{"id":2191,"date":"2021-12-03T15:50:56","date_gmt":"2021-12-03T15:50:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/itl\/?p=2191"},"modified":"2021-12-03T15:51:35","modified_gmt":"2021-12-03T15:51:35","slug":"5-things-to-read-from-islamophobia-awareness-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/itl\/2021\/12\/03\/5-things-to-read-from-islamophobia-awareness-month\/","title":{"rendered":"5 things to read from… Islamophobia Awareness Month"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"FreddieIt is important that\u00a0matters which might be brought under the umbrella of \u2018inclusive teaching\u2019\u00a0don\u2019t have their individual significance diluted, and Islamophobia Awareness Month offered\u00a0us an opportunity to reflect on our teaching and consider how it respects the beliefs and experiences of our Muslim\u00a0staff and\u00a0students.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Manchester\u00a0\u2013\u00a0both the city and our\u00a0University\u00a0\u2013\u00a0is an active and vibrant community with a population\u00a0which spans\u00a0many different belief systems.\u00a0The Equality Information Report 2021 highlights that across our institution\u00a0Islam\u00a0is\u00a0consistently\u00a0the second highest represented religion\u00a0amongst colleagues and students.\u00a0\u00a0Here are 5 things to read to help us to consider\u00a0how\u00a0inclusive\u00a0our\u00a0learning and working\u00a0environments\u00a0are, and what we can do to make these more inclusive.<\/span>\u00a0<\/p>\n

1. <\/span>Does challenging Islamophobia improve Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion at universities?\u00a0<\/h6>\n

In\u00a0<\/span>this article for The University of Edinburgh\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Teaching Matters<\/span><\/i>\u00a0blog<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0Ibtihal\u00a0Ramadan shares\u00a0her personal experiences of\u00a0Islamophobia\u00a0as a student\u00a0and suggests\u00a0actions\u00a0that Universities can take to challenge this.\u00a0In parallel with the Decolonise the Curriculum movement, an initial step\u00a0that\u00a0teaching staff\u00a0can take\u00a0is to diversify course materials to increase awareness of Muslim experiences and perspectives.\u00a0Ramadan expands on this in\u00a0<\/span>her\u00a0recent post for Times Higher Education Campus<\/span><\/a>, positing that universities should provide a public platform for academic discussion of Islamophobia\u00a0\u2013 particularly the diverse dynamics and constraints embedded in the scholarly activities surrounding Islam and Muslims within British academia.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2. <\/span>Why is my curriculum still white?\u00a0<\/h6>\n

A colleague once\u00a0observed\u00a0that the demographics\u00a0of the room varied\u00a0depending on the\u00a0workshop title:\u00a0participation\u00a0tended\u00a0to be\u00a0predominantly White British when discussing\u00a0\u2018inclusive education\u2019, but\u00a0the same group\u00a0was less well represented in discussions around\u00a0\u2018decolonising the curriculum\u2019.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As MEND (Muslim Engagement and Development) argues<\/span><\/a>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u201cFar from a process of replacing or eliminating Western academics from reading lists . . . decolonising the curriculum seeks to better understand the context under which the ideas originated\u201d<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0To combat Islamophobia and other forms of racism in Higher Education,\u00a0it is necessary to\u00a0work together to interrogate\u00a0such\u00a0biases and inequalities.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a03.\u00a0<\/span>Being Black and Muslim in Academia\u00a0<\/span><\/h6>\n

In this\u00a0<\/span>panel event<\/span><\/a>, Professor Hakeem Yusuf (University of Derby), Dr\u00a0Aliyu\u00a0Musa and Aisha\u00a0Badawi\u00a0(De Montfort University)\u00a0discuss the challenges and successes of being a Black Muslim in academia and share the lessons that they have learned along the way. In particular, the panellists highlight the importance of having strong networks and mentors with whom to share thoughts and offer exclusive opportunities for personal development.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A\u00a0<\/span>recording of the event<\/span><\/a>\u00a0is available on the University of Birmingham Islamic Society\u2019s Facebook page.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

4. <\/span>A Muslim student\u2019s advice on making classes more inclusive\u00a0<\/span><\/h6>\n

As part of her Student Fellowship of\u00a0<\/span>Every Learner Everywhere<\/span><\/i>,\u00a0Eeman\u00a0Uddin\u00a0outlines\u00a0<\/span>four ways in which universities can be more inclusive for Muslim students<\/span><\/a>. The first and second of these call on teaching staff to\u00a0have a greater awareness\u00a0of\u00a0non-Christian religious holidays and events and allow for greater flexibility around these periods, much as UK and US institutions do for Christmas and Easter. A further step towards inclusivity would be to consider prayer times and be proactive in your scheduling to avoid these coinciding with a class.\u00a0Furthermore, universities should ensure safe spaces for prayer, worship and other activities for the range of religions and beliefs that make up their community.\u00a0\u00a0The University\u2019s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) team publishes an annual\u00a0<\/span>Diversity Calendar<\/span><\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0facilitate this.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Muslim medic guide \u2013 for students by students\u00a0<\/h6>\n

As acknowledged above, the student voice has a vital role\u00a0to play\u00a0in these conversations, and here at\u00a0the\u00a0University\u00a0a group of medical students have produced the\u00a0<\/span>Muslim Medic Guide \u2013 for students, by students<\/span><\/i><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0The development of this guide highlights\u00a0the fact\u00a0that\u00a0the\u00a0experiences\u00a0of students\u00a0not only\u00a0varies\u00a0depending\u00a0on their faith\u00a0but also\u00a0on their\u00a0subject area.\u00a0As\u00a0such,\u00a0there is\u00a0a\u00a0real need\u00a0to consider the\u00a0implications\u00a0of both.\u00a0\u00a0The\u00a0400-page\u00a0guide\u00a0directly\u00a0addresses\u00a0several key challenges\u00a0the students have identified\u00a0themselves\u00a0and considers\u00a0them\u00a0holistically\u00a0\u2013 providing\u00a0practical\u00a0advice on\u00a0accommodation and timetabling\u00a0for example,\u00a0along with\u00a0more personal\u00a0matters such as\u00a0wellbeing and faith appropriate clinical wear.\u00a0The group\u00a0aims\u00a0to provide a useful and informative\u00a0resource\u00a0which\u00a0ensures\u00a0that Muslim medical students feel\u00a0a sense of\u00a0belonging\u00a0for the duration of\u00a0their studies and beyond.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Resources:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h6>\n

The University\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Diversity Calendar<\/span><\/a>\u00a0is published annually by The University\u2019s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) team.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0<\/span>Islamophobia Awareness Month website<\/span><\/a>\u00a0contains a wealth of resources to help\u00a0highlight the threat of\u00a0Islamophobic\u00a0hate crimes and showcase the positive contributions of British Muslims to society.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The University\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE)<\/span><\/a>\u00a0is the UK\u2019s leading centre of research into ethnic, racial and religious inequalities, including research into islamophobia. You can\u00a0<\/span>subscribe to their email newsletter to keep up to date with their work, related activities<\/span>\u00a0and free lunchtime events.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The University of Manchester\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Islamic\u00a0Society\u00a0(ISOC)<\/span><\/a>\u00a0is\u00a0<\/span>one of the largest and most active student societies on campus and prides itself on being an inclusive society, open to all,\u00a0muslims\u00a0and non-muslims\u00a0alike.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Muslim\u00a0staff and students are supported at the University by our Muslim Chaplain, more details can be seen on the pages of\u00a0<\/span>St Peter\u2019s House<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Related<\/h1>\n

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Inclusion and Inspiration: Education for Social Justice Conference Day<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div>
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