Islamophobia | Worker labelled 'Mr Taliban' by colleagues and mocked for going to mosque

A UK worker has described their experience of consistent Islamophobic abuse, in a revealing portrayal of racism in social care.

The anonymous social worker, described how they would repeatedly face abuse from both care users and colleagues, describing how one co-worker called them “Mr Taliban” and an individual needing support called them a “Bin Laden social worker” through email.

The practitioner, who wrote about their experiences in an article on CommunityCare, a job search and news website for social workers, also describes a situation where they were asked by another social worker to switch on their camera during a Microsoft Teams call, saying ‘We already know you look like a terrorist’ and a time when a manager mocked them for “having an imaginary friend” in response to them attending mosque.

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Yet, the employee doesn’t see these events as one-off occurrences, but attributes them to systemic racism in the UK, especially within the social work sector. “After more than 10 years in the profession, I realise my experiences are not isolated but a reflection of deeply rooted Islamophobia in Britain, including in social work,” the employee explains.