do you think the religion in the muslims countries plays an important role in...

[jouliette]

...not having anorexia gilrs as? do you think the religion in the muslims countries plays an important role in not having anorexia gilrs as we have in America and do you think that americans dont really care about religion??

[synopsis]

anorexia is a common problem among teenage girls all over the islamic world.

what makes you think it isn't?

[Blue]

I'm afraid that there are many Anorexic girls in Muslim countries, I know for a fact because I work with these girls. It is a psychological illness and religion has nothing to do with it.

[Bearbones]

where is the connection between an eating disorder and religion?

[Bill]

If a girl in a strict Islamic nation had anorexia, how would anyone know? She'd be completely covered from head to foot with only her eyes visible. She could starve to death before anyone found out.

[SnowGlobe]

Anorexia today has a lot to do with the media and how it portrays women as being acceptable because of their appearances. Remember that some men and boys are anorexic as well. In other cultures, there might be another reason to starve one's self. This kind of starvation is a way to punish and take control of the body. Our media promotes skinny, adolescent figures, so that feeds into (pardon the pun) the mania. In medieval Europe, holy people often starved themselves to deny the flesh and supposedly feed the spirit. One example of an otherwise intelligent and influential woman was Catherine Benincasa of Siena, who went on long fasts for years where her only food was the Eucharist (wine and wafer offered by the priest). She died of a stroke at aged 39.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_of_Siena

[doctor]

No, but I think the difference in the media portrayal of women will play an important role in girls not having anorexia.

[Metagross]

Yeah, but TV is the real cause, when this one show came on in Figi, 80% of the gils there started dieting.