Islamophobia in the Workplace: Forward Trust

On Thursday 21^st January, MEND presented its corporate version of it’s ‘Causes and Cures of Islamophobia’ presentation to Forward Trust, which helps people with drug and alcohol dependence move towards, achieve and maintain drug and crime-free lives.

Forward Trust have been working towards educating and empowering their staff in the field of diversity and inclusion. As part of their efforts towards ensuring their staff have an understanding of the different communities that make up the UK and the issues they faced. During the workshop, we spoke about misconceptions of Muslims in the UK before highlighting the extent of Islamophobia. We closely looked at the stats that showed the disadvantages faced by Muslims face in the workplace, from recruitment to retention to progression. We also spoke about the extent of Islamophobia in general society.

We then spoke about how the media and ineffective legislation play a role in how Muslims are portrayed and treated. Following this, MEND and Forward Trust looked at some ‘cures’ that can help to address Islamophobia. We looked at the ways workplaces can counteract Islamophobia for their employees to ensure a fair and equal process. We also discussed individual and community responses to Islamophobia.

With a large number of individuals present at the workshop, there was plenty of discussion on how Islamophobia can be tackled, with some providing examples of their own experience of Islamophobia in the workplace. Others spoke about the role of politicians in perpetuating Islamophobia and how the lack of accountability at a political level can filter down to society and allow Islamophobia to continue to flourish.

Feedback received after the presentation was overwhelmingly positive, with many attendees surprised at the reality of Islamophobia for Muslims.

Many thanks to Jenny Selby for setting up the workshop and we hope that the current programme of events she is organizing will allow the staff at Forward Trust to learn more about how to build a more inclusive workplace that accommodates for a diverse workforce.

If you’d like to set up a workplace presentation on Islamophobia for your employees, then be sure to get in touch with MEND at [email protected]