- The Conversation) The social injustices experienced by women in the creative industries have been brought to the world's attention by the high profile #MeToo and Time's Up campaigns. While issues of race have also been highlighted in the discussion of labour inequality and exclusion with #OscarsSoWhite , the significance of religion has been missed out of the equation.
This is surprising given the wide recognition of the growing importance of the global Muslim market and increasing visibility of Muslim women leaders in the creative sectors. Blogger Dina Torkia , for instance, was one of seven women selected to appear in Vogue Magazine's ' The New Suffragettes '. The women were picked in recognition of the impact they were making in the 'fight to empower women in the battle for equality that rages on'.
It is now estimated that the global Muslim spend on clothing is worth more than 11% of the total global market , with Muslim women spending around US$44 billion a year. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom is a significant global player, ranked fifth in the world overall for halal media and recreation . Halal means products and actions that are permissible in traditional Islamic law.
British Muslim women and Islamophobia
What this shows is that young, educated and upwardly mobile British Muslim women in the media and fashion world are using their creative platforms to challenge stereotypes and tackle issues of Islamophobia and sexism in society and the work place.
Runnymede, the UK's leading independent race equality think-tank, released its 20th-year anniversary report on Islamophobia in November 2017. It is noteworthy that Islamophobia, now widely recognised and reported as a social phenomenon – was only brought to public and policy prominence two decades ago. Runnymede defines Islamophobia as anti-Muslim racism. It involves religious hostility and discrimination against Muslim individuals and communities and their exclusion from any field of public life.
Islamophobia has been illegal in the UK since 2006 when the New Labour government introduced new laws under the Equality Act and Race and Religious Hatred Act . However, reported hate crime against Muslims continues to escalate – and was even reported to have risen by a shocking 500% in one month alone in 2017.
The Muslim employment 'penalty'
Meanwhile, the Muslim 'penalty' in employment and pay is stark. Muslim men and women are more likely than the average to obtain higher education degrees but have below average employment levels, especially at higher managerial levels . Academic research and investigative journalism show systemic discrimination with CVs displaying social markers of difference, such as the names of Mohammed or Aminah.
After submitting real CVs of two candidates who had very similar qualifications, Aminah and Emily, it was found that Aminah would need to submit twice as many applications to obtain a positive callback. Meanwhile, the Social Mobility Commission found evidence of discrimination at the stage of job interviews against those wearing headscarfs in non-Muslim companies. There is also a 'chill factor' where minorities are deterred from applying for work in particular sectors, including the media, due to a reputation for hostility.
Muslim women working across the British media, fashion, publishing and visual arts are tackling the politics of Muslim identity in the West. The impact of Torkia , award-winning work of filmmaker and producer Deeyah Khan , and the powerful poetry and podcasts of 'The Brown Hijabi' (Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan) are only two examples. You could add to this the huge success of the Bradford Literary Festival , founded by Directors Syima Aslam and Irna Qureshi.
The diverse artistic contributions of these women are contributing to the British creative industries and challenging perceptions by speaking out about exclusion. Subjects tackled include being professionally straight-jacketed by the politics of Muslim identity ), male criticism around choices of clothing, immodest speech and behaviour and also familial discouragement from gaining paid employment, particularly outside traditional professions .
Some of the highest social and economic exclusion in the UK is experienced by Muslim women . This is accentuated by negative media scrutiny which emphasises otherness, victimhood and subjugation. The contributions of Muslim women to culture and the economy more widely are very rarely highlighted.
More work is needed to understand how to better promote inclusion at all levels in the creative industries. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport called for action to diversify culture and the arts through apprenticeships and promotional pathways in 2016 . But at the same time, arts and culture has been de-prioritised in the school curriculum and there are areas of the country where social mobility issues are entrenched due to uneven access .
Research funded by the Arts and Humanities Council is evaluating the roles of British Muslim women in the UK creative economy. Religion and faith are highlighted for the first time as key to understanding the changing contours of the economy and society. It is clear that the voices and work of leading Muslim women are pivotal to driving this changing landscape.
Gender inequality Muslim women Workplace equality Race and religion
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"Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, ""Ukatili wa kijamii unaopatikana na wanawake katika viwanda vya ubunifu umeleta umakini wa ulimwengu na kampeni za juu za #MeToo na Time's Up.""" "Wakati masuala ya jamii pia yameangaziwa katika majadiliano ya ukosefu wa usawa wa kazi na kutengwa na #OscarsSoWhite, umuhimu wa dini umepuuzwa kutoka kwa equation. """ Hii ni ya kushangaza kutokana na utambuzi mkubwa wa umuhimu unaoongezeka wa soko la Kiislamu la kimataifa na kuongezeka kwa mwonekano wa viongozi wa wanawake wa Kiislamu katika sekta za ubunifu. Mwanablogu Dina Torkia, kwa mfano, alikuwa mmoja wa wanawake saba waliochaguliwa kuonekana katika jarida la Vogue 'The New Suffragettes'. Wanawake hao walichaguliwa kwa kutambua athari waliyokuwa wakifanya katika'mapambano ya kuwawezesha wanawake katika mapambano ya usawa ambayo yanaendelea.' Inakadiriwa kuwa Muslim wanaotumia zaidi ya asilimia 11 ya jumla ya soko la nguo duniani, na wanawake wa Kiislamu wanatumia karibu dola bilioni 44 kwa mwaka. Wakati huo huo, Uingereza ni mchezaji muhimu wa kimataifa, nafasi ya tano ulimwenguni kwa jumla kwa vyombo vya habari halal na burudani. Halal inamaanisha bidhaa na vitendo vinavyoruhusiwa katika sheria ya jadi ya Kiislamu. "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, ""Wanawake wa Uingereza wa Kiislamu na Islamophobia"" ni ""wavulana vijana, waliosoma na wanaotembea juu katika vyombo vya habari na ulimwengu wa mitindo wanaitumia majukwaa yao ya ubunifu kupinga mitazamo na kushughulikia masuala ya Islamophobia na ubaguzi wa kijinsia katika jamii na mahali pa kazi.""" Runnymede, shirika la Uingereza linaloongoza la kutetea usawa wa rangi, limetoa ripoti yake ya miaka 20 ya kuadhimisha miaka yake ya kuadhimisha miaka 20 ya kuadhimisha miaka 20 ya kuadhimisha miaka 20 ya kuadhimisha miaka 20 ya kuadhimisha miaka 20 ya kuadhimisha miaka 20 ya kuadhimisha miaka 20 ya kuadhimisha miaka 20 ya kuadhimisha miaka 20 ya kuadhimisha. Ni muhimu kutambua kwamba Islamophobia, ambayo sasa inatambuliwa sana na kuripotiwa kama jambo la kijamii <unk> ililetwa tu kwa umma na sera ya kuvutia miongo miwili iliyopita. Runnymede hufafanua Islamophobia kama ubaguzi wa rangi dhidi ya Waislamu. Inahusisha uhasama wa kidini na ubaguzi dhidi ya watu na jamii za Waislamu na kutengwa kwao kutoka kwa uwanja wowote wa maisha ya umma. Islamophobia imekuwa kinyume cha sheria nchini Uingereza tangu 2006, wakati serikali ya New Labour ilipoweka sheria mpya chini ya Sheria ya Usawa na Sheria ya Chuki ya Jamii na Dini. Hata hivyo, ripoti za uhalifu wa chuki dhidi ya Waislamu zinaendelea kuongezeka na hata zimeripotiwa kuongezeka kwa asilimia 500 katika mwezi mmoja tu mwaka 2017. 'Sheria' ya Uajiri ya Waislamu Wakati huohuo, 'Sheria' ya Waislamu katika ajira na mshahara ni kali. Wanaume na wanawake wa Kiislamu wana uwezekano mkubwa zaidi kuliko wastani wa kupata digrii za elimu ya juu lakini wana viwango vya ajira chini ya wastani, haswa katika ngazi za juu za usimamizi. Utafiti wa kitaaluma na uandishi wa habari wa uchunguzi unaonyesha ubaguzi wa mfumo na CVs kuonyesha alama za kijamii za tofauti, kama vile majina ya Mohammed au Aminah. Baada ya kuwasilisha CV halisi za wagombea wawili ambao walikuwa na sifa sawa sana, Aminah na Emily, iligunduliwa kwamba Aminah angehitaji kuwasilisha maombi mara mbili zaidi ili kupata wito wa chanya. Tume ya Uhamiaji wa Jamii imegundua utambulisho katika mahojiano ya kazi dhidi ya wale wanaovaa vifuniko vya kichwa katika makampuni yasiyo ya Kiislamu. Pia kuna 'chill factor' ambapo wachache ni kuzuiliwa kutoka kuomba kazi katika sekta fulani, ikiwa ni pamoja na vyombo vya habari, kutokana na sifa ya uadui. Wanawake wa Kiislamu wanaofanya kazi katika vyombo vya habari vya Uingereza, mitindo, uchapishaji na sanaa za kuona wanashughulikia siasa za utambulisho wa Kiislamu Magharibi. Athari ya Torkia, kazi ya kushinda tuzo ya mtengenezaji wa filamu na mtayarishaji Deeyah Khan, na mashairi yenye nguvu na podcasts ya 'The Brown Hijabi' (Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan) ni mifano miwili tu. "Hii ni kwa sababu ya mafanikio makubwa ya tamasha la fasihi la Bradford, lililoanzishwa na wakurugenzi Syma Aslam na Irna Qureshi.""" Mchango wa kisanii wa wanawake hawa unachangia viwanda vya ubunifu vya Uingereza na changamoto ya maoni kwa kusema juu ya kutengwa. "Mashtaka hayo yanatia ndani ""kufungwa kwa kazi na siasa za utambulisho wa Kiislamu,"" ukosoaji wa wanaume kuhusu uchaguzi wa mavazi, maneno na tabia zisizo na adabu, na pia kukatishwa moyo kwa familia kupata kazi inayolipwa, haswa nje ya taaluma za jadi." Wanawake wa Kiislamu ndio wanaokabiliwa na ukosefu mkubwa zaidi wa kijamii na kiuchumi nchini Uingereza. Hii ni accentuated na uchunguzi hasi vyombo vya habari ambayo inasisitiza otherness, victimhood na subjugation. Mchango wa wanawake Waislamu kwa utamaduni na uchumi kwa ujumla ni mara chache sana kuangaziwa. Kazi zaidi inahitajika kuelewa jinsi ya kukuza vizuri ujumuishaji katika ngazi zote katika viwanda vya ubunifu. Idara ya Utamaduni, Vyombo vya Habari na Michezo ilitoa wito wa hatua za kupanua utamaduni na sanaa kupitia mafunzo na njia za kukuza katika 2016. Lakini wakati huo huo, sanaa na utamaduni umepunguzwa kipaumbele katika mtaala wa shule na kuna maeneo ya nchi ambapo masuala ya uhamaji wa kijamii yameimarika kwa sababu ya upatikanaji usio sawa. Utafiti uliofadhiliwa na Baraza la Sanaa na Utu unachunguza majukumu ya wanawake wa Kiislamu wa Uingereza katika uchumi wa ubunifu wa Uingereza. Dini na imani ni highlighted kwa mara ya kwanza kama ufunguo wa kuelewa kubadilika contours ya uchumi na jamii. Ni wazi kwamba sauti na kazi ya wanawake wa kiislamu wanaoongoza ni muhimu kuendesha mandhari hii inayobadilika. "Mwanamke wa Kiislamu: ""Mwanamke wa Kiislamu: ""Mwanamke wa Kiislamu: ""Mwanamke wa Kiislamu: ""Mwanamke wa Kiislamu: ""Mwanamke wa Kiislamu: ""Mwanamke wa Kiislamu: ""Mwanamke wa Kiislamu: ""Mwanamke wa Kiislamu: ""Mwanamke wa Kiislamu: ""Mwanamke wa Kiislamu: ""Mwanamke wa Kiislamu: ""Mwanamke wa Kiislamu: ""Mwanamke wa Kiislamu: ""Mwanamke wa Kiislamu:" Hatukubaliwa kuwajibika kwa usahihi, yaliyomo, picha, video, leseni, ukamilifu, uhalali, au uaminifu wa habari zilizomo katika makala hii. Kama una malalamiko yoyote au masuala ya hakimiliki kuhusiana na makala hii, tafadhali wasiliana na mtoa juu.