L'Islam et les personnes en situation de handicap

A renewal or religious sentiments worldwide has reinforced deep-set cultural behaviors. Disease and alterations of the human body have sacred signification implying a specific attitude by the faithful. Islam has a vision of handicap, which is particularly interesting for rehabilitation, helpful for understanding the behavior and subjectivity of the disabled Muslim. Conceived both as a God-sent gift and a trial of faith and as a social link implying community support and solidarity, disability does not assign a scapegoat role to the disabled person, blocking community life. The Koran reveals the equality of the disabled person and the non-disabled person. A certain number of dispositions are taken to adapt disabling situations to the capacities of the disabled person, for example for prayers, illustrating the will to enable disabled persons to participate fully in common rituals. Conversely, the social reality of Muslim countries where poverty, conflicts and negative consequences of rapid industrialization cohabit with traditions of consanguinity have not enabled, or have strongly compromised, despite often remarkable individual efforts, an effective and human organization of services to disabled persons uniting the spirit of the Koran and modernization. Much remains to be done for disabled persons in Muslim countries.