A female Muslim woman in a workplace.

“I was born and grew up in the UK. My grandparents came to the UK from India in the early 1960s for
a better life and the opportunities it offered. They made a lot of sacrifices and growing up I lived with
extended family, surrounded with lots of love and role models. Education and working hard were
important as was learning what it meant having a hybrid identity; growing up in a western society
whilst making sure my cultural and religious values and beliefs were not lost.

I want to share my lived experience and insight on balancing my aspirations with my faith and culture,
setting myself boundaries and being true to who I am and what’s important to me.

Behaviours

Part way through my career, when I was considering moving from middle management to head of
finance level, I was given the opportunity to deputise for a Director of Finance at a formal governance
committee. The chair of the committee was having an ‘off day’ and the meeting was not going well at
all. There were issues with the paper that I was presenting. The chair had made up their made they
were no longer interested in what I had to say but what surprised me the most was how I was spoken
to. I didn’t mind being challenged or be given feedback on what was presented, but it was the tone
and the lack of respect. I could sense everyone else in the room feeling uncomfortable but as leaders
rather than ‘call it out’, they allowed and accepted that behaviour. In that moment I was working
through my emotions and I didn’t have the emotional intelligence or leadership maturity to act whilst
still being in control, so my response was silence and inner shock. My religion and culture teaches me
respect and this experience demonstrated to me how much impact certain behaviours had on me.

I let my director know and shared openly that if being a leader means you compromise on your beliefs
and values then it’s not something I would like to aspire to. I strongly believe that being in a leadership
position does not give that individual permission to disrespect others. Regardless of our religious
beliefs and culture, this is an important part of our organisational values we should all expect to be
treated and treat others with courtesy and respect. We should all expect this but it’s something
particularly crucial when it’s a fundamental principle of an individual’s faith. Of course, I’ll never know
for sure whether their reaction was influenced by conscious or unconscious bias, but I do know how
they made me feel. Situations and experiences help you grow as a person through your career
journey, and you should work through those moments and find mechanisms to handle yourself better
in difficult situations. I may not be the most outspoken person in the room and my approach might be
different, but it doesn’t mean I can’t be assertive. It just means my style and approach is different
because I’m being true to myself and my values.

Cultural Sensitivities

I started wearing a hijab (head covering) when I was at university and my dress code is a submission
to my faith. Hijab is an Arabic word that means ‘veil’, but you might simply know it as a headscarf. A
Muslim woman can choose to wear the Hijab or not, that is her choice, and it is only between her and
Allah (God). For me a hijab represents modesty, privacy and morality and good character in all
aspects of my life. I feel reassured and respected, and it acts as a reminder of my identity of a Muslim
woman. Hijab is a personal choice and not all Muslim women wear a hijab. Being a Muslim means
constantly striving to strengthen your belief (Iman), and different women are at different stages of their
spiritual journey. Wearing a hijab also means being prepared of possibly being treated differently and
a range of different reactions i.e. the positive, indifferent and, unfortunately sometimes, the negative.
Beating the heat in the summer is a challenge and colleagues ask questions out of curiosity, not all
responses are caring, comforting, and supportive. I take this opportunity to educate colleagues and
explain that Muslim women who wear a hijab persevere in the summer for the spiritual rewards.

The NHS Muslim Network has produced several guidance documents for Muslim colleagues, allies
and friends. Some of these guidance documents have been produced specifically for managers and
colleagues who are not Muslim to help bring awareness on Islam and the requirements of Muslim
staff at work. This can be found on the link provided. Guidance documents – NHS Muslim Network
I’ve been working in the NHS for 20 years and I’ve been very fortunate to be given development
opportunities throughout my career. I’ve worked in commissioning finance and have also done a
number of regional roles at NHS England.

During college and university and when you’re applying for jobs, you are taught interview etiquette
which involves handshakes as a way of introduction. For a female Muslim woman, shaking
hands/physical contact with someone from the opposite sex is going against my religious beliefs but I
did it because I thought not doing so would be perceived in a negative way or I might affect my
chances of getting the job!

A practising Muslim also has five obligatory prayers which need to be performed at certain times of
the day. In winter months it becomes particularly challenging as the days are shorter which means
there are three prayers (noon/afternoon/sunset) during an average working day. With hybrid working,
a lot has changed but during the early part of my career, I would be sat in meetings, watching the
clock, worried I would miss the prayer time window. I didn’t feel comfortable requesting to be excused
early, attending late or requesting changes to the agenda times.

Having taken professional development opportunities, including programmes offered to under
represented groups, I found that in understanding myself better and seeing how my behaviours can
be perceived in a workplace, my confidence grew. It also made me comfortable and realise how
important it is to be open, to allow that awareness and learning. So when it comes to handshakes
now whether at conferences, events or meetings, rather than feeling ‘I have to’ and then feeling guilty
afterwards, I refuse and explain why, which makes the other person think and take that learning for
the future. If prayer times clash with meetings or events, I request adjustments to accommodate my
needs.

Hopefully this gives a helpful insight to what it’s like for a female Muslim woman, the daily needs, my
inner struggles and what I need in my workplace to be myself and work at my best.

It is really important to me to be respected and be given space to be who I am.”

Hafiza Ugradar, Assistant Director of Strategic Finance, NHS England.