More to be done to tackle Islamophobia in academia, says report
The authors of a report on the prevalence of Islamophobia at universities say more work needs to be done to make universities more inclusive.
In it, they examine perceptions and experiences of Muslim students and staff studying and working in academia. Particular themes that emerged in the research include the extent to which Muslim identities are adequately accommodated and the efficacy of institutional interventions such as reporting mechanisms and EDI structures.
In a joint statement, Dr Alam, Head of the School of Sociology and Criminology (pictured directly below) and Dr Izram Chaudry (pictured bottom), said: “This report highlights the ongoing problem of Islamophobia in academia. A key finding is how religious and ethnically diverse campuses are not necessarily insulated nor immune from experiencing Islamophobia from within, merely because they have a large Muslim demographic.
“We hope that this report can be interpreted as one in which the identified challenges are not insurmountable but rather, can be addressed through taking a wider, more expansive and committed approach toward dismantling the machinery and design of Islamophobia that, regrettably, continues to operate across universities.”
Deeper understanding
The report, commissioned report under the Muslim Friendly Universities Programme, found some respondents cited a degree of discomfort around their sense of belonging in academia, with many employing ‘coping strategies’ such as overworking and overproducing.
A large proportion of students expressed a sense of frustration at being ‘voiceless’, especially in relation to how their universities responded to global events involving Muslims.
Despite enduring a range of challenging issues, a large proportion of the sample demonstrated personal and professional resilience, whilst also remaining deeply committed to academia.
Professor Udy Archibong, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, said: “This report illuminates the experiences of Muslim staff and students at our university, within the higher education academy more widely and across society generally. As we strive to deliver our ambition to become an anti-racist university, including tackling Islamophobia in all its forms, the report will help facilitate a deeper understanding of the challenges that must be addressed to achieve our goal. This includes confronting Islamophobia wherever and however it manifests – in our culture, attitudes and behaviours and systems and processes.”
Sense of belonging
The report also cites examples of where staff and students feel that progress is being made in some areas, with a greater proportion of Muslim staff compared to 20 years ago.
One student said: “I am from Bradford which is very diverse with lots of Muslims around. And I can see that also in the university... because of that, I feel like I belong and that I can express my religious identity freely.”
Recommendations
The report makes a number of recommendations, including ‘paper trail’ logs of complaints relating to Islamophobia, reducing attainment gaps, greater levels of ownership and accountability amongst managers and senior leaders, reviewing the effectiveness of equality, diversity and inclusion policies, establishing a Muslim staff and student support network/forum and to be proactive, timely and sensitive in responding to the impact of global ‘flashpoint’ events, especially those involving Muslims.
The report is available to view online and is being launched on June 18, between 2.30pm and 5pm at the University of Bradford.