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7 out of 10 Muslims in UK experience Islamophobia at work: Survey

June 7, 2022 at 10:58 pm

Police take security measures after a vehicle plowed into pedestrians on the sidewalk near the Finsbury Park Mosque on Seven Sisters Road in London, England, United Kingdom on 18 June 2017. [Tayfun Salcı/Anadolu Agency]

Seven in ten British Muslims have experienced some form of Islamophobia in the workplace, according to a new poll released on Tuesday, Anadolu News Agency reports.

The survey showed some 69 per cent of Muslims currently employed in the UK faced some sort of Islamophobic behaviour during work-related engagements.

These included interactions with customers, clients and other people (44 per cent), during work-related social events (42 per cent) and when seeking promotions (40 per cent).

The survey was commissioned by Hyphen, an organisation monitoring Islamophobia and discrimination against Muslims in Europe, and conducted by polling company, Savanta ComRes.

READ: Muslims overwhelmingly shown negatively in Western media, US political scientists find

A total of 1,503 British Muslims were interviewed between 22 April and 10 May to collect data that, according to the pollsters, is representative of UK Muslims by age, gender, ethnicity and region.

Black Muslims were found to have experienced higher levels of Islamophobia compared to other Muslims.

While 37 per cent of all Muslims reported instances of discrimination at the recruitment stage, the figure spikes to 58 per cent for Black Muslims.

The Muslim community in the UK has also felt the brunt of the cost of living crisis, with 54 per cent of respondents saying that affording basic household expenses – water, gas and electricity bills, food and fuel – is a greater challenge than five years ago.

Still hopeful

Despite rising Islamophobia and discrimination, as well as the financial crunch, there is optimism among UK Muslims over broader participation in society, according to a report detailing the poll results.

Just over 50 per cent said their lives have improved over the past five years, 68 per cent felt participation of Muslims in society has increased, while 53 per cent were of the view that Muslims today enjoy more acceptance in the UK.

Additionally, 55 per cent said there are better opportunities for Muslims to be successful in the UK and 58 per cent agreed that young Muslims now have more role models to look up to in the UK.

Nonetheless, the report emphasized that the government needs to change its approach towards Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) communities, if it is to deliver on the promise of creating an equal society.​​​​​​​