44% of Muslim doctors ‘have faced regular discrimination since medical school’
The British Islamic Medical Association (BIMA) also found majority had made lifestyle changes to stay safe after the riots
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Muslim doctors in the UK are facing persistent discrimination based primarily on their religious identity, researchers have found.
A survey of just over 100 Muslim doctors conducted over the summer by the British Islamic Medical Association (BIMA), whose results have just been published, examined how faith, systemic bias and religious accommodation correlate with professional and psychological outcomes for doctors in the NHS. BIMA was founded in 2013 to support Muslim health workers in the UK through networking, professional development and advocacy.
More than two fifths of doctors surveyed, 44%, said they had faced regular discrimination since medical school, and 38% had experienced discrimination in their current workplace. Some 40% said their religion was the most often targeted aspect of their identity.
In February 2023, the NHS reported that its workforce was at its most diverse, with 42% of doctors, dentists and consultants coming from an ethnic minority background. The health service does not collect data on religion, however, and BIMA estimates that roughly 10% of doctors identify as Muslim.
Negative experiences such as those captured by the survey are “unsurprising” and “part of a pattern” within the NHS, according to Dr Hina Shahid, chair of the Muslim Doctors Association. She said the NHS should prioritise tackling Islamophobia and racism.
“Faith doesn’t get the due recognition that it deserves. It’s just an afterthought,” she said. “We need more trusts to look at faith equality within the NHS routinely. It’s not something that’s done at the moment.”
BIMA also found that 15% of Muslim doctors surveyed had encountered patients refusing treatment because they didn’t want a Muslim doctor. And more than half — 56% — felt scrutiny was heightened because of their religious identity. Most also struggled with prayer at work and felt inadequately accommodated.
The study also pointed to the disparities in career progression, with a third of doctors believing they were passed over for professional advancement owing to their faith.
“There are a lot of qualified doctors who are currently not in employment because of their experiences,” said Dr Naomi Green, BIMA’s policy and public affairs officer. “Others also aren’t in higher positions because they’ve been discouraged.”
BIMA conducted the survey in August 2024 after the summer riots, and found that an overwhelming majority of doctors — 82% — had made significant lifestyle changes in their wake, including avoiding public transport and public places. The riots increased the sense of vulnerability among minority ethnic workers, with nearly 44% considering leaving the NHS and 74% considering leaving the UK entirely as a result of this summer’s events.
Previous research by BIMA in 2021 found that 81% of doctors surveyed had experienced Islamophobia or racism within the NHS, while 69% felt their experience had worsened during their time in the NHS. More than half also felt that Islamophobia had held them back in their career progression within the organisation.
The challenges are heightened for female Muslim doctors. BIMA’s survey found that those whose faith was visible — for instance, by wearing a hijab — faced additional barriers.
One former female foundation doctor shared her experience with discrimination while working in a hospital in the south-west of England. During her fourth year of medical school, she was refused entry into an operating theatre unless she removed her hijab due to the “bare below the elbows” NHS policy. Despite having entered the theatre with her hijab on previous occasions, this time she was told she could not go in, although she had brought a fresh scarf with her, as per BIMA’s advice.
“Sometimes I would be told to put a hat over my hijab, sometimes they would just make me cover it up,” she said. “But this time I was told to remove my scarf and cover my hair with a hair net, which would have left my neck and chest exposed, which I’m not comfortable with.”
Although frustrated, she didn’t raise the issue with any senior colleagues.
“One of the ways I’ve survived my career as a doctor is by staying under the radar as much as possible,” she said. “At that time, I already stood out — I was the only Black doctor in my year and I was also the only hijab-wearing woman. So, if anyone had any issues with me, I would have been easy to identify.”
BIMA said it would like to see better data collection from the NHS on ethnicity and religion among its workforce. The organisation would also like to see more education among employers on Islamophobia and how to tackle it.
“We also have an additional issue with Prevent,” said Green. “There are issues with how it’s been used to stereotype and sometimes forced doctors to self-censor.”
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