Our hearts and minds remain heavy with the ongoing catastrophe that afflicts the people in Gaza. At home, we have seen an alarming rise in Islamophobia. We are receiving numerous reports of discrimination at work and on campuses with multiple requests for support. This has been accompanied by the distressing targeting of Muslim healthcare professionals (HCPs) and students who have been speaking out against the genocide in Gaza.
This has included malicious referrals to regulators, employers, and universities alongside orchestrated harassment and bullying campaigns on social media in attempts to silence legitimate political opinion, expression of support for the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe and stifle debate.
BIMA has been working to respond to these challenges with the following actions:
- Launching a new, free Support Service, for members to access legal and pastoral support. This has included emotional and practical guidance to members impacted by Islamophobia, censorship or sanctions, including 1:1 pastoral and psychological support.
- Webinar series with legal experts, MDOs, unions, and support services.
- Engaging with multiple regulatory and representative bodies to push for equity and better support.
- Meetings with all the major medical indemnity providers, NHS Resolution, NHS England Professional Standards, and the Care Quality Commission.
- Pushing unions, regulators, and university bodies to collect and publish data on faith to prevent disparate outcomes. We are pushing for tailored support with culturally competent offers with faith-specific interventions being incorporated within those offers.
- Written to the CEOs of NHS England, Wales, and Scotland asking more be done in provision of clinical and humanitarian relief efforts, and lobbying for UK hospitals to aid injured Palestinians.
- Fundraised £33,000+ for Medical Aid for Palestinians, platformed the work of Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, and supporting recruitment of medical relief missions to Gaza.
- Surveyed the impact of the Gaza crisis on Muslim HCPs, published in the BMJ.
What are we planning to do going forward?
- Continue lobbying our unions, defence organisations, universities, regulators, Royal Colleges and others to support Muslim HCPs and use their platforms to aid the people of Gaza.
- Develop further resources and guidance in collaboration with legal experts to support Muslim HCPs expressing legitimate opinions on the current crisis.
- Liaise with media outlets to share our stories of Islamophobia, censorship and harassment.
- Organise our members and allies to ensure effective representation in our professional bodies.
- Support individuals with legal and pastoral resources in defending their right to free speech and against vexatious complaints from lobby groups.
You are not alone. We are working as your advocates to ensure our voices are heard and our rights are upheld.
Contact us if you need assistance or support
Email in confidence: [email protected], or call: 0203 551 2497