Mary is a 23 year old woman who is experiencing a serious problem in her life. In the last 6 months, she has lost 40 pounds, going from a healthy 133 pounds to only 93 pounds. Although she appears emaciated, Mary still perceives herself as being overweight and in need of weight loss. She eats very little food, mainly carrot sticks and diet soda, and is fearful that if she does eat she will gain weight. The obvious danger of Mary's condition it that it is life-threatening. She is basically starving herself to death. Her friends and family have tried to convince her to eat and take care of herself, but to no avail. Not surprisingly, she does not think that she has a problem nor does she wish to speak to anyone about it.

　　What may come as a surprise is the fact Mary is Muslim and was raised in a Muslim home. She is one of the many in a growing phenomena in the Muslim community. What was once a condition mainly for non-Muslim has slowly crept into the Muslim Ummah (nation). Eating Disorders, mainly Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa, are affecting young Muslim women, and in some rare cases, Muslim men as well. Let us take a closer look.

　　Eating disorders, primarily anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, have reached epidemic proportions in the West as the perception of beauty has moved toward an ideal that engenders body dissatisfaction and perpetual food restriction. Between 5 to 10 million women and up to 1 million boys and men in the United States are fighting a life and death battle with an eating disorder. The disease is also spreading into various communities and cultures of the world. Once thought of as a "culture-bound" syndrome, eating disorders are now appearing in such diverse countries as Pakistan, Egypt, Japan, South Africa, and Czechoslovakia. As already mentioned, Muslim women have not been immune to this proliferating illness.

　　What are eating disorders?

　　The two main eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa is a serious, potentially life-threatening disorder characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss. Anorexia has one of the highest mortality rates of any mental illness. Many of these deaths are not attributed directly to an eating disorder itself, rather to an eating disorder complication such as esophageal rupture, heart failure, stroke, or suicide. Bulimia Nervosa is also a serious and potentially life-threatening, and is characterized by a secretive cycle of binging and purging. The recurrent binge-and-purge cycles can impact the entire digestive system and can lead to electrolyte and chemical imbalances in the body that affect the heart and other major organs.

　　Anorexia nervosa: the relentless pursuit of thinness

　　- In women, menstrual periods stop. In men levels of sex hormones fall.

　　- In addition, anorexia nervosa often includes depression, irritability, withdrawal, and peculiar behaviors such as compulsive rituals, strange eating habits, and division of foods into "good/safe" and "bad/ dangerous" categories.

　　Bulimia nervosa: the diet-binge-purge disorder

　　- Vomits, misuses laxatives, exercises, or fasts to get rid of the calories.

　　- Weight may be normal or near normal unless anorexia is also present.

　　- Dramatic weight loss.

　　- Frequent comments about feeling “fat” or overweight despite weight loss.

　　- Excessive, rigid exercise regimen—despite weather, fatigue, illness, or injury, the need to “burn off” calories taken in.

　　- Evidence of binge-eating, including disappearance of large amounts of food in short periods of time or the existence of wrappers and containers indicating the consumption of large amounts of food.

　　- Unusual swelling of the cheeks or jaw area.

　　- Withdrawal from usual friends and activities.

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