midst a wave of Islamophobic bigotry, the number of reports of workplace discrimination filed by Muslims to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has reached record highs. The EEOC registered a 20 percent increase in complaints last year, which will likely be exceeded in 2010.
Instances of harassment are likely underreported, because workers who speak out against discrimination often lose their jobs. For example, meat packing corporation JBS Swift fired dozens of Somali immigrants for organizing a walkout during Ramadan in 2008 protesting the interruption of prayer breaks and general hostility on the job.
It is critically important to stand in solidarity with Muslim workers as discrimination becomes more and more common. Anti-Muslim bigotry has been spread by racist politicians and news outlets with increasing virulence since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in order to build support for imperialist intervention in the Middle East. Workers of all religions and nationalities need to stand united in the face of mounting attacks as the capitalist economic crisis drags on.
