WORKING WITH DEMONS (Workplace Islamophobia)

By Hifsa Ashraf

Working with Demons by Hifsa Ashraf

Photo by Viktor Vasicsek on Unsplash

First published in Singapore in 2020 by proletaria.org Copyright © 2020 Hifsa Ashraf

All rights reserved. This eBook may be downloaded for the reader’s personal use only. It may not be sold, copied, or circulated in any other way without the prior written permission of the publisher. Further, no part of this eBook may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Dedicated to

M Afzal Khan CBE MP, Shadow Foreign Office Minister, UK

Inspired by his work on Islamophobia

Preface

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Islamophobia means the "Intense dislike or fear of Islam, esp. as a political force; hostility or prejudice towards Muslims". So, Islamophobia is a kind of anti-Muslim racism where a Muslim becomes a victim of racism, harassment, or bullying due to the perceived image of Islam.

Islamophobia has taken a paradigm shift after the work of the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims (appg) on the definition of Islamophobia.(1)

“Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.”

The purpose of this echap poetry book is to familiarize people with the concept of Islamophobia at workplace where besides the work force diversity, they are stigmatized and/or marginalized and deprived of the employees rights, and equal employment opportunities.

This e-chapbook comprises of 15 short poems including 1-4 lines haiku, and tanka about various issues faced by Muslims/perceived Muslims due to Islamophobia at work.

_____________ (1) Islamophobia Defined

glass ceiling she uses an acronym for her name

job orientation… the lingering cold after handshakes

confrontation meeting he avoids itching his beard

crimson clouds looming over the horizon

his fierce eyes send shivers down

my spine

overtime alone lurking in the shadows of blinds

a long pause before homonyms…

brainstorming

office window shifting my attention the snowflakes

sticky notes in the half-open drawer

piece by piece… the words that ruin

her colourful dreams

explosion outside the office clouds their thoughts

digging out my roots

job promotion interview

the denial of official breaks my heart to say prayers

behind the stack of papers

a new intern amends the letter for Eid holidays

lunchtime pushing her Muslimness into the corner

bright Sirius the same old dream ‘employee of the year’

not a single constellation peer review

About the Author

Hifsa Ashraf (Punjab, Pakistan) is a semifinalist for the Sable Books Contest 2020 for women and is an award-winning poet, story writer, and co-editor of the Haiku Commentary blog. Her first collaborative chapbook with Alan Summers is 'The Comfort of Crows' by Velvet Dusk Publishing. She writes poetry in English, Urdu, and Punjabi.

Hifsa's blog: hifsays.blogspot.com Twitter: @hifsays

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