Active Allyship
& Intervention
How to move from "Posting about Ramadan on LinkedIn" to structural inclusion. A guide for allies who want to make an actual difference.
Measure Your Maturity
Is your organisation "Passive", "Active", or "Market Leading"? Take the assessment to get a score and a roadmap for improvement.
Launch Maturity Model →"I don't see colour/religion." This statement, while well-intentioned, is unhelpful. It ignores the specific barriers your colleagues face. Allyship is about seeing those barriers and helping to dismantle them.
1. Performative vs Active Allyship
It is easy to change a logo for a month or host a samosa party. That is Surface Inclusion.
Performative (Low Impact)
- "Happy Ramadan" email.
- Hosting an "International Food Day".
- Wearing a lanyard.
Active (High Impact)
- Changing the "Expense Policy" to allow non-alcoholic dinners.
- Allocating budget for a Prayer Room.
- Speaking up when someone makes a "Terrorist" joke.
2. The Bystander Effect
The hardest part of allyship is speaking up when the victim isn't in the room. When a colleague says "He's a bit intense about his prayers isn't he?", do you laugh awkwardly? Or do you say "Actually, I admire his discipline"?
The Interruption: You don't need to be aggressive. A simple "I don't think that's fair" or "Let's move on" breaks the momentum of micro-aggressions.
3. Using Your Privilege
If you are a senior leader, you have capital. Spend it.
- The Meeting Schedule: "I notice this team dinner is at a steakhouse that doesn't do Halal. Let's move it to Nando's/Dishoom." (It is easier for YOU to say this than the junior Muslim employee).
- The Holiday Cover: "I'll cover the Christmas shift, so Ahmed can take Eid off guilt-free."
4. Get Comfortable being Uncomfortable
You will make mistakes. You might say "Happy Diwali" instead of "Eid" by accident. You might offer water to a fasting person.
That is okay. Apologise, learn, move on. Muslim colleagues appreciate the effort far more than they judge the error.
Where do you stand?
Are you a "Compliant" organisation or a "Champion"? Find out now.
war breaks out in the Middle East, your Muslim colleagues feel a collective guilt/fear placed on them.Ally Move: Check in. "The news is heavy today. Just checking how you're holding up." Do NOT ask them to condemn the attack. They hate it as much as you do.
3. Google First, Ask Second
"Why do you wear that?" "What is Halal?"
It is exhausting to be a walking Wikipedia. Before asking a basic
question, Google it. Ask nuanced questions ("I read about Fasting,
how are you finding the sleep schedule?") rather than ignorant
ones ("Do you not even drink water?!").