1.2 Religious stereotyping
Learners with diverse religious beliefs may experience religious stereotyping and discrimination that can profoundly affect their learning experience. In one research project in the USA, 69% of Muslim women who wore a hijab (headscarf) reported an incident of discrimination compared to 29% of Muslim women who did not wear one (American Civil Liberties Union, 2023). Muslim learners in UK university student forums have also talked about the impact of receiving negative comments about their clothing, lack of flexibility in exam and lecture scheduling during fasting periods, such as Ramadan, and about being stereotyped as ‘terrorists’.
The UK Muslim comedian, Guz Khan, describes his own experience of this stereotyping in comic fashion in the following short video: We need to talk about the whole Muslim/ terrorist/ stereotype thing/ Live at the Apollo. Please be aware that some swear words appear in the video.
This was recorded at the Apollo Theatre in London and one viewer wrote the following caption after viewing it:
People say we should not make jokes about sensitive matters, but comedy puts people together, and makes us realise how ridiculous it is to judge people by their culture, religion skin colour, etc.
Activity _unit7.2.3 Activity 3 Religious stereotyping
Reflecting on Guz Khan’s video can you think of instances of religious stereotyping that you have witnessed, experienced or heard about in your learning environment?
What impact do you think they might have on a learner with poor mental health?
How might such religious stereotyping be prevented in your setting?
Discussion
Guz Khan makes the point in his video that he believes we all ‘just want to live and get along’ but that stereotyping, such as in media narratives that portray Muslims, minority ethnic groups and Black Lives Matter in unhelpful ways, has a divisive effect. The media are influential when representing minoritised ethnic groups and can utilise their power in both positive and negative ways which creates normalised, but not necessarily accurate, perceptions. Promoting an inclusive environment is essential for changing this narrative and its negative impact on your learners.