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Muslim women in jobs can help beat extremism
MUSLIM women are an untapped resource in the fight against extremism within their communities.
Helping them find jobs would help cut the risk of women suicide bombers emerging in Britain, according to a report about Asian women in cities including Bradford.
Counter-terrorism think tank Quilliam says more needs to be done to engage with non-English speaking Muslim women who, in their capacity as mothers, are the first line of defence against Islamist extremism among their children.
Empowering and helping integrate them is essential to prevent women suicide bombers emerging in Britain. "This is not scaremongering, but an eventuality that we must endeavour to prevent at all costs in the UK," Quillam says in its report today.
In a survey earlier this year, it found almost 60 per cent of unemployed Muslim women polled wanted to work so they could be more independent and support their family.
"The report shows that by failing to provide the practical help that these women require to enter employment, Britain is under-utilising a vast resource for boosting integration and preventing extremism in yet another generation of Muslims," said a Quilliam spokeswoman.
The survey of women, which included Bradford residents, found:
64 per cent said that practical solutions, particularly childcare and English language tuition, would help them get a job.
Most of the poll's 634 respondents – 57 per cent – want to work.
None cited their religion as the reason for their not wanting to work.
<Li. 73 per cent want to work so they can be more independent and to support their family.
49 per cent said that they can't work because of their childcare/domestic responsibilities.
As well as suffering because of negative stereotypes from outside their communities, Muslim women also needed more support from within their communities, according to Quilliam which found in a recent poll of 512 mosques that only 54 per cent had facilities for women.
"Women have limited access to the religious and lay leadership in mosques to shape debates about a woman's role in family and community life. This has to change so Muslim women can become powerful counter voices to the 'us versus them' narrative peddled by extremist elements within their communities."
Dewsbury-born Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion and Social Action, said she suspected a far higher percentage than quoted actually wanted to work and Islam was not a barrier to learning or working.
"Faith informs many cultural practices and traditions, but as this study shows, Islam neither puts a cap on these women's aspirations nor hampers their efforts to learn and work.
"Moreover, I suspect the real number of immigrant women who want to work is much higher, but they may feel the obstacles to employment are too great for them to be able to articulate a desire to work."
"There is a huge scope for Muslim women in the UK to make an economic, social and political contribution to our country and that contribution is vital if we are to undermine the separatist narratives peddled by extremists. These women represent a significant untapped resource."
Co-author of the report Anya Hart Dyke, said: "The UK economy is in recession, but action needs to be taken today to support this immigrant community into work, thereby reducing dependence on the state, facilitating integration and boosting social capital. Given that immigration into the UK from the subcontinent through marriage is still common, this social group's learning needs persist."
Co-author Lucy James said: "This report shows that the idea that Muslim women don't want to work is completely false.
"Muslim women do want to work but are being held back by a shortage of child care, limited English-language skills and a lack of family support.
"'Muslim community leaders' and government need to support Muslim women to fulfil their ambitions rather than pandering to popular prejudices about Islam being a barrier to a woman's career."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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