increase in ED visits among individuals from EO-targeted nations, particularly in the first 30- to 60-days after issuance. Interpretation: Increases in clinic utilization among people born in Muslim majority countries before EO 13769 issuance and subsequent increased ED utilization by people from EO-targeted nations likely reflect elevated cumulative stress due to an increasingly hostile climate toward Muslims in the U.S., rather than one specific policy change. Funding Statement: This study was not supported by any funding source. Declaration of Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose. Dr. Gonsalves is supported by the National Institutes of Health National Institute on Drug Abuse (1DP2DA049282-01 and 2 R37 DA15612-16) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (5R01AI042006-23). Dr. Padela receives grant support from the US Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration, the Greenwall Making a Difference Program, and Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute. Dr. Samuels is supported by an Advance Clinical and Translational Research (Advance-CTR U54GM115677) Mentored Research Award. Ethics Approval Statement: This study was approved by the HealthPartners and Yale Institutional Review Boards.

Islamophobia, mental health and psychiatry: South Asian perspectives.

Asia is the largest and the most populous continent on earth. South Asia has a population of around 1.8 billion,thus constituting about one fourth of humanity. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, the Maldives and Afghanistan are the countries in South Asia and many of them are Muslim-majority nations. Although India is predominantly a Hindu nation with a total population of 1.4 billion, there are more Muslims in India than in Pakistan and other South Asian nations. Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and followers of other religions have lived peace fully in South Asia for centuries. However, certain incidents of communal violence and other untoward occurrences in SouthAsia suggest that Islamophobia is present here too. The authors discuss demography, cultures and the possible effect of Islamophobia on the mental health of the people of South Asia.

Prevalence of International Medical Graduates From Muslim-Majority Nations in the US Physician Workforce From 2009 to 2019

Historically, the US physician workforce has included a large number of international medical graduates (IMGs). Recent US immigration policies may affect the inflow of IMGs, particularly those who are citizens of Muslim-majority nations. To provide an overview of the characteristics of IMGs from Muslim-majority nations, including their contributions to the US physician workforce, and to describe trends in the number of applications for certification to the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates between 2019 and 2018, both overall and for citizens of Muslim-majority nations. This cross-sectional study, which included 1 065 606 US physicians listed in the 2019 American Medical Association Physician Masterfile and 156 017 applicants to the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates certification process between 2009 and 2018, used a repeated cross-sectional study design to review the available data, including country of medical school attended, citizenship when entering medical school, and career information, such as present employment, specialty, and type of practice. Country of citizenship when entering medical school. Physician counts and demographic information from the 2019 American Medical Association Physician Masterfile and applicant data from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates from 2009 to 2018. Of 1 065 606 physicians in the American Medical Association Physician Masterfile, 263 029 (24.7%) were IMGs, of whom 48 354 were citizens of Muslim-majority countries at time of entry to medical school, representing 18.4% of all IMGs. Overall, 1 in 22 physicians in the US was an IMG from a Muslim-majority nation, representing 4.5% of the total US physician workforce. More than half of IMGs from Muslim-majority nations (24 491 [50.6%]) come from 3 countries: Pakistan (14 352 [29.7%]), Iran (5288 [10.9%]), and Egypt (4851 [10.0%]). The most prevalent specialties include internal medicine (10 934 [23.6%]), family medicine (3430 [7.5%]), pediatrics (2767 [5.9%]), and psychiatry (2251 [4.8%]), with 18 229 (38.1%) practicing in primary care specialties. The number of applicants for Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates certification from Muslim-majority countries increased from 2009 (3227 applicants) to 2015 (4244 applicants), then decreased by 2.1% in 2016 to 4254 applicants, 4.3% in 2017 to 4073 applicants, and 11.5% in 2018 to 3604 applicants. Much of this decrease could be attributed to fewer citizens from Pakistan (1042 applicants in 2015 to 919 applicants in 2018), Egypt (493 applicants in 2015 to 309 applicants in 2018), Iran (281 applicants in 2015 to 182 applicants in 2018), and Saudi Arabia (337 applicants in 2015 to 163 applicants in 2018) applying for certification. Based on the findings of this study, the number of ECFMG applicants from Muslim-majority countries decreased from 2015 to 2018. The US physician workforce will continue to rely on IMGs for some time to come. To the extent that citizens from some countries no longer seek residency positions in the US, gaps in the physician workforce could widen.