“Go back to where you came from”, is one of the comments Norwegian Muslims report in a new study. It is time to update the image of our Norwegian community so that Muslims in Norway feel a greater sense of belonging. Norwegian workplaces should take the lead. For ten years, I have used my voice in the Norwegian public to raise issues related to diversity, inclusion and racism. During these years, I have not always felt that I have my employer’s back when I participate in the public debate. Many times, on the contrary, I have felt that I should restrain myself, hold back a little. Talk a little less about experiences related to being a minority, so the employer does not have to deal with the noise and the messages that I should lose my job as a result of my statements. The study recently came out which shows that 43 per cent of Norwegian Muslims feel left out in our society. It was one of my colleagues who made me aware of the report from the Directorate of Inclusion and Diversity. She wondered if we could give some advice to our customers on what they can do for Muslim employees during Ramadan. I have rarely been encouraged to take ownership of my Muslim identity by an employer, and to use my minority experience so actively. The result was a mini-guide for employers about Ramadan in the workplace. All colleagues in the agency shared the post, cheered the message and me. I, on the other hand, contented myself with a repost without an elaborate comment about the content. Why? Because I can’t always bear to be that Muslim. You have got some scars after many years in the public eye. Regardless of the content, one is all too often met with incitement. My colleague nodded in recognition. She doesn’t always have the guts to be queer either. We chuckled. Because we giggle a lot together, but we both know that we have days when we can’t bear to be defined by – or be reduced to – just one of our many identity markers. The HL center is behind the study “Experiences of discrimination among Muslims in Norway” together with the Equality Center KUN, commissioned by the Directorate of Integration and Diversity (IMDI). The fact that 43 per cent of the study’s respondents have a feeling of not belonging in Norwegian society “often” or “sometimes” during the last 12 months is serious. Not just for themselves, but for working life. For the social debate. For the community and democracy. Many Muslims I speak to report the same thing. We love Norway, which for the vast majority of us is the country we were born in. The country that is all we know and are familiar with. At the same time, it is completely impossible for us not to bear a form of minority stress – a stress I define as “the Norwegian-Muslim ambivalence”. In the hours before the identity of the terrorist behind 22 July became known, many Norwegian Muslims felt this ambivalence. “God, let it not be a Muslim. Then we will all be dragged along in the drag”, we thought. In the days after the London Pub became a scene of new terrorism, we thought the same. “Damn it, a lunatic shoots at queers, and now we’re all being collectivized as a bunch of homophobes.” Yes, homophobia is a problem in certain communities – including Muslim ones. But Muslims are no more a homogenous group than Christians. Or queer, for that matter. We who are minorities by and large, we Norwegians, see the nuances. We know that many who ran terrified from the London pub were also our friends, also with a Muslim background. But we still carry a minority stress. For fear of being labeled as opponents of freedom. Perceived as men who go home and prevent the life development of the women in our lives, who are also perceived as women who do not own or have the right to free will. Although a new survey published in Vårt Land shows that nine out of ten Muslims believe there should be full equality in the home, we are afraid of being taken to task for attitudes we do not have. Do we Muslims have our challenges? Yes absolutely. And here both we as a group, and society in general, have a job to do. But regardless of that – Norwegian Muslims carry a stressful extra layer of anxiety. Working life is also an arena for this anxiety. The respondents in the survey report awkward hiring processes, experiences of being passed over in internal promotions, encounters with prejudice and incitement from customers and clients, and prejudiced comments among colleagues. They report harassment related to the use of the hijab, confrontations about Islam – particularly related to the position of women, and discussions about the use of alcohol and food rules. In connection with employment processes, several report experiences of being asked in-depth questions related to their Muslim identity or personal questions that are irrelevant to the work to be carried out. Some also have experience of job rejections that are directly justified by wearing the hijab. Much of this is outright illegal. It also emerges that whether management or colleagues have shown support or not, has a major effect on their experiences of such incidents in working life. It means a lot that my colleagues wish me luck with Ramadan and make it possible for me to express myself freely. It is still relatively unusual for Norwegian businesses to show solidarity with and support for Norwegian Muslims on the occasion of Ramadan. Every year, large parts of Norwegian working life fly the rainbow flag. It also means a lot. It makes the room bigger. In terms of size, Muslims and queers are fairly evenly sized groups. Both groups need cheering, and to be met with equal protection against discrimination in their workplace. My Ramadan prayer this year is that Norwegian businesses compete to mark this year’s Eid celebration in their channels and in their businesses. And that they mean it when they do it. Let us together ensure that there is no longer any doubt; Norway must be the best country in the world to be yourself in. Does your business take up the challenge?
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I can’t bear to always be “he Muslim” – Statement
