Islamophobia: A critical issue in Canadian society

​Islamophobia is a critical issue in Canadian society. This is highlighted by the 2021 targeted hate murder of the Afzaal family in London, Ontario, other similar hate-motivated attacks across Canada, and the Government of Canada’s National Summit on Islamophobia to express the urgency needed to combat this crisis. Muslims experience Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiment throughout society, but also in the workplace. 

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Islamophobia manifests in subtle and systemic ways. Although ripping a hijab off of an observant Muslim woman is the image that may arise in one’s mind when talking about Islamophobia and anti-Muslim bias and hatred, many forms of Islamophobia are embedded within systems in much more subtle and unfortunately socially acceptable ways.
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Other forms of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim bias and hatred can be seen through acts of violence and murder perpetrated against Muslims, vandalism of mosques, burning of Qurans, shouting of racist slurs and epithets including “go back to where you came from!” among other things.

Dr. Jasmine Zine, Professor of Muslim Studies, Sociology and Religion and Culture at Wilfrid Laurier University, published a recent report entitled “The Canadian Islamophobia Industry: Mapping Islamophobia’s Ecosystem in the Great White North” in which she describes the “Islamophobia industry” whose objective is to create and spread an irrational fear of Islam and Muslims throughout society. The key players within this industry include the media, think-tanks, White nationalist groups, politicians, academics, institutions, grassroots organizations, security experts, and those who finance these efforts.

From the backlash and resistance against the Government of Canada’s Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia, Amira Elghawaby, only a few days after her appointment, to the ousting of U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee, gendered Islamophobia has an alarming way of especially harassing visibly Muslim women in positions of authority. Racist tropes about Muslim women’s agency underlie their treatment in public life and the workplace. On the one hand, the stereotype perpetuating that Muslim women are devoid of agency and intelligence, and are oppressed by Muslim men. However, when these stereotypes are shattered and Muslim women reach leadership positions, a form of cognitive dissonance kicks in for Islamophobes who cannot fathom a strong, intelligent and capable Muslim woman leader. Concerted efforts are made to undercut their authority, tarnish their reputation, exclude and isolate them. These efforts have serious consequences on the career trajectories and advancement of these women.
 
Islamophobia extends into the workplace, impacting whether Muslims are hired, opportunities for advancement, and how they are treated by their colleagues and those they report to.
According to a recent study commissioned by Islamic Relief Canada called “Muslims at the Margins: Islamophobia and Employment” Muslim women who wear the hijab or niqab reported the highest levels of Islamophobia in the workplace. They specified “greater difficulties in being hired, not being taken seriously as qualified candidates in their existing roles and being held back for positions and advancement”. They experience the paradox of being hypervisible due to their religious attire and outward displays of Islamic observance (prayer, fasting, etc.), and at the same time being invisible when it comes to inclusion and opportunities for advancement. This takes a heavy toll on their mental health and wellbeing. This profoundly negative experience is further compounded when intersectionality is factored in for Black Muslim women, queer Muslim women, Muslim women with disabilities, newcomer Muslim women, etc.

Islamophobia in the workplace can show up in many ways. For example, many organizations don’t consider Ramadan and the impact of fasting on their Muslim colleagues. They may convene workplace events when it’s time to break fast. They may require employees to engage in strenuous activities, which could be scheduled at other times of the year. During Ramadan employers can work collaboratively with their Muslim employees to adjust their work hours and account for absences such as for Eid, while ensuring that operations can also run efficiently. Because employees would only know the approximate date of Eid and can provide this information when requesting time off, employers can plan for contingency and the uncertainty of the exact date since Eid may occur within a span of 2-3 days. In this way, the employee can take the religious holy day off but the employer can also have back-up plans and reinforcements incase Eid falls on any of those days so that its operations are not negatively impacted.

Additionally, employers can provide multi-faith spaces to observe prayer so that Muslim employees are able to bring their whole selves to work. Hosting work social events at neutral locations such as an accessible restaurant also provide an inclusive environment that is not solely fixated on consumption of alcohol (which is not permitted in Islam) like a bar. This can also be inclusive of non-Muslims who choose not to drink for a variety of other medical and lifestyle reasons. Providing Halal options and asking in advance for dietary restrictions for work events is also another way to enhance a positive employee experience for Muslims.  

The role of allies in combatting Islamophobia cannot be understated.
In the “Muslims at the Margins: Islamophobia and Employment” study the Muslim participants expressed that having a “supportive, and accommodating superior/manager/team makes a big difference…[and h]aving coworkers and superiors that show respect and are accepting of their Muslim identity was linked to higher job satisfaction”. They also mentioned that having a physically and psychologically safe and supportive workplace positively impacted their employee experience and quality of life. Many Muslims who experience discrimination or harassment in the workplace feel alone and thus having allies was a significant support system for them to lean on.

Allies can support their Muslim colleagues by:

• Using their racial or positional privilege to speak out against Islamophobia
• Working cooperatively with Muslims to remove workplace barriers
• Listening to and validating the feelings and concerns of Muslim employees who are telling their stories and sharing their experiences despite their mix of emotions such as fear, anxiety, sadness, disappointment, frustration, anger and hurt
• Including Muslim employees in their networks and professional circles so that they can help facilitate connections that are helpful to their career.

It requires all of us to create inclusive work environments so that the burden does not fall disproportionately on equity-seeking groups to have to combat discrimination and harassment while experiencing the associated trauma. With rising incidents of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiment in society at large, workplaces are microcosms of this reality and more customized strategies are required to create safe and inclusive spaces for Muslim employees.

Resources
Some helpful resources in understanding and addressing Islamophobia, and how to be an ally include:

Islamophobia in Canada report

Anti-Islamophobia Resources

Islamophobia Is: Educator’s Guide

National Council of Canadian Muslims

Rivers of Hope: A Toolkit on Islamophobic Violence by and for Muslim Women

How to be an Ally: Islamophobia at the Intersections