Tag: Muslim

Walid J. Abdullah: Racism Only Occurs When The Commentary Fits

*When small Muslim children are called terrorists*

‘Oh this is a one-off incident. There is not much racism in Singapore.’

*When girls in hijabs are attacked*

‘Let’s not make a mountain of a molehill. This is just one person.’

*When a person is denied employment because of her race and religion*

‘This is bad judgment by an individual. Racism is not rampant.’

*When a politician suggests fencing off foreign workers*

‘This is one misquoted statement. She gets along well with foreign workers in her ward. Let’s not make a big deal out of this.’

*When a person is adjudged to be lazy solely because of his/her race*

‘Oh this is not widespread. People are generally racially tolerant.’

*When a lady who calls out racists is attacked for the colour of her skin*

‘Oh those are just social media trolls. People are in actuality race-blind.’

*When people are denied opportunities because of their faith*

‘Oh this is just pragmatism. Minorities shouldn’t complain too much. Racism is not a major issue.’

*When clear-cut, indefensible racist incidents take place*

‘Racism exists everywhere.’

—–

*When a couple of teenagers express support for terrorist groups*

‘This shows that terrorism is a major problem. We need to ensure that our entire social fabric is intact, and is not affected by self-radicalized individuals. This is a clear and present danger to the harmony of our country, and we must spare no effort to tackle this issue. If left unchecked, this scourge could destroy everything that we have ever achieved.’

Source: Walid J. Abdullah

May 3, 2016
PrimaDeli Incident Highlights Insidiousness Of Institutional Racism

PrimaDeli’s sacking of an employee should not be seen as a resolution to what seems to be an unfortunate one-off incident of racism (“PrimaDeli sacks staff for making racist remarks during job interview”; April 29). Rather, the incident should spur deeper thinking of the insidious ways of institutional racism.

In this incident, the racist remarks were not made by any employee, but the head of the baking department who is in a position of power to hire, dismiss and promote employees in the department. It is troubling when the few people in power who execute or have influence on company policies are prejudiced.

This raises certain questions on the company’s internal practices and management.

Does PrimaDeli send its people managers for training in setting up inclusive practices and preventing racial discrimination in the workplace? Is Mandarin the dominant language used in the workplace, which can potentially alienate other racial minorities? Is there proper racial representation in senior positions, and are there specific avenues for racial minorities to provide feedback on certain racial blind spots in the running of the company?

To be sure, institutional racism does not only come from prejudices held by people in power, but also from the dynamics of global capitalism.

The job applicant in this case, Ms Sarah Carmariah, said she was also asked if she could speak Mandarin because that is the language that most of the workers speak.

As a way of keeping costs low, many companies produce bread and cakes in central kitchens staffed by foreign nationals from China or Malaysia who speak mainly in Mandarin.

This is not the fault of any company; it is what many companies must do in order to survive in a competitive, saturated food industry.

But it does not change the fact that many racial minorities are institutionally disadvantaged in getting a job because they cannot speak in the dominant language that most of the foreign staff speak in.

Even if they are hired, it can be difficult for them to get promoted to management positions considering how the language barrier may hamper them from forming meaningful relationships with fellow workers.

It is time we begin the uncomfortable conversation on the various modes of implicit racism that exist within our industries, instead of dismissing this as yet another incident about the moral failings of an individual person.

Source: TODAY Online

May 3, 2016
Zulfikar Shariff: Racism Against Malay Community Finally Getting Attention

For the last 17 years…. PAP Malay MPs have blamed me for discussing how Malays are discriminated in Singapura.

I have been threatened, abused, attacked…

They said I should not raise these issues.

That we should compromise.

Give and take.

That I should encourage the community to support them so their party would see them as being relevant and they can do more.

That discrimination is isolated.

And now….we are starting to hear regular cases of discrimination.

These cases are becoming common not because society is becoming more racist.

But because the Malays used to accept being discriminated and kept quiet.

We did not have any avenue to raise it.

The media would not publish anything beyond government narrative.

The Malay MPs would reject, ignore and give platitudes when told of racism.

Malay organisations are powerless and (still) do not want to affect their standing.

But now with social media…we are beginning to see how Malays are actually treated.

And it is when we start to speak up, when we reject these discriminatory practices…

When we resist…

That we will finally be able to change the situation Insha Allah.

Racism has been ingrained in Singapuran society and institutions for years…

It finally is getting the attention it deserves.

Source: Zulfikar Shariff

May 1, 2016
Khairi Shah: Muslims Should Act & React In A Way Befitting Prophet Muhammad In Multicultural Singapore

The PrimaDeli “racist” fiasco, the condo secret prayer space getting thrown out, and many other issues being brought up in social media, are all indeed saddening to us Malay Muslims here in Singapore. We all know, racism/hate is real. Of course it is. It’s been around for decades. I’m not gonna pretend it’s not.

But, to see many of us dealing with the situation with threats and vulgarities, and rallying on one another with negativity towards other races.. Also saddens me. I mean, Islam doesn’t teach that. Our beloved Prophet wouldnt have approved of our behaviour. Like, take a step back and look. Arent we the same as them if we were to criticise a whole race for just several bad apples?

Chill my people. The company tells you to take out the tudung? Nvm, find a company with a boss that respects you and your religion enough, or one that actually allows tudungs. Condo prayer space thrown out? It’s okay, Allah will help you find a new one. Prima Deli saying if you cant speak Mandarin, dont work there? Its okay. Learn Mandarin. Or find a job that the people converse in English. To those people who treated you as such, may HE forgive them and open up their hearts.

We have to have patience, and chill. Show love, and lead by example. Even in bad times. God willing, it’ll move their hearts.

Remember, we don’t live in an Islamic country so we can’t expect ALL jobs and places to allow our Islamic practices, BUT however, we live in a multi-cultural country. So to everyone, have respect to one another. Understand one another. Have some teh. Come.

I give you free speech. Just gimme one teh-o peng, with prata. Multi-racial enough?

Source: Khairi Shah

May 1, 2016
Muslim Convert In France Refuses To Sell Clothes To Women On Weekdays

When Jean-Baptiste Michalon posted a notice on the outside of his general store last year, he hardly imagined that it would create a national outcry.

“Sisters on Saturdays and Sundays only,” the note read. Michalon’s message to customers in the French city of Bordeaux: Women were welcome only on weekends. Men could shop on weekdays.

On Tuesday, a court fined Michalon $560 for making such a distinction, despite his argument that he had posted the sign to protect his wife, who was also working in the store, and other women.

“We put this in place at the request of the sisters who preferred when my wife was behind the counter. It is a shop where we sell clothes,” Michalon, who converted to Islam four years ago, told the French news agency Agence France-Presse last year.

Following the outrage created by his note, the Frenchman closed his store and “admitted it was a blunder and tactless,” according to a statement from his lawyer.

Local politicians and Muslim leaders stressed that Michalon’s behavior did not represent mainstream opinions. The city’s mayor, Alain Juppé, a former prime minister of France, called the practice “discriminatory.”

Multiple studies have also found a growing problem with racism in France, mainly directed toward Muslims, who are believed to constitute about 7 percent of the French population. Muslims frequently complain that they have a hard time getting jobs, but conservative French commentators and politicians have emphasized that the country should not give up its founding promises of equality in order to please radical Islamists.

Source: The Independent UK

April 30, 2016