An overwhelming majority of Muslim employees in the UK are suffering religious abuse at work. Research by the media platform Hyphen and market research company Savanta ComRes found 69% of Muslim workers have suffered some form of Islamophobia while at work.
The abuse came from both internal and external sources. 44% experienced Islamophobia while engaging with customers or clients, while 42% experienced discrimination during work social events and a further 38% witnessed abuse during team meetings.
Abuse was experienced before workers started a job with over one third citing discrimination at the recruitment stage. This figure rose to 58% for black Muslim workers.
The research also found that Islamophobia plays a part in halting career progression, with discrimination during annual reviews and appraisals felt by 32% of respondents and 40% experecning similar behaviour when it came to promotion.
