Written submission from Dr Naaz Rashid, Department of Sociology, University of Sussex (MIE0018

Executive Summary

• More detailed disaggregated research is required to fully assess the extent of discrimination which Muslims experience
• The diversity amongst Muslims need to be taken into account e.g. socio economic class, location, ‘race’, age etc. They too are affected by inequality in society more generally; addressing problems with social mobility, regional inequality and gender and racial discrimination in the work place will positively impact on Muslims experiencing difficulties for these reasons.
• The crucial difference for Muslims, however, is the presence of anti-Muslim rhetoric and discrimination. Negative and racist stereotypes of Muslims which permeate our media will affect their experiences of employment irrespective of their academic qualifications or aspirations.
• The government and public authorities, therefore, need to be aware of their role in creating (and/or legitimating) such negative stereotypes.  Constructing Muslims as a ‘suspect community’ as the Prevent agenda does, feeds into the negative narratives which drive racism and discrimination. For example, in relation to Muslim women, Cameron’s comments about ‘traditionally submissive’ Muslim women in relation to learning English, radicalisation and immigration were very damaging.

Introduction

As an independent researcher and academic I researched how Muslim women were engaged with by the government as part of the Prevent agenda between 2006 and 2010. I examined how various grass roots organisations worked alongside local authorities and central government to deliver initiatives to ‘empower’ Muslim women in order to combat terrorism. A book based on that research, Veiled Threats: Representing the Muslim woman in Public Policy, will be published by Policy Press in June 2016.

I welcome this focus on Employment Opportunities for Muslims in the UK as there is increasing evidence of anti-Muslim racism and discrimination. Nonetheless, whilst I strongly believe Muslims can and are being both directly and indirectly discriminated against as Muslims, any initiatives to resolve this need to take into account the considerable differences which exist between Muslims. If not, such initiatives will be ineffective at best and counterproductive at worst since they will only succeed in strengthening the negative stereotypes of Muslims which ultimately feed into discrimination (and racial violence) against them.

Whilst the Committee will undoubtedly receive a considerable amount of valuable evidence from grass roots organisations with extensive experience and knowledge of particular groups of Muslims in particular localities, it is important to adopt a broader, more nuanced perspective on which to base ongoing policies towards Muslims and Muslim women in particular. It is hoped that this will ultimately be more productive than an approach whereby location-specific research is extrapolated to all Muslims across the country, irrespective of the diversity amongst them and their very different circumstances.

1. How prevalent are direct and indirect discrimination towards Muslims in the workplace?

It is difficult to know the full extent of direct and indirect discrimination towards Muslims in the workplace. As organisations such as TellMamaUK have documented, there are increasing numbers of attacks against Muslims, with Muslim women who wear the hijab being particular targets. Rather than consider these crimes as isolated hate crimes, it is more likely that they sit on a spectrum of anti-Muslim sentiment and it is reasonable to assume that less extreme versions of such ideas will indirectly impact on Muslims in the labour market. There is for example increasing evidence that despite academic achievement improving, this is not necessarily reflected in labour market outcomes.  More systematic detailed research needs to be conducted in order to assess the extent of discrimination arising from individuals’ religious affiliation.

Recommendations

The reasons for the under representation of Muslims in employment, particular professions or at management level needs to considered in relation to a variety of factors not just religious identity. Detailed research should also try and draw out the impact of socio-economic class and location of ‘Muslims’. That is, how do working class Muslims’ experiences differ from those of non-Muslim working class people? How does the experience of a Pakistani Muslim living in Bradford differ from that of a Pakistani Muslim from the same socioeconomic background living in London? Such research would enable us to better determine the penalty associated with being Muslim. It is also worth exploring how ‘race’ impacts on Muslims experience. Do black Muslims experience different degrees of discrimination?

2. How effective are current formal and informal remedies for cases involving discrimination against Muslims in the work place?

This is not an area in which I have expertise and therefore prefer not to comment.

3. What are the specific challenges facing Muslim women in employment and the workplace?

Muslim women are diverse and the experiences and challenges they face in employment will vary accordingly. Muslim women’s diversity is not simply about differences between different sects within Islam or ethnicity per se. Instead, their life chances depend on many material and structural factors (which affect many others in society, not only Muslims) such as socio economic class, location, race and being a woman in general, not just being Muslim. Some Muslim women who do not speak English may well experience disadvantage in the labour market as a result. Yet other Muslim women who speak English fluently but who are seeking refugee status will experience different problems in securing employment arising from uncertainties about their citizenship status. Those living in London or cities with active economies and good transport infrastructure will have different experiences to those living in parts of the de-industrialised north of England where lack of job opportunities are part of a longer term economic decline. I hope the Committee will bear these points in mind when addressing these issues.

In addition, Muslim women will experience many of the issues which women in employment experience more generally. This might be in relation to the cost and availability of childcare, for example, as well as gender discrimination which means that women earn less than men and are frequently taken less seriously at work. The gender discrimination they experience will furthermore be ‘racialised’. It will be as Muslim women that they will be discriminated against. Negative generalised stereotypes of ‘traditionally submissive’ Muslim women are not only incorrect, they contribute to (in)direct discrimination by feeding populist misconceptions of ‘the oppressed Muslim woman’.

Recommendations:

More disaggregated research needs to be collated to acknowledge the diversity of the challenges faced by Muslim women.

Local grassroots organisations are best placed to work with local authorities and employer organisations to find local solutions BUT the temptation to extrapolate these findings to all Muslim women should be resisted.

4. What barriers to accessing training and employment support exist for Muslims?

There will be local differences in the ability to access training and employment support depending on local labour market and economic conditions. There is considerable regional inequality and Muslims living in economically deprived areas are going to be equally affected by these circumstances as the non-Muslim population living in those areas (and may also in addition suffer from a ‘Muslim penalty’).

More generally, it is important to remember that Muslims do not exist outside of the broader socio-economic context of the UK; hence the financial crash and the ensuing austerity measures will have affected access to training and employment support for many people, many of whom will be Muslim.

From my research, where I followed some road shows which were designed to raise the aspirations of Muslim girls, I noted that many expressed concerns about what the impact of wearing a hijab would be on their employment opportunities. They were clearly apprehensive about hostility that might be directed towards them.

Recommendations

Those working in delivering education and careers services need to be aware of the impact that negative representations of Muslims have on young Muslims in particular.

Providing counter narratives to negative stereotypes is particularly important for ensuring that the labour market outcomes of young Muslim girls match their aspirations. My research participants felt that careers services were often inadequate. Where appropriate, teachers and careers advisors should receive anti-racism training to ensure that negative stereotypes of Muslim do not affect how they deal with young Muslims.  Better careers advice should be given to students, particularly where parents may not have access to the social/cultural capital which many middle class parents (of whatever religious background) do and which positively affects their children’s employment opportunities.

5. How effectively are employers accommodating the needs of Muslim employees?

This is not an area in which I have expertise and therefore prefer not to comment.

6. What are the barriers to recruitment, retention and progression for Muslim employees in professional and managerial roles?

It is often suggested that Muslims, along with other migrant-heritage communities choose a narrow range of careers. Anecdotally, it is fear of discrimination which drives the demand for children to work in prestigious professions where it is thought that qualifications alone will be enough to secure employment. By contrast where employment and progression are based on social networks and one’s face ‘fitting’ with an organisation there are greater fears about discrimination.

Preconceptions about Muslims, particularly those who are visibly practising, affects day to day work experiences. Where Muslims are in a minority or are seen as unusual, they can often become regarded as ‘the font of all Muslim knowledge’ or having to defend Islam or vocally denounce terrorism committed in the name of Islam. Whilst not necessarily designed to be as malicious, over time it can be wearing.  Socialising in many work places revolves around alcohol and ‘laddism’ which disadvantages anyone who doesn’t want to conform to that ethos. This might include many different people but will obviously affect practising Muslims.

Muslim women in particular who are widely portrayed as submissive/oppressed will have a particularly difficult experience of having to prove themselves and be taken seriously in managerial or professional roles.

Recommendation  

The media of course plays a vital role in producing negative images of Muslims and Muslim women in particular. In addition, however, the way that the government and politicians talk about Muslims is not helpful. In fact it often legitimates the more overt racism encountered in the tabloid press. There should be a concerted effort across government to de-couple initiatives focused on bettering opportunities for Muslims from those connected to counterterrorism policies. David Cameron’s recent announcement on £20m funding for English Second Language was very badly handled. The association of ESL teaching, radicalisation and immigration accompanied by ‘culturalist’ explanations about Muslim women being ‘traditionally submissive’ was very problematic, and built on a long history of how Muslim women, and before that, South Asian women have been represented as voiceless victims.

7. What initiatives have been successful in tackling barriers to employment faced by Muslims?

This is not an area in which I have expertise and therefore prefer not to comment.

February 2016