Anti-Muslim Sentiment Is Rising in the American Workplace

Working while Muslim in the U.S. comes with risks. A rising number of Muslims are filing discrimination suits against employers. They report being called offensive nicknames such as “terrorist,” “Osama” and “al Qaeda,” not to mention being discouraged from wearing the hijab and taking prayer breaks. And in one horrifying case, Somali Muslims at a Colorado meatpacking plant alleged that colleagues pelted them with meat, blood and bones, the New York Times reports.

A record-setting 803 claims involving anti-Muslim workplace discrimination were filed through the year ending Sept. 30, 2009, the most recent data the federal government has released on the subject. That marks a 20 percent jump from the previous year and about a 60 percent jump from 2005, according to the Times.

In January, the federal government is scheduled to release data about job discrimination from 2010. With the controversy over the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque” still brewing, there’s no telling the amount of indignities Muslims in the American workplace have suffered.  After all, the number of current anti-Muslim workplace discrimination claims outpaces the number of such claims filed after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

“I’ve been doing this for 31 years, and I’ve never seen such antipathy toward Muslim workers,” Mary Jo O’Neill of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Phoenix told the Times.

The commission recently sued a Four Points by Sheraton hotel in Phoenix after an Iraqi employee reported to the E.E.O.C. that his colleagues at the hotel called him “camel jockey” in addition to mocking him “with Arab ululations and … over news items about captured terrorists.”

It’s difficult to pinpoint what’s to blame for the rising anti-Muslim sentiment over the years. Surely, America’s lengthy wars with Iraq and Afghanistan play a part as well as news of terrorist attacks committed by Muslims in any part of the world. There’s also the fact that the United States — accustomed to being a superpower — has endured a failing economy, failing schools and a failing healthcare system for years now. In these times, it’s human nature to make scapegoats of others. But acting on this nature isn’t mandatory. There’s no excuse for expressing our anxieties about life in an uncertain world by lashing out against society’s vulnerable and stigmatized.

I’m not a Muslim, but my Nigerian father (from whom I inherited my name) is. Both before and after 9/11, I’ve received my fair share of off-color remarks about my name and background. Pre-9/11, a friend shared that she would’ve assumed me to be a terrorist had she just known my name but not me personally. After 9/11, I’ve heard Christians casually remark that America should end the War on Terror by blowing up the entire Middle East — women, children and all.

Although these comments were hurtful, I had the option of not hanging out with that particular friend anymore or not attending churches (I’m a Christian) where members were xenophobic. But the workplace is an entirely different animal. In this economic climate, few have the luxury of leaving a job because the employees there are ignorant jerks.

So, how do you stand up to workplace discrimination? I’ve outlined a few steps below:

• Document Everything – As soon as someone makes a racist or xenophobic remark, write it down. Be sure to include the date and time and the full name of the person who made the remark.
• Talk to the Offender – Perhaps your colleague doesn’t realize that his remark was offensive. Operate under this assumption when you calmly tell your coworker that you’d appreciate it if he didn’t make such comments in the future. If your coworker doesn’t respect your wishes, document any subsequent offensive comments and contact your supervisor.
• Contact Human Resources — If involving your supervisor fails to solve the problem, you’ll likely have to go the human resources route. Unfortunately, many companies have human resource departments that function mostly to serve management. Even if that’s the case at your company, you’ll need to contact HR simply as a formality to show that you took every step necessary to resolve matters before filing an official complaint or lawsuit against the company.
• Identify Your Allies – Who’s witnessed the discrimination you’ve faced? Are they willing to sign a statement to that effect? Find out. You’ll need these witnesses should the company conduct an internal investigation or you choose to file suit against the company.

Have you experienced discrimination on the job? How did you handle it?

Photo Credit: Turkairo