“At University of Essex, we are committed to creating an inclusive study, research, and work environment where diversity is recognized as a key driver of success. As part of our ongoing efforts to build a community where all individuals can thrive, we are launching a consultation process to better understand the experiences of our Muslim staff and students on campus. The consultation is rooted in our Education, Research, and People Supporting Strategies (.pdf) and aims to proactively tackle Islamophobia by adopting a shared understanding of what it entails and how we can combat it together.
According to a 2021 report by Universities UK (UUK), Islamophobic incidents are widespread in the UK, and universities have a critical role to play in combating them. A 2017/18 survey carried out by the NUS revealed that one in three Muslim university students in the UK had experienced some form of abuse or crime on campus, often due to prejudice against their Muslim identity. At University of Essex, we are committed to changing this.
Our consultation has two primary objectives. Firstly, we want to gain insight into how Islamophobia manifests itself on campus and whether our current practices and procedures may indirectly harm our Muslim community. Secondly, we want to establish an institutional definition of Islamophobia and identify the measures and initiatives we can put in place to create a more inclusive environment for our Muslim staff and students.
Our goal is to develop a comprehensive program of work to address Islamophobia at the University of Essex. We value the input of our community and are eager to understand the lived experiences of our Muslim staff and students. We will use their input to make recommendations to the University Steering Group and begin implementing them in the Spring term of 2024. At University of Essex, we believe that a united and diverse community is the key to achieving excellence in all that we do.”
If you are a staff or student at the University, and follow Islam, we would appreciate you taking the time to respond to our consultation. You can access the survey link here.
Please respond to this survey by June 30.
https://www.essex.ac.uk/blog/posts/2023/05/18/tackling-islamophobia
