We hear from Muslim dental professionals about the issue of islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiment in the dental profession.
‘Maybe if you wore your hijab more fashionably then it would be less intimidating’
‘There are no innocent civilians in Gaza, just human shields’
‘They are being kept in a fence because they cannot be trusted to act like a normal state’
‘Terrorist sympathiser’
‘All Muslims become terrorists’
These are some of the comments Muslim healthcare professionals have faced recently. Almost 60% of (397) respondents from a recent survey completed by members of the British Islamic Medical Association have experienced anti-Muslim hostility or discrimination from colleagues (in person or online), and 61% have felt an increase in anti-Muslim rhetoric in healthcare settings after recent events.
In addition, 95% of our fellow colleagues feel that the current situation is affecting their mental health, with 59% of those affected a great deal.
While both antisemitism and islamophobia refer to prejudices or discrimination against a religious/ethnic group, only antisemitism has been formally outlawed in UK legislation.
Advocacy groups like MEND (Muslim Engagement and Development) have been trying to get anti-Muslim hatred outlawed. However, the UK government has resisted these calls thus far.
This may explain why some respondents tried to raise concerns regarding racism and anti-Muslim comments, but were dismissed by senior management.
Why did only 12% of healthcare professionals feel they were able to express their opinion safely at work without fear of discrimination?
Huge concern
The occupation of Palestine can be traced back to 1948 and the ‘Nakba’, which involved the violent displacement of more than 700,000 Palestinians from more than 400 villages and towns. The British Medical Journal has published an editorial decrying the violence – and this make me question why we have not yet seen the same in dentistry.
As healthcare leaders, we have the ability to courageously and actively challenge injustice – but this must be done with compassion, respect and sensitivity. It is vital to outline that there is a distinction between criticism of the Israeli government and antisemitism. Furthermore, the Jewish community is not responsible for the actions of Israel, nor the Muslim and/or Palestinian community responsible for the actions of Hamas.
Lastly, healthcare professionals worldwide have expressed huge concern about the extensive loss of life of thousands of innocent people in a short time in a confined space. In healthcare there is a unique ability to remove bias, and be able to place care towards the health and safety of human life. As such, many medical and dental professionals have become increasingly concerned about the massive scale of lives lost and injured.
Our practice is grounded in ethics, compassion and an oath to do no harm. This is the time for us to unite in our humanity, regardless of background, to call for an immediate ceasefire, an end to the occupation and a future that embodies justice and cohesion.
Support
For any healthcare professionals who require support during this challenging time:
- Inspirited Minds (faith based mental health charity) Home – Inspirited Minds
- Tell Mama (report anti-Muslim hatred) Report in Anti-Muslim Hate or Islamophobia (tellmamauk.org)
For anyone wishing to donate to our colleagues on the ground:
- Medical aid for Palestinians (MAP) – Medical Aid for Palestinians (map.org.uk)
- United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees UNRWA | United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.
Dr Shah has worked as a GDP in England and Australia, and has voluntary experience providing dental care in Cambodia and West Bank, Occupied Palestine Territory.
Dr Safiyyah works as a GDP, with clinical experience providing dental care in the West Bank and working experience in health systems and policy reform.
Advocating for rights
The following account is published under agreement of anonymity to protect the author, but Dentistry can confirm they are a Muslim dental professional working in the UK. We thank them for sharing their story.
In these challenging times, healthcare professionals must unite in advocating for the safety, dignity, and freedom of all civilians, emphasising the shared humanity of individuals on both sides of the conflict.
Oxfam’s chief executive Danny Sriskandarajah has called the situation in Gaza the worst humanitarian crisis in Oxfam’s history. We must become more comfortable with feeling uncomfortable and learn more about the injustices occurring within Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territory – so that we can safeguard the rights of all people, equally, to have freedom and security, free from oppression and persecution without bias and irrespective of faith, race or gender.
It is crucial that healthcare professionals advocate for the safety, dignity, and freedom of all individuals, irrespective of their faith or background. We must be able to put aside our own bias and treat all people from all races or faiths with respect and compassion. We must not mislabel those advocating for the end of violence towards Palestinians as antisemitic and should recognise the seriousness of such allegations.
In the face of rising islamophobia, it is imperative that we recognise and address the injustices occurring globally: Muslims, both in the UK and abroad, are facing increased hostility, with hate crimes on the rise. It is crucial that we, as healthcare professionals, advocate for the safety, dignity, and freedom of all individuals, regardless of their faith or background.
We must recognise too that, in accordance with Article 1 of the United Nations’ Universal declaration of Human Rights: ‘All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.’
Accordingly, advocating for the equal rights of the Palestinian people should never be misconstrued as anti-Jewish. Indeed, thousands of Jewish people have also advocated for this.
Let us foster an environment where advocating for human rights is met with understanding and compassion, and where healthcare professionals work together to combat discrimination, ensuring a more peaceful future for all.
Wishing all strength and resilience during these challenging times.
Dentistry condemns the violence and loss of life occurring in the Middle East: our hearts go out to everyone affected by the humanitarian crisis that has unfolded since 7 October.
We are not qualified to comment more deeply on a dispute whose roots go back generations. Where we do feel a need to comment is on our strongly held belief that racism has no place in the dental community. Condemning the actions of Hamas or Israel in this conflict is one thing: extending that condemnation to dental colleagues and posting comments based on peoples’ race or religion is completely another.
We are concerned that both islamophobic behaviour as well as antisemitism is on the increase. There is proof that this is happening across the globe, in communities outside of dentistry, but we have received evidence that it is making its way into the dental community too. Dentistry does not exist in a vacuum: the aim of this article is to contextualise those incidences and shine a light on behaviours in the UK dental profession.
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