Diverse environments can create misunderstandings… but also build trust
Researcher and writer Rakib Ehsan explained what religious discrimination looked like, how social settings were becoming more diverse, and what might be behind some religious stereotypes and tensions.
He said there were various reasons people may not want to disclose their religion and sometimes that came down to global events, such as what was happening across the Middle East and Indian subcontinent.
Eshan said data showed there was a rise in anti-Muslim sentiment and anti-Semitism, adding that “discrimination on the grounds of religion can be driven by both domestic and international events”.
Discomfort in disclosing one’s faith could also be because of risks in being connected to more orthodox religionists within their faith group or being connected to the actions of foreign regime and militant groups.
He explained that hostility did not always come from white British people, as it might be expected in a minority versus majority dynamic, but sometimes it happened between and within religious minorities.
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Religious discrimination can include people being treated less favourably or for having a lack of religious beliefs, Ehsan said. Other behaviours, such as having a dress code that goes against someone’s choice to wear religious garments, can be exclusionary too.
He said when it came to operating in a diverse workplace, “in the era of rising religious diversity in British society, navigating workplaces with diverse religious, cultural and indeed political views… misunderstandings based on culture and religion is part and parcel of living in a diverse society”.
This can be overcome by constructive discussions and being patient with colleagues, he said. Ehsan said patience and forgiveness was also key.
He said mixed social circles increased the chance of negative encounters and discrimination, but also higher levels of social trust or being trustful in other members of society. He said there would be “short-term pain” with social mixing, such as cultural misunderstandings, but there were advantages when it came to social trust.
He said employees should be aware of relevant legislation around racial and religious discrimination.
Additionally, people making requests at work to accommodate their beliefs should consider the wider implications it might have on the business and other employees.
“Much like integration in general, religious accommodation is ultimately a two-way street,” he added.
Ehsan took a question asking if a business should celebrate and recognise a religious holiday when staff were not part of the faith group, but clients were.
He said not having staff who were of the faith was “even more of a reason” to recognise certain religious holidays, as it would help develop a “positive and wholesome relationship” with clients. He said it also increased religious sensitivity within a business.
Another person asked why religion was not discussed as much.
Eshan said there was a greater focus on race after Covid and the Black Lives Matter protests, adding that while society was becoming more secular, it was also more religiously diverse.
He said a person’s faith could also form someone’s identity, so it was good to have these conversations.
Religious identity is complex
Phil Champain OBE, part of the senior leadership team at The Faith and Belief Forum, discussed the complexity of religious identity.
He was brought up in the church with a dad who was an Anglican priest, but when he left home, he became “disillusioned with the church and the institution of the church” because of issues around sexual abuse and Christian missionaries “taking over the world through the Christian faith”, which did not align with his politics.
He became anti-religion and an atheist, and at the same time, his sister was turning to evangelical Christianity. Champain said this caused tension in the household between his sister and dad and how they each saw their faith.
When his son was born, Champain did not want to christen him, but still held a gathering to mark his birth. During this, it began to rain, and his dad said: “See? He’s actually been christened.” His dad was partly joking, Champain said, but this showed how important it was to his dad for there to be a possibility that his grandson had been christened.
When his dad later died, Champain wrote a poem for his funeral that included the line: “Your soul was meant for heaven”. He said this was a way of acknowledging how important his dad’s faith was to him.
Champain said it was then that he “started to realise that I wasn’t really an atheist anymore”. He added: “Now I call myself a Christian agnostic. I’m culturally Christian, I have that background, but I still have these questions that I ask.”
Champain said he shared this story because to encourage inclusion in the workplace, people needed to be more comfortable talking about faith.
Champain said the social climate had also changed, as in the 10 years he had been in his role, as there had been Brexit, a cost-of-living crisis, and conflicts in Ukraine and Israel.
“A lot of things have happened that have shaken up how we view people who are different. Race and faith, the intersection there, has been a key part of how people think of differences,” he added.
With around four million Muslims in the UK, Champain said the media tended to overexaggerate this with negative articles, so this should be kept in mind when helping others deal with the dynamics they may be picking up outside of work and the potential for them to filter into the workplace.
When the new government came in, the organisation wrote to it saying it was important for it to realise what it said, as public figures had an effect on what other people thought.
“We’ve got to harness the positive values that are sitting within faith and communities and within our identities, in terms of those values that we draw on,“ he added.
Champain said although society was more diverse, people still tended to stick to their own group. Some 44% of people have no contact with others from a different ethnic background in their wider social network, and he said this was significant, as it was a key intersection with faith.
“That opportunity for contact and engagement, we still need to work on that,” he added.
Intersectional conflict
Champain made a point about connecting with LGBTQ+ people of faith, saying they were often caught between a place of worship, being unable to relate well to the LGBTQ+ community and, as a result, some LGBTQ+ support services having problems with people of faith.
“If you’re LGBT and you’re also a person of faith, often that group is quite isolated and difficult to get support for,” he added.
He shared an acronym, ‘RADIO’, which he said could be useful when approaching the topic of faith and belief:
- Respect – to always adopt a respectful attitude
- Active listening – do not just wait for a chance to share your opinion; actively listen to what someone says about their faith and belief and take it in
- Dialogue, not debate – don’t be fast to debate things and prove you are right; it is about seeking understanding
- I – do not be drawn into generalisations and think all people of certain beliefs think the same; use ‘I’ statements, not generalisations
- O – it is better out than in, meaning it is better to talk than hold it in. ‘O’ also recognises there will be “ouch” and “oops” moments, as people will say things in the wrong way and they might be hurtful
Being your authentic self at work
The panel discussion at the DIFF Executive meeting was chaired by Gurpreet Chahal, corporate account manager at Accord Mortgages, with speakers Noreen Baqir, financial adviser at Circle Finance, and Karen Rodrigues, head of sales at Market Financial Solutions.
It covered how to respect and accommodate different religions in the workplace.
Rodrigues, who is Irish Catholic, said trust was important in her company, while Baqir said Islam’s values of honesty, fairness and ethical dealings aligned with the UK mortgage market, as well as treating people with respect regardless of their standing.
Baqir said that helped in her leadership as it built trust and confidence, but she said this was not exclusive to one faith.
Chahal agreed and said this applied to many faiths, such as his own – Sikhism.
Rodrigues said there was recently a discussion about Pancake Day and Shrove Tuesday at her company, which evolved into a conversation about religion. She said there was an open door policy and people were encouraged to talk. Working at a diverse company, it also holds world food days and changes where people eat lunch at different times of year; Chahal said this mattered, as many Muslims were currently fasting for Ramadan.
Baqir said it was important to know Ramadan was not just about fasting but a change in routine, such as more frequent prayers and waking up at sunrise, which can be tiring. She said this could be helped by consideration when arranging early morning meetings or later meetings, which could run into prayer times and the breaking of fast.
Chahal said at his company, employees fasted for one day during Ramadan and broke fast together, saying: “Living your Muslim colleague’s life for one day, in their shoes, I really struggled… that experience was really telling, so when you have a Muslim colleague you’re trying to cater for, it gives you that perspective”.
Rodrigues said the financial services sector was starting to accommodate different religions, but when she recently went to an event, she saw there were prayer rooms, which was a stage she said the financial services sector had not got to yet.
“It’s a conversation that will continue and needs to continue,” she added.
Baqir said something as simple as an announcement or newsletter from management recognising a religious holiday created respect and made people feel valued and safe.
She added: “Regardless of how religious you are, faith is still a part of you, so it’s good for that to be recognised.”
The panel also covered being curious about religion, not being afraid to ask questions but also being mindful if one does not feel comfortable talking about their faith.
For religious holidays that are not recognised, Chahal said people should bring this up to employers and ask for it to be acknowledged, while Rodrigues said her company encouraged people to inform them and made sure to mark certain days once they were aware.
The panel at the DIFF Leadership event was again chaired by Chahal, with speakers Baqir, Dina Bhudia, CEO of P2M Asset Management, who is Hindu, and Andy Walton, protection proposition director at Mortgage Advice Bureau, who is Christian.
Walton said he brought his religious beliefs to work, adding that the concepts of trust and integrity were heavily present in the Bible, which translated across.
Bhudia said she had read the Quran and Bible and found there were “so many universal principles” similar to Hinduism, such as charitable giving, empathy, trustworthiness and integrity.
“It’s just life humanitarian skills that in this industry have been FCA regulated. As a broker, I don’t need to be told to treat customers fairly – my faith and who I am, my identity, does that,” she added.
Bhudia said the industry had got “so much better” at accommodating people’s beliefs, but said there could be more attention put on dietary requirements. She mentioned people eating at their desks during Ramadan as a sign of respect to colleagues who are fasting.
Walton said understanding what people believe, including atheism, was good as it helped people see where there was commonality.
“Let’s find common ground and respect each other’s position,” he added.
Bhudia encouraged opening up about religion, such as saying if you went to church or the gurdwara on the weekend, but noted that this was not always easy.
“If you expect others to bring their whole selves to work, then you’ve got to do that yourself,” she added.
The panel also discussed taking part in the religious events of other faiths to raise awareness, knowing the perspectives of everyone in a business to build respect and people feeling comfortable when discussing faith.
