Hijab in the Western Workplace: Exploring Islamic Psychotherapeutic Approaches to Discrimination

Abstract

This study explores the experiences and the effects of employment discrimination on Muslim

Mental Health among Muslim Career Women

“…These circumstances have led to the international community branding Islam as a religion of terrorists (Moghadam, 2008;Tariq & Syed, 2017). This situation has also created a feeling of Islamophobia among the general society (Aziz, 2012;Samari, 2016) so much so that individual religious rights are seen as terrorist-related activities (Koura, 2016).…”

“…Hence, stereotyping and stigmatization have contributed to discrimination in the workplace. In efforts to face this situation, the identity of Muslim women when defending principles and their dress code has eroded because some Muslim women treat the dress code as a choice that can be forsaken when there are constraints (Koura, 2016). Discrimination against wearing the veil (hijab) does not only occur in Muslim-minority countries but is also felt by a group of Muslim women in Muslim-majority countries, such as the UAE.…”

“…Moreover, Anchour, Azmi, Isahak, Nor and Yusoff (2019) also suggested that each individual should think positively and not be suspicious of those around them as well as presume that whatever happens in life is a test. Koura (2016) also added that both these rituals help increase the satisfaction and quality of life. From another aspect, mental health management is incomplete if individuals are not supported by the surrounding community.…”

“…These issues can be managed and overcome by strengthening relations with Allah SWT, which is by carrying out rituals and communicating with Allah SWT through prayers (solat) and reciting of the al-Quran as well as having strong support from the surrounding community comprising employers, colleagues, family members and society. Stigma & Stereotype (Aziz, 2014;Koura, 2016;Zalat, Mortada & Seifi,2018;Weichselbaumer, 2020) Balance between life and work as well as conflict between work and life (Aazami, Akmal & Shamsudin, 2015;Hassan, Ibrahim, Nor, Sabil, Bandar, 2017;Soomro, Breitenecker & Shah,2018) Relationship with Allah SWT (Koura, 2016(Koura, & 2017Achour, Azmi, Isahak, Nor & Yusoff, 2019) Support by employers, family, colleagues and society (Aazami, Akmal & Shamsudin, 2015;Hassan, Ibrahim, Nor, Sabil & Bandar, 2017) Management of Mental Health veil (hijab) and dress code are among the main issues that cause discrimination, stereotyping and stigmatization towards Muslim women. Besides that, there are also issues such as imbalance between life and work as well as conflict between work and family experienced by Muslim career women that leads to stress and debilitating mental health.…”

“…Summary of Mental Health Issues by Muslim Career Women Diagram 6: Summary ConclusionIt can be summarised that there are various factors that cause mental health issues among Muslim career women, such as religious and gender discrimination. Specifically, wearing the Discrimination(Koura, 2016);Tariq& Syed, 2017; Malik et al, 2018…”