Bringing your whole self to work: Arab or Muslim welcome.
Amina and Yusuf work for two different organizations that encourage their staff to bring “their whole selves” to work each day, but for an Arab-Muslim like Amina and an Arab-Catholic like Yasuf, that can be a frightening request in a world where discrimination, islamphobia, and xenophia still widely exist.
This April, which has been more widely embraced as National Arab American Heritage Month (NAAHM) in the U.S., practicing Arab-Muslims all over the globe will start their observation of Ramadan — their holy month dedicated to spiritual and physical fasting, as well as expanded acts of charity and deeper dedication to prayer. Ramadan, based on a lunar calendar, just happens to start during NAAHM this year, which begs the question: who are Arabs and do they all celebrate Ramadan?
Since many of us are glued to our screens during this public health crisis — this can be a moment to learn to embrace your Muslim colleagues, friends, and family during one of their most highliy anticipated religous times of the year. It is also an opportune time to grow your knowledge base and learn about an important distinction: Arabs and Muslims are diverse communities, and they are not one and the same.
Many Arabs are Muslims, but many more Muslims are not Arabs. The Pew Research Center has listed out the ten countries with the largest Muslims communities: Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Egypt, Iran, Turkey, Algeria, and Iraq. With clearly more than half of those countries not considered to be populated by Arabs (only 20% of Muslims live in the Middle-East and North Africa — where the religion originated in the 7th century). The one thing that many of these groups have in common is outsiders’ lack of understanding of their culture and religion, and the misinformation that surrounds both Arabs and Muslims.
After the horrific events and societal shock of September 11, 2001, these groups in the U.S. and in Europe were and still are feared and stigmatized as violent and sympathetic to terrorists. Even though Muslims and Arabs largely dislike and are not in favor of terrorist groups like the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) — Arabs and Muslims are still mistreated based on extremist groups actions. Regardless, many Arabs or people who look Arab and people who are visibly Muslim face discrimination with very little representation to change this treatment.
The reason for the distinction between visibly Muslim and Muslim, is people like Amina don’t wear a head covering, is olive-skin toned, has curly hair that has her often mistaken as a Latina, and doesn’t pray five times each day, but is Muslim in many other ways. She doesn’t eat pork, she says, “BismIllah” before starting a meal or a new task (meaning “in the name of G-D”), and usually responds to questions with an “InshAllah” (meaning “G-D willing” or “Ojala”). And she observes Ramadan each year, fasting from food and fluids from dawn to dusk, increasing her charitable giving, and not drinking any alcohol during the Muslim holy month.
In Yusuf’s case, an Arab-Catholic, brown-skinned toned, with coarse hair, and defining facial features clearly identifying him as “other,” he gets discriminated against on a daily basis. Although Yusuf and his family won’t observe Ramadan, they use the phrases “Bismillah” and “InshAllah,” just like Amina, because they share a common language, history, and a similar lived experience in the U.S.
For many people, being Arab can be isolating in this country, especially at work. The month of Ramadan can bring it’s own challenges, as many Muslims may be perceived as self-isolating or reserved as they are fasting and called to dedicate more of their time to prayer and family.
Both NAAHM and Ramadan are reminders that these communities are multi-faceted and incredibly diverse. Within our own personal and professional networks, we can take the time to acknowledge these months, set-up discussions, and ask our colleagues how they identify. This can be a bonding experience and a time when people like Amina and Yusuf can start to feel more comfortable bringing their full selves to the workplace (even if it’s just through video-conferencing like Google Meet).
As NAAHM comes to an end and Ramadan begins, seek ways to reach out to your Arab and Muslim communities who have contributed a great deal to this country and continue to do so in their own unique ways.
