Muslims Facing Racism At Work

[Livia]

Salaam,

 

Im a graduate student & need to work to cover my univ expenses. Im not a hijabi & dress very modern but more modest than western women, but most ppl can tell Im Muslim / middle eastern from my name. so I was recently working as a street canvasser for the past 3+ months for a human rights org that preaches racial equality and equal representation of all workers & bull[Edited Out] like that. Ive been facing some racism at this job and i think its cuz of my name? my coworkers were super nice when I first started but later started changing towards me & ive been getting this vibe that they want me to leave. its a close knit circle of all "american white folks" w/ few blacks & i feel that they try to make job standards harder for other ethnicities so they quit. its such a load of bull[Edited Out] Im fed up w/ it and feeling they all downright FAKE 100%.  they talk non-stop about human rights and racial equality BUT I DON'T SEE IT !!  after the 1st month they insisted to know where Im from, so I just said 'Western Asia' and swore I wudnt tell anyone cuz i wanna escape this discrimination problem. after that I think one person from the office found out I was Muslim & middle eastern & probably told everyone then their attitude towards me changed. they started excluding me from morning activities which i used to take part in and not let me validate credit cards & stuff like that. then I realised they wud give higher positions to new members (americans) who just started the job, & dismiss me even tho I been there for 3+ months. what kind of bull[Edited Out] hipocrisy is this???  and to make worse, I realise they kept assigning me to harder locations & neighbourhoods where I wud end up not making enough money to cover my requirements as a canvasser. Also, right now the weather is crazy in my state and ppl on the street are freaking cold nobody wanna stop and bother w/ canvassers. but at the office, the directors act like its my fault for not making enough money & blame me for poor skills !!!!   I dont see them doing that to my other american coworkers who also dont get enough money either, its not just me bringing low profits. I feel like they trying to prevent me from staying on the team, like I realised twice at canvassing that the manager wud pull us out for long 10 min breaks during our shifts for no apparent reason. I figured they doing this to waste my time so I only have few mins left at the shift and preventing me from getting potential donors who wud possibly give me money.

 

Today they told me this was my last week to raise a certain amount & if I dont they fire me!!  this is really unfair, on many days I actually make more than my american counterparts, I dont get why Im being put on review??  Shud I leave for good before they let me leave? What do u guys think?

 

 

Im so fed up, this isnt the 1st time Ive faced racial & religious discrimination at the workplace in the US. ppl are sooo racist here, they prefer their own kind (Americans/Europeans) and bull[Edited Out] to all other species. I stopped telling ppl where Im exactly from for a VERY GOOD reason but somehow they inevitably find out or "realise" it. Before this job, last yr, I got into deep trouble where I worked at a cafe/restaurant & even tho most of the coworkers were Muslim & eastern, I wasn't getting along with this Christian Arab guy who chose to piss ME off on a daily basis for no reason. i was soo mad so I started talking bull[Edited Out] about him to one of my "sister" coworkers about how even in a 97% Muslim workplace, we still find racist ppl who bother us ! Then the boss actually confronted me about it and claimed I was the one discriminating against the Christian Arab guy !! I was speechless . Turns out, this "sister" ended up telling on me  & the boss twisted the whole story to his liking & I got fired.  It's sad how Muslims today back stab each other like that  :no: 

 

I was wondering if you guys have experienced or gone thru racial/ religious discrimination like that in a workplace in Western societies?? How did you know it was cuz of ur ethnic/ religious background? (Maybe Im being overly sensitive?)  And how did you guys deal or cope w/ such issues??

 

Thanks, salaam alaikum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ya Aba 3abdillah]

Leave, you don't need it. Try never to be reliant on others and always be independent, or even better, others reliant on you.

[notme]

Muslim isn't a race.

But that isn't the issue. You don't want a job where people don't make you feel welcome. Look for another, and when you find it, leave this one and make sure they know why you are unhappy there.

And yes, I've been discriminated against on the job and in interviews. I even had one interview where the boss expressed doubt that I could do the job because of hijab, even though clothing had nothing to do with the work.

[*Sayyeda*]

(salam)
Honestly, I'd say good riddance but if you really need a job for studying expenses and want to stick with it for now, i'd recommend you start looking for another job anyway. 

 

Meanwhile, you can take this matter further by documenting all the prejudice and taking it to your manager and explaining that you feel you are being discriminated against and that if this matter isn't resolved, you will take it to higher authority. Even if he or she doesn't care, they will realise they cannot get away with treating you like this without consequences and as they are already trying to get rid of you, you have nothing to lose. Also, there must be a HR department where you can find out how to file an official complaint and also file a complaint with any governing bodies.

[AR2011]

this happens outside of the states too but I have a perception that americans, aussies and scandanavians are more racist than the rest of western Europe...I may be wrong.

 

I would say that u should start looking for employment elsewhere as it sounds like they are likely to dismiss u soon anyway. bullying in the workplace is awful and its even worse when its because of racism. ive personally experienced it and for a while u try to give people the benefit of the doubt and u start thinking perhaps its not racism or perhaps u are over thinking things/being too sensitive...its emotional torture. and I know its hard to stand up for urself because how are u going to prove it? I think the only good thing in ur situation is that its temporary work and I don't think it would be too difficult for u to find an alternative job.

 

all the best inshallah.

[Asr]

As someone else said, whether u leave or not take this to the top; and threaten to take it to the end; Document everything theyve done and continue to do so on anything u suspect is discrmination; im sure the media will be really interested in supposed equal rights org discrminiating. If its not you itll be some other asian/ muslim theyll be bothering. so i would advise you to do something about it before you upstick and leave.

Edited November 15, 2013 by Asr

[AliX]

I would go look for a different job.  You don't need to face the discrimination.

[jaguar_knight]

I agree that it is difficult to prove it, because they know it is illegal to discriminate in the workplace, so they find more subtle ways to treat you unfairly.

I personally have felt at a disadvantage because of my race and religion when interviewing for jobs. Sometimes it makes me want to work my way up to a manager some day so I can do it to them in return... a little pay back.

 

Having said that, I once worked in a place where they were being extra nice to me and were too afraid to talk about anything to do with me being middle eastern and Muslim, in case I complain and they lose their jobs. Notice how they are only concerned about their jobs here  :angry:, which goes to show how they are really feeling deep down inside.

[monad]

On the day you get fired make sure you tell them how you feel about their own prejudices and racism. Then go make a blog and also tweet about it. Give back what they take from you.

[rkazmi33]

I think you will probably deal with the same problems in other companies also. I think that companies want the kind of workers who are street smart, they are always talking about intelligence. It's like surviving in a jungle, if you don't have the skills to survive, they don't want you. You will notice that they are not only back-stabbing you, they are back-stabbing each other. They still have a little bit of sympathy for each other but no mercy for you.