De la ansiedad al fundamentalismo: salud mental y religiosidad en jóvenes musulmanes de Almería (España) y Sarajevo (Bosnia y Herzegovina)

This article explores how mental health, experiences of existential emptiness, and adherence to fundamentalist religious discourses intersect in the lives of Muslim youth in Almería (Spain) and Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina). Based on 64 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with participants aged 18 to 29, the study traces life stories marked by psychological distress, isolation, and an ongoing search for meaning. Using a qualitative, comparative approach, the analysis focuses on recurring themes in their narratives. Across both cities, many young people encounter normative interpretations of Islam primarily through social media—especially videos, sermons, and online communities. This structured form of religiosity plays a pivotal emotional role by offering stability, symbolic containment, and a moral reference point. At the same time, it can foster identity withdrawal, normative rigidity, and social isolation. The article argues that fundamentalism is not always rooted in preexisting ideological commitments; in many cases, it emerges as a psychosocial response to affective displacement, anxiety, and subjective vulnerability. In this sense, religiosity becomes a refuge in an environment perceived as inhospitable rather than an expression of cultural continuity. These findings shed light on the ambivalent place of faith in youth contexts marked by emotional suffering and offer useful insights for designing public mental health policies that acknowledge the symbolic dimension of distress in efforts to build a culture of peace.