Belonging to a faith is a deeply personal experience. It impacts the way we think, the way we act, the words we speak, and even the places we seek.
Practising a faith, however, is not necessarily confined to the self. In fact, I like to think of ‘practise’ as the ultimate jewel in the crown of faith. Because it’s outward, and definitely not always easy.
Now, when you’re a Muslim professional working in a small office space in the United Kingdom, suddenly, it’s discussions around ‘practise’ that you need to have.
‘Sorry, I can’t join dinner at that restaurant, as there are no halal options.’
‘I’m afraid I can’t come out for drinks after work.’
‘Would it be okay for me to take my lunch breaks on Fridays at varying times every month? I need to go to the mosque for prayers that are determined by solar timing.’
‘I’m really sorry to be a bit distracted this morning – it’s the first day of Ramadan.’
‘I need to take some time off for Eid, but I don’t know when it’s going to be.’
While things like this might not be a problem in larger companies with more diverse staff, in my case – and I’m sure for many in similar positions – I feel as though the only reason I speak of my faith is to point out how my practice requires me to change or adapt to what is being done around me.
We have certainly come a long way from times when even this was frowned upon and perceived as ‘unprofessional.’ Nonetheless, this doesn’t take away from the reality that those practising faiths with stricter, more defined guidelines often feel they’ve exhausted their ‘quota’ on religious discussions when asking for accommodations.
So what would I have liked to speak about instead?
Perhaps about the way my belief motivates me to do my work to a high standard, as I perceive it to be a God-given duty to make sure I deserve the money I earn.
Or maybe about how much I actually enjoy Ramadan, purely from the discipline it teaches me to integrate into my daily life.
In fact, I think I would really enjoy explaining the origins of my practices, and the beliefs they foster. I would prefer any of this to squeamishly asking if I can take Eid off in the middle of a General Election campaign.
Coming back to the IIFL Monthly Tracker results, I can’t help but think that maybe the reason Muslims predominantly support the view that people should talk about religion in the workspace is not because they think we aren’t speaking about religion.
Maybe it’s because they want to increase the ‘quota’ for religious discussions so that we can move on from transactional discussions on practicalities to sharing things that truly matter for us and make us who we are.