Muslims at Work: The Questions We’ve Been Waiting To Be Asked
Before you begin
This is not a normal workplace survey. This is for us to tell the truth about what it has meant to be Muslim at work while so much harm keeps happening around us and gets treated like normal. Many of us have been carrying grief, fear, silence, pressure and conflict for years while still being expected to carry on as if none of it touches us. Gaza, Sudan, Congo, Global Genocide, Islamophobia. Hostility towards migrants and refugees. War. Surveillance. Dehumanisation. Male violence. All of it. None of that stops at the office door. I made a promise to myself and to my community that when organisations were ready to listen, I would do everything I could to make sure the same tick-box harm does not keep happening to any of us. I will honour our grief. I will honour our pain. And I will do everything I can to make sure what we carry is not ignored, softened or explained away. Because we all deserve justice. We all deserve safety. Answer your truth, knowing my commitment is to honour the collective experiences of our Ummah. All responses are anonymous.
About Your Work
What sector do you currently work in?
Private sector
Public sector
Charity / Third sector
Self-employed
Not currently working
Other
What industry do you currently work in?
Healthcare
Education
Government / Public administration
Law / Legal services
Finance / Banking / Insurance
Technology / Digital
Media / Communications
Consulting / Professional services
Retail / Hospitality
Construction / Engineering
Transport / Logistics
Energy / Environment
Arts / Culture / Creative industries
Charity / NGO / Non-profit
Community / Faith organisations
Chemical/
Automotive Transport, logistics and aviation
Construction, infrastructure and engineering
Energy and extractive industries (oil, gas, mining)
Chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing
Defence, weapons and military contracting
Security, policing and surveillance industries
Other
Roughly where are you in your organisation?
Entry level / early career
Mid-level professional
Senior leadership / management
Executive / Director / Board
Prefer not to say
How long have you been working in your profession?
0–4 years
5–10 years
11–20 years
20+ years
Being Muslim at Work
The questions that follow move beyond organisational policies and focus on lived experience.
Do you feel able to show up fully as a Muslim in your workplace?
Yes
Sometimes
Rarely
No
Prefer not to answer
Have there been moments where you felt you needed to soften, hide, or distance parts of your Muslim identity to feel safe professionally?
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
Prefer not to answer
Have you ever felt that being Muslim shaped how colleagues or leaders perceived you?
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
Prefer not to answer
Have you experienced anti-Muslim behaviour, discrimination, or stereotyping in your workplace?
Yes
No
Unsure
Prefer not to answer
Have you seen it happen to someone else?
Yes
No
Unsure
Prefer not to answer
If harm happened, did your organisation respond in a way that made you feel protected?
Yes
Somewhat
No
I didn't have enough trust to report it
Have you ever felt that speaking openly about issues affecting Muslim communities could negatively impact your career or reputation?
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
Have you ever chosen silence in a workplace moment to protect yourself?
Yes
No
Prefer not to say
Do you feel Muslim employees are expected to remain “neutral” about issues affecting their own communities?
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Gaza, global harm and the workplace
Over the past few years, have global harms affecting Muslim communities, including Gaza, rising Islamophobia, migration hostility, and ongoing wars, affected how you felt in your workplace?
Significantly
Somewhat
Slightly
Not at all
Did your organisation acknowledge or hold space for Muslim staff during these moments? (please note one piece of comms doesn't count)
Yes meaningfully
Yes briefly
No
I'm not sure
If your organisation remained silent during these moments, how did that affect you?
It did not affect me
I felt isolated
I felt unsafe
It affected my wellbeing
It changed how I see my organisation
HR, D&I and organisational trust
What is something you have experienced as a Muslim at work that people outside the community may not understand?
What is something you have wanted to say in your workplace but felt unable to?
What would meaningful support for Muslims in workplaces actually look like?
Is there anything else you want to name here that often goes unspoken?
How supported have you felt by your HR function when it comes to issues affecting Muslims in the workplace?
Very supported
Somewhat supported
Not very supported
Not supported at all
I have not engaged with HR
How supported have you felt by your organisation’s D&I / EDI function when it comes to issues affecting Muslims in the workplace?
Very supported
Somewhat supported
Not very supported
Not supported at all
My organisation does not have one
I have not engaged with it
Do you trust your HR function to handle harm affecting Muslims with care, fairness, and accountability?
Yes
Somewhat
Rarely
Not at all
Do you trust your organisation’s D&I / EDI function to speak honestly about harm affecting Muslims?
Yes
Somewhat
Rarely
Not at all
Not applicable
If HR or D&I responses felt performative, surface-level, or absent, how did that affect you?
It made no difference to me
It made me feel unseen
It made me feel less safe
It deepened my distrust
It made the harm feel worse
Muslim leadership, silence and impact
Have you felt impacted by the silence, inaction, or positioning of Muslim people in leadership roles during moments of harm affecting Muslim communities?
Yes significantly
Yes somewhat
Slightly
No
Prefer not to say
Did it land differently when the silence or inaction came from Muslim colleagues, leaders, or people in roles such as HR, D&I, or leadership?
Yes, it hit harder
Somewhat
No difference
I’m not sure
Not applicable
If it did hit harder, why?
Because I expected more care
Because I expected solidarity
Because it felt like being abandoned from within
Because it made the harm feel normalised
Other (please specify)
Have you ever felt let down by Muslim people in positions of influence who did not speak, act, or uphold the reality of what Muslims were experiencing?
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
What impact did that have on you?
It affected my trust
It affected my sense of safety
It affected my wellbeing
It made me feel more alone
It changed how I see Muslim leadership in organisations
In your view, what responsibility do Muslim people in positions of influence carry when harm affecting Muslims is being ignored, minimised, or normalised?
Wellbeing, belonging and what it costs
Have these experiences affected your sense of belonging at work?
Significantly
Somewhat
Slightly
Not at all
Have these experiences affected your motivation, confidence, or ability to do your work?
Significantly
Somewhat
Slightly
Not at all
Have these experiences changed what you believe is possible for you in workplaces or organisations?
Yes significantly
Yes somewhat
Slightly
No
What has it cost you to keep carrying this in the workplace?
If you could say one honest thing to organisations about what Muslims are carrying right now, what would it be?
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