12: Islamophobia: How does the idea of Islamophobia affect how Muslim professionals experience the workplace?
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Phobias are a form of anxiety disorder.\\xa0 When you have a fear of heights or a fear of clowns, you can\\u2019t be rational, you can\\u2019t be deliberate, and you do everything in your power to put distance between you and your fear.\\xa0 Fear of Muslims or fear of Islam doesn\\u2019t work that way because it\\u2019s not a phobia.\\xa0 It is hate, it is discrimination, it is biased, it is unfair, and it is irrational, but it is not a phobia.\\xa0 When someone has a phobia, the appropriate reaction is empathy.\\xa0 When someone hates, the appropriate reaction is not empathy, its action.\\xa0 This episode of \\u201cVoices Worth Listening To\\u201d speaks to how a conscious and often unconscious apprehension, fear, and even deep-seated hate for Muslims shapes how Muslims experience the professional world.\\xa0 We will explore real stories from Muslim professionals who demonstrate how they have hidden being Muslim, how they have sacrificed key parts of their identity to fit in, how they have learned to be silent about their faith, and how fear has limited their ability to grow in their careers.\\xa0 Organizational leaders must realize that understanding how Muslims experience the workplace is not simply a diversity issue; it\\u2019s actually a success issue that prevents the organization from maximizing its performance. \\xa0
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