In Community #2: Islamophobia, safety, and a new diversity metric

Author

Fahad Khawaja, Founder of Hue
October 20, 2023

I’ve struggled to remain focused over the past couple of weeks. I’ve felt uncertain, uncomfortable, and at times unsafe at the prospect of speaking out. And I know I’m not alone.

How can we be expected to focus on “business as usual” when what we’re experiencing is far from it? A war in the Middle East can feel distant here in the US until the moment it isn’t.

And it has quickly hit home in the past several days. As someone who grew up Muslim in the region, as someone with friends and loved ones who come from diverse backgrounds – Arab, Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Black, White, and beyond – I’m feeling and seeing how it’s impacting us as individuals. No loss of life or struggle for humanity should be treated lightly, whether you’re Palestinian, Israeli, Arab, Jewish, Muslim, Christian, or otherwise.

But what does this mean for us collectively?

It's been disappointing and disheartening to see such destructive rhetoric about the humanitarian crisis splashed across the media landscape. And even more so, across the business landscape. We’ve seen parallels with other struggles when it comes to BIPOC. And it should be clearly stated that the values you tout as a leader are the same values that must be applied here and now.

On one hand, highly visible corporate leaders – along with their companies – have taken positions that place the lives of one group above the other. On the other hand, these same leaders and companies continue to say they believe in fair and just treatment of all people.

Consider this: What value do you place on trust? How do your employees feel as a result of public statements you’ve made in support of one group vs. another? How does this affect their trust in you as a leader? Do your Palestinian or Arab employees feel safe, seen, and heard? How do your Muslim employees feel, many of whom may have experienced deep inequities and lack of safety over the past two decades as we’ve come of age in a post-9/11 world? How does the way you’ve approached this situation compare to how you’ve approached others at work in the past?

As leaders, our words and actions have power. And we have a responsibility to set the tone.

Listen: Modern Minorities podcast

I recently made an appearance on the Modern Minorities podcast to talk with host Raman Sehgal about some of the formative life experiences that led to where I am today, including life as a young Muslim immigrant in America after 9/11, as a professional trying to navigate spaces where I was often the only one from my background, and the challenges our communities face.

Take a listen to get a deeper understanding around the impact of Islamophobia and get some recommendations. I hope you’ll also get a nugget or two to help you in your personal or professional journey along the way.

A new AI tool rates beauty brands on inclusion, listing MAC Cosmetics as #1

Did you know that people with darker skin tones average 4x less screen time in beauty ads than their lighter skin counterparts? A new effort aims to bring accountability to beauty brands around representation and inclusion.

The SeeMe Index, founded by two former Google execs, launched this week, using "responsible AI to measure, benchmark, and celebrate brands’ consumer-facing inclusivity efforts."

Need to Know

In community,

Fahad