According to this article from the New York Times, Muslim employees are experiencing discrimination in the workplace in record numbers. The article goes on to detail the specific experiences of a few Muslim Americans, who are suing such major companies as Disney and Abercrombie for religious discrimination. Some of these employees have been mocked by co-workers, told they can not wear a hijab in public settings, or even not hired based on their religious apparel.
I was surprised that these types of incidences have continued to rise, even in the decade since 9/11. The experiences of those interviewed for this piece are blatant examples of prejudice, but it made me wonder about more subtle discrimination in business. How does our language, tone, policy affect others? I wished that this article had addressed the subtleties of interpersonal communication a bit more.
Also, it's important to note the huge impact that the behavior of some individual employees has had on these multinational corporations. Their public image is certainly tarnished by these lawsuits, and the implication that these companies are culturally insensitive. Is this fair? Should only the individual employees be held responsible, or is it reasonable to blame the companies since their policies, practices, or disciplinary actions did not fix the situation?
This topic seems like it has potential for the group research report and recommendation. It may be considered an issue of social responsibility since it is about how people are treated, and how corporations must address these problems internally and publicly. Maybe something about training programs, diversity policies, disciplinary actions? Perhaps something to explore in the policies here at OSU, or another Oregon business?
(Liz's sample post. Feel free to look into this issue further!)
I wonder at your surprise. While it is sad for a people to stoop to identifying a person not by their character but by their religion and to discriminate against them, but it should be by no means surprising. If anything I am proud at the speed to which our nation has adjusted to the Muslim population. To me it would seem normal if decades went past with a grudge against our Muslim population. While I have nothing against Islam or its followers I could understand the position of those who did. Even as in decades past our nation resented Germany and then Russia for a shockingly long time, it would make sense if there was a similar effect to those of an Islamic faith. Again I feel proud at our nation's ability to move past the label of Islam and focus on difference between fanatic and observing Muslims.
ReplyDeleteI guess what I'm surprised about is that the discrimination is higher now than in 2001-2002 - a time that I remember as filled with anger and backlash (including violence) against Muslims in response to 9/11.
ReplyDeleteAnd while I agree that discrimination and fear of minority religious and ethnic groups have (and will probably continue to be) been an ongoing part of history, I was startled by the blatant nature of these incidences - especially in such huge, international corporations. Not to sound too cynical, but you'd think they'd have a better handle on their employees and their public image!
Finally, while I hope that many would recognize the difference between extreme fundamentalist and tolerant/observant/most Muslims, I'm not confident that this is always the case. We're lucky to live in a welcoming, tolerant community like Corvallis, but I think that the types of discrimination in this article often stem from fear and a lack of knowledge about a culture different from one's own - possibly not understanding or acknowledging the difference among individuals within a group.