| Feature Item |
| Slough Borough Council Facilitates Muslim Practices at Work Tue 07 Dec 2004 |
| 88% of Muslims responding to a recent ICM poll were of the opinion that schools and workplaces should accommodate Muslim prayer times as part of their normal working day. |
Praying in the public corridor or in an out of the way room is, regrettably, the reality and the norm for thousands of Muslims at work. Some are even a little nervous or afraid to speak out and let their employers know their needs in this respect.
Prayer, the means by which we connect with God, is one of the key pillars of Islam. Five times a day, at prescribed times, Muslims the world over, wherever they find themselves, turn to face Mecca, to perform this most essential of duties. The hectic 'nine-to-five' lifestyle can be quite demanding and one of the difficulties facing many British Muslims is the ability to work effectively and simultaneously fulfil their religious obligations.
The harmonious combination of work and faith is however far from impossible to achieve as demonstrated by the actions taken by Slough Borough Council. In order to facilitate the fulfilment of the religious requirements of its employees, including Muslims; Slough Borough Council has provided a 'Quiet Room' that is open to all staff. Although increasingly common in the context of hospitals, this facility is still seldom available for those who work outside of the hospital sector.
Slough's Human Resources and Facilities Management Teams have been working towards developing a better understanding the religious requirements of their staff and have worked to implement a corporate procedure so that managers throughout the organisation can offer flexibility and support to the religious commitments of staff. In a move to further facilitate the practice of religion in the workplace, the Council has agreed to provide appropriate washing facilities, making it convenient to perform the Ablution (ritual washing) preceding the prayer.
The Council employees represent a broad spectrum of cultures, races and religions and during the next year the organisation will look into collaborating religious holiday allowance for all staff at preferred times of the year, making it easier for them to book annual leave during Ramadan, Eid and Diwaali, for example.
We warmly welcome initiatives such as these which aim to promote harmony and respect amongst people of all faiths and cultures and are actively working to promote this sort of good practice in the UK. Examples of the work undertaken so far include, liaison with the Citizen's Advice Bureau, HM Prison Service, the Federation of Small Businesses, and many other national and regional bodies
A national conference organised by the MCB's DTI team is being held on the 16th of December and nationwide campaigns are being held throughout the year. For details on this, please contact Safia on dtiproject@mcb.org.uk or click here for further information.
Slough Borough Council |
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