Recommendation 30: Establish (as needed) and ensure provincial Anti-Racism Directorates are well funded and well-resourced in consultation with local communities

Recommendation 168: Ensuring all victim services within the province have staff or have access to resource persons who can adequately address the social, cultural, and language requirements of immigrant women, women of colour, aboriginal women, lesbians, and women with disabilities…

Recommendation 35: Ensure there is no bias, prejudice or discrimination against employees from diverse backgrounds, including Muslim employees, in wages and compensation.

Recommendation 39: Ensure that the duty to accommodate Muslim employees’ needs concerning religious observance by addressing existing or preventable barriers, for example:

a. Prayers two of the five times a day are during a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. workday.

b. Washing (ablution) of face, hands, arms, and feet with clean water is required of Muslims before prayer. This can be done in the workplace washrooms, or a place with running water;

c. Friday congregational prayer is about one hour around lunchtime. An employer, in discussion with the Muslim employee, can arrange flexible work hours such as coming in earlier or leaving later on Friday;

d. Fasting during Ramadan is an important practice in Islam. Muslims abstain from food and drink including water from dawn until sunset for one month. An employer, in discussion with the Muslim employee, can arrange:
i. for flexible work hours such as shortening the workday if a lunch break is not taken by the employee; and
ii. for the employee to be exempt from work meetings and events that serve food and drinks during Ramadan.

e. Social and work events celebrating religious holidays of other faiths where alcohol is served may not be comfortable for Muslims. These employees should not be penalized for not participating in such events. Also, a Muslim employee should not be asked to serve or sell religiously offensive (haram) products, such as alcohol;

f. Pilgrimage (Haj) to the city of Mecca, which takes about a week, is required of Muslim adults at least once in their lifetime. Muslim employees may use their vacation days and/or unpaid days to fulfill this rite. The employee and employer should discuss to find available dates and options;

g. Holidays for religious observance and celebration (Eids) happens twice a year. Canadian employers are required by law to give Muslim employees two full days for religious observances in addition to vacation and statutory holidays; h. Clothing and behaviour for Muslims must be modest according to Islam. Muslim men are required to wear loose and non-transparent clothing covering, at a minimum, from their navel to their knees. Some Muslim men wear a small head covering, called a kufi. Some Muslim women wear loose-fitting, non-revealing clothing as well as a hijab, or some a face veil. The employer and Muslim employee may want to discuss workplace dress code exemptions, if necessary;

i. Many Muslim men for religious reasons wear beards. For health and safety reasons in the workplace, employers may require employees with beards to use proper covering such as hairnets or masks;

j. Some Muslims do not practice shaking hands with an unrelated person of the opposite sex as a sign of modesty and avoid any physical contact with members of the opposite gender; and

k. Dietary requirements for Muslims prohibit the consumption of alcohol, pork, and pork by-products according to the Qur’an, Islam’s religious book. Many practicing Muslims will only consume halal meat and poultry slaughtered according to certain standards of slaughter and preparation.

Recommendation 36: Ensure that social services agencies are mandated to provide regular training onanti-racism and anti-Islamophobia for frontline staff.

Recommendation 41: Ensure sponsored women who are fleeing an abusive sponsor have access to social services, income assistance, subsidized housing, and other needed supports, regardless of their immigration status.

Recommendation 40: Ensure immigrant and refugee women and mothers have access to culturally and linguistically appropriate information and resources about their rights in Canada.

Recommendation 29: Ensure employers, management and employees understand their obligations under the Canadian Human Rights Act to Muslim employees in the workplace and to create a fair and healthy workplace free from discrimination, harassment, prejudice and bias. Provide resources to ensure that racialized and/or Muslim employees know their rights in the workplace.

Recommendation 23: Employ both an equity and intersectional lens, for existing and future legislation, regulations and policies in order to promote respect, dignity and fairness, and support diversity and equality for all people in communities across Canada.

Recommendation 30: Develop organizational and workplace policies and practices that are fair, equitable and free from discrimination, harassment or retaliation against anyone, including racialized and/or Muslim employees who work for the organization or those who receive services from it.