By Khadijah Tijani
Today is #InternationalWomensDay so I thought I should write about a not-so-popular topic.
This is a reality that many Muslim female physicians, including myself, face everyday, but people don’t seem ready for the conversation. When we try to bring up the topic, the same people who call themselves advocates of equity, justice and inclusion would only pay lip service to the issue and nothing is done about it eventually.
These biases are often rooted in stereotypes and misconceptions about Islam and Muslim women. For example, people believe that “All Muslim women are oppressed or subservient to men and therefore, therefore, they don’t belong in a prestigious profession like medicine.”
This is nothing but fallacy. The opposite is, in fact, the case. We have a long record of historical Muslim women who have excelled in the health field, even before the Western world started allowing women to learn about healthcare and medicine. The Prophet himself (peace be upon him) permitted women to be involved in healthcare. Neither the fathers nor the husbands of these women had any objections. We had women like Rufaydah Al-Aslamiyyah and Nusaybah bint Ka’ab who followed the early Muslims to the battlefield and provided care for the wounded soldiers.
Muslim women are encouraged to pursue careers like medicine because it fits our feminine nature. We are empathetic and resilient. We have seen a lot of young muslim women graduating from medical schools with excellent performance. We don’t want to waste those brains, do we? We want them to be helpful to the community and to the world at large.
These biases can manifest in several ways, such as assumptions that Muslim women cannot make decisions for themselves or that they cannot effectively communicate with male patients or colleagues or that they end up not practising medicine after all the educational investment. Muslim women are just like any other human being. Allāh has given us the ability to think critically and make decisions that can lead to the preservation of lives and limbs. We may have some limitations and boundaries, but nothing stops us from saving lives.
According to Khan et al. (2022) “gendered Islamophobia is prevalent in Canada and is premised on the stereotype that Muslim women are powerless victims of their religious tradition. Visibly identifiable Muslim women in health care professions are affected by gendered Islamophobia in the form of exclusion and discrimination, which can result in lack of safety, fear, decreased job satisfaction and burnout”. (Culled from Canadian Medical Association Journal).
Muslim women in medicine also face discrimination or stereotyping based on their appearance or religious practices. For example, a Muslim woman who wears a hijab may be perceived as less professional, or may face challenges in finding work or career advancement opportunities. Many have been forced to change the way they wear their hijabs, or even, remove it altogether!
Some patients or colleagues may have negative attitudes towards Muslim women who pray during work hours. This often leads to overt bullying and hurtful comments. While I was working in a particular hospital in Nigeria many years ago, it was hard for me to boldly take an excuse from my seniors when it was time for prayers. I had to sneak out and ask a fellow junior doctor to cover for me. In contrast, when I was in Saudi Arabia, prayer times were respected and each medical employee was allowed, and even encouraged, to pray at the right time.
Another common bias against Muslim women in medicine is the assumption that they are not proficient in English or that they are not familiar with Western medical practices. This happens when women from African and Asian countries travel to the West for further training. Muslim female physicians are often overlooked for certain positions or not being taken seriously in their work, unless and until we prove our worth beyond reasonable doubt.
These biases can have significant negative impacts on the careers and lives of Muslim women in medicine. They can lead to loss of opportunities, increased stress and burnout, feelings of isolation and exclusion, and finally, total loss of interest in the profession. These things shouldn’t be happening to us, considering the need for female doctors in the Muslim community. We need more female gynaecologists to take care of our women, but the journey is riddled with these biases we’re talking about.
You may begin to wonder…”but there are still many Muslim women doing just fine in their profession”. The truth behind their success is hidden under the sea like an iceberg. They won’t tell you how they had to reduce their hijab to a certain length so that they won’t be seen as extremists. They won’t tell you how they missed salah because the environment was not fit for praying. They won’t tell you how their marriage crashed (or almost crashed) because of an unsupportive spouse. They may also not tell you how they constantly regret the moments they were not available when their children needed them most.
It is important for the medical community to actively work towards addressing and dismantling biases against Muslim women in medicine. This can involve education and awareness training for medical professionals and staff, creating more inclusive workplace policies, and actively recruiting and promoting Muslim women in medicine.
Khan et al. (2022) opine that “Education about Islamophobia and gendered Islamophobia should be incorporated within existing anti oppression and transformative learning-teaching practices in medical education. Research and stronger institutional policies and practices are needed to mitigate the harmful impact of gendered Islamophobia on Muslim women in medical spaces.”
In conclusion, discrimination against Muslim female medical professionals is a real problem affecting Muslim communities in many parts of the world. Not all of us will be able to relocate to Islamic countries. Some of us may have to stay in our home countries or travel to the West to gain more knowledge and expertise. By addressing these biases, we can create a more equitable and just environment for all medical professionals, irrespective of religion, gender, or cultural background.
Khadijah Tijani is a medical doctor. She writes from London, Ontario and can be reached through askdoctorkt@gmail.com or @AskDoctorKT.