Definition
Religion refers to any religion, including a lack of religion. Belief refers to any religious or philosophical belief and includes a lack of belief. Generally, a belief should affect your life choices or the way you live for it to be included in the definition.
How this pertains to Higher Education
UCL has a Religion and Belief Equality Policy which essentially urges staff to accommodate student clothing, requests for absence and anything else that pertains to their religious practice. Its line is essentially that UCL is a secular institution that makes a good-faith attempt to accommodate religion but not to the point that it would undermine that secular position (for instance where compulsory classes clash with absence due to religious observance). It should also be noted that holding religious belief cannot justify discriminatory behaviour, so while we must accept someone holds a belief that is discriminatory, that does not entitle them to (for instance) publicly declare that belief where it would itself be an act of harassment against someone else.
There can be a strong overlap between discrimination and harassment on the grounds of race and religion: Muslim and Jewishstudents in particular are targeted in this way.
Case studies
- Case Study 1 Sidra is a home, BME student on a Masters programme and wears a headscarf. She finds out that a researcher in her home department is looking for participants to undergo an MRI scan. Sidra is keen to get involved to develop her understanding of MRI scanning, to support her own research project which is based on traumatic brain injuries. Sidra approaches the researcher to ask if she can take part. She points out her headscarf and asks if this might be problematic for conducting the test but does not really anticipate there being any issues. However, she is taken aback when the researcher responds with a negative tone, refusing to allow Sidra to take part in the study. Sidra then tries to explain how they might get around the situation but the researcher is not prepared to listen. She cuts Sidra off and tells her that she cannot take part as it could jeopardise the testing. Sidra is left feeling upset and uncomfortable at how she has been treated and spoken to. In a meeting with her personal tutor, she informs you of the situation. What do you do?Thanks to Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL and UCL ChangeMakers
- Case Study 2 Mohammed is a home BAME student and is a practicing Muslim with a beard. He comes from a working-class background. He studies at university and is completing an MSci, four-year programme of study. Mohammed performs very well academically and achieves top grades. However, he has struggled to make friends on his programme. Many of his peers like to get together for social activities that include alcohol and often invite him along. However, Mohammed does not drink and therefore does not feel comfortable in going to the pub. He also struggles to make conversation with some of his peers who are from a more affluent background and feels he does not have much in common with them. On Fridays, Mohammed dresses in religious/cultural attire to attend a local mosque for prayers in between attending lectures. He is conscious that both staff and students in his home department treat him differently as result, some stare at him and giving him funny looks. Some ignore him and do not talk to him. Mohammed feels like the odd one out in class because he looks different and stands out amongst his peers. He also feels slightly discriminated against because of his religious and cultural background. Mohammed shares his feelings and concerns with you as his personal tutor. What advice do you give?Thanks to Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL and UCL ChangeMakers
Further resources
Religion and Belief Equality Policy | Students – UCL – University College London
Institutionalised: The Rise of Islamophobia in Higher Education
Acas guide on religion or belief discrimination | Acas
Religion and belief in Higher Education | Wonkhe
Books
Spooner & McNinch eds (2018), Dissident Knowledge in Higher Education
Includes contribution on indigenous knowledge and the academy
Linda Tuhiwai Smith (2012), Decolonising Methodologies. Research and Indigenous People Decolonial critique of academic research and research methods, to help reclaim control over indigenous ways of knowing and being.
TED Talks & documentaries
Films/series
East is East, Damien O’Donnell (1999)