Muslim Women and Psychedelics: a Look at the Past, Present, and Future

The Qur'an prohibits the use of intoxicants such as alcohol. However, the use of psychedelics falls somewhere in between social acceptance and outright prohibition among Muslim communities. Due to the cultural and religious stigma associated with the use of psychedelics among Muslims, it is difficult to encourage Muslim participation in psychedelic research and therapy, despite the increasing need to include diverse ethnic and religious groups in such endeavours. To pave the way in this regard, the present study explores the historical as well as the current perspective on the use of plant medicine in Muslim communities and cultures, specifically focusing on Sufism, a mystical branch of Islam, to shed light on the cultural considerations involved in employing psychedelic-assisted therapy with this population. Included are some history of plant medicine in Sufi rituals and cultural perceptions of the psychedelic plant Peganum harmala. Finally, the relevance of psychedelic-assisted therapy for Muslim women, in particular, to alleviate trauma resulting from a history of mistreatment, neglect, and discrimination in Western countries is discussed.