http://twitter.com/muslimslaughter For many U.S. Muslims, the American dream is fading as they endure the fear and suspicion that their religion, race or national origin seems to generate. Yet, to many employers’ credit, the sensationalist attitudes reflected in some news reports typically don’t carry over to the workplace.
Since long before Sept. 11, 2001, employers have been under government mandates not to discriminate, and many have seen the benefits of cultivating a diverse workforce. For more than a decade, guides to religious practices have been available from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission,
the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding. Still, workplace discrimination complaints have edged up, and discontentment exists among some Muslim employees.
Many progressive employers have worked to reduce tensions among Muslims and other employees; the suggestions below will help you build a culture of inclusion.
Workplace Alliances
Compared to wholesale anti-German attitudes during World War I and the treatment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, U.S. citizens who loudly voice anti-Muslim sentiment remain a minority. “What’s remarkable is that you’ve had a serious attack on Americans—acts of sabotage on American soil by people claiming to act on behalf of the Muslim religion—and the country has not acted hysterically,” reflects Mark Silk, director of the Leonard E. Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life in Hartford, Conn.
“When you see something on the news that raises some generalized concerns about Muslims or terrorists, does it mean anything to you when you go to work and see Mohammad, the guy you know and work with?” Silk asks.
At least one survey indicates that U.S. employers may be creating inclusive work environments. Research conducted by the Pew Research Center and Gallup Center for Muslim Studies seems to support Silk’s observations: Muslims are as positive about their work environments as workers who are not Muslim. Consider the following responses from several 2008 Gallup surveys that were folded into the study Muslim Americans: A National Portrait:
When asked “Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with your job or the work you do?,” 82 percent of Muslim respondents and 89 percent of the general public answered yes.
When asked “Does your supervisor always create an environment that is trusting and open?,” 80 percent of Muslims and 78 percent of the general public answered yes.
Harsh Reality
But surveys don’t capture the whole story. Put yourself in the shoes of U.S. Army Pvt. Zaw oo. On Sept. 11, 2001, the Burmese immigrant was in the motor pool at Fort Hood, Texas. Uncertainty and fear were rampant as soldiers tried to piece together what was happening. Next thing Zaw oo knew, he was in custody, arms shackled. Agents from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command handcuffed him to a pole and interrogated him for five hours. “One minute I was with my unit, and then, because I am a Muslim, I was being investigated for being a terrorist supporter.” Even after he was cleared, Zaw oo received anonymous threats.
Today, Zaw oo is a U.S. citizen, married, working as a corrections officer in Texas. He still encounters workplace discrimination. Co-workers have ridiculed the Quran, and Zaw oo has received a gory video clip from a co-worker with an e-mail warning, “This is what we do to people like you.” He is reluctant to pursue religious accommodations for daily prayers, fearing retaliation if he demands his rights. “I can’t afford to let that happen. I have a wife, a daughter on the way, and need to finish my education so I can get a better job.”
Islamophobia
Islamophobia is increasing, says John Esposito, founding director of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. “If I’m Muslim, there’s awareness that because of my skin color, name or mode of dress, people will question whether I have radical thoughts. They see me as different or ‘other.’ If I’m female and a laborer or a lawyer, do I wear a head scarf and risk standing out?”
Esposito blames Islamophobia on sensational media attention to terrorism: If people have never met a Muslim or know nothing about Muslim beliefs and practices, they are likely to hang on to post-
Sept. 11 fear, fanned by the continued coverage of war. In an August 2010 Time magazine survey, 46 percent of 1,000 respondents said that followers of Islam are more likely than followers of other religions to encourage violence against nonbelievers. Twenty-five percent said Muslim Americans are not patriotic.
The views of Joseph Hepp, a retired executive from Battle Creek, Mich., are illustrative. “I would be very cautious about hiring a Muslim. ... We have no way of knowing how many will be supportive of America,” he says.
Hepp’s opinion may be shared, but seemingly not by many. Consider the role of such rhetoric in the re-election campaign of U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison. The third-term Minnesota Democrat became the first Muslim to be elected to Congress in 2006. Last November, Ellison faced opposition from Lynne Torgerson, an Independent who linked Ellison to “radical Islamists” and gained a following. In the end, Ellison won re-election with 68 percent of the vote. The result suggests that there is a vocal but relatively small cross section of the U.S. population who see Muslims as a threat.
From a Muslim’s perspective, however, the undercurrent of mistrust takes a toll. Lobna “Luby” Ismail, president of Connecting Cultures LLC in Silver Spring, Md., serves as a consultant on diversity issues. A practicing Muslim, Ismail grew up in a small Southern community. She is a business owner, a mom and a community leader. Imagine her anguish when a Facebook friend admitted online to “wishing I had a Quran so I could burn it.”
“I’ve always felt proud to be an American, but suddenly I’m in retreat,” she says. “I cannot bear to hear the news. It’s been a daily drain. I just came back from Egypt, where, as a Muslim, I could breathe. In Egypt, you’re in a majority Muslim nation. The very symbols that are under attack in America are being celebrated. Most women are covering their heads; you hear the call for prayer.
“When my friends from Muslim countries visit, I’ve always seen myself as the ambassador to tell them about America. Now my America is going through challenges at the expense of people who have nothing to do with the terrorist attacks. It’s like holding all white Americans responsible for the Klan or Timothy McVeigh. Are we indicting all white Christians for the crimes of that one male?”
Samia Islam, an electrical design engineer at Texas Instruments in Dallas, hears stories from fellow Muslim neighbors. One man scheduled his hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in 2010. He arranged it so that his absence would have minimal impact on his workgroup. “When he returned, his manager gave him such a hard time that eventually he left. Now, he’s working for a competitor,” she says. Others “tell me how when they asked to go and pray, their manager said no. Or that they changed their names so their company wouldn’t know they are Muslims.”
U.S. Muslims: Who Are They?
Today, 1.6 billion Muslims represent 23.4 percent of the 6.9 billion world population, according to the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. About 2.6 million Muslims make up 0.8 percent of the U.S. population. Of those, 1.5 million are 18 or older. Gallup researchers estimate that 70 percent, or 1.05 million, of U.S. Muslims are employed full time or part time.
The Muslim population is racially diverse, generally well-educated and financially about as well-off as the rest of the U.S. public:
•77 percent of U.S. Muslims are American citizens.
•35 percent were born in the United States; of those, 20 percent are black.
•65 percent are immigrants; they represent 68 nations.
•37 percent of the immigrants arrived from Arab regions in the Middle East and North Africa, and another 6 percent from other parts of Africa.
•An additional 27 percent emigrated from South Asia, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.
•Another 8 percent come from European countries.
•According to the Pew Forum, U.S. Muslims are a racially diverse religious group:
•38 percent describe themselves as white.
•26 percent say they are black.
•20 percent say they are Asian.
•16 percent identify themselves as "other" or "mixed race."
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário