Has any MUSLIM registered nurse encounter some discrimination in the US/Canada?

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Hi to all of you

I am UK trained nurse and I would like to mention that I have been body search on a couple of occasions when I went through US customs. My cousin who works for Air Canada mentioned to me that I will be body search each time I crossed the US border as I have got a MUSLIM name. The airline Air Canada put a code on my boarding pass and she knew instantly when she saw my pass that i will be body search. I know you may be thinking that I have a beard and i am arab looking .....muslim terrorist stereotype... but I look Chinese or Asian as you call it in the US/Canada.

I am applying to come to work in Canada as a RN and i have already submitted my application in May 2008 and did my medical exam in June 2008 and still now I dont know the outcome. I have sent several emails to the embassy and they wont even reply to my emails. When i phoned the embassy they took my details and put me directly on voicemail so I cant ask anyone about my case.

I wonder if the delay is due to the embassy checking on me as I am a MUSLIM. If thats the case i prefer not to go there as I dont want to work in a country who does not treat me as equal.

Has any MUSLIM nurses encountered any form of discrimination in their application for work permits or for immigration purposes? or in their workplaces in US/Canada?

Ibrahim

Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

Correct me if I'm wrong Ibrahim but you did say that you were waiting on Canadian immigration documents, didn't you? The previous post mentioned volume and I suspect that is what is behind the delay. In the last couple of years the number of people seeking immigration to Canada from all points has increased by something like 200%, but the number of people processing the applications hasn't kept pace. There simply aren't enough trained individuals to do the work and training new ones takes time. When the US made it mandatory for all persons entering their country by air to present a passport in 2006, the backlog was enough to make people cry. I waited several months before I went to the local passport office to get mine, arriving at 8:30 in the morning, and still waited six hours in line just to have my documents examined. It has gotten a lot quicker, because the demand has fallen off, but there will be another surge soon because in 2009 all persons seeking entry into the US will need a passport. The same sort of issues affect immigration applications.

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Pretty much the same south of the border. We do not ask nurses or doctors thier religion.

My husband and I both had to submit to a body search when we flew back from England. I suspect it had to do with our one way ticket. I don't think their was a racial profiling

That is an interesting connection. Thanks for pointing that out. I also flew on a one way ticket back to the US. We wanted to visit friends in Washington State and crossed into Canada at a land boarder but because our green card is pending and probably will be for several years to come prefer to enter the US through the airport rather than at a land crossing since the airport immigration officials are very familiar with AP processing. I was also body searched. I was travelling with my husband and 2 boys and with all of the stuff you carry when with family it was annoying to be searched but we had nothing to hide and feel happy to oblige to keep everyone safer if the same process is followed for all.

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Hi to all of you

Thanks a lot for your replies. Like in nursing we are taught that we must not assume or generalised anything. I have always looked after my patients the best I can without any prejudice. I am not even religious in the strict sense.

My cousin and her husband who both work for Air Canada told me that there is a special code on my boarding pass. I was travelling with them and their 2 kids. No one except me was searched. It was only on my boarding pass that there were some symbols which she immediately recognised that i will be body search as well as my handbag will be search thoroughly. My stuff was swabbed for explosive...like in the movie CSI...they swabbed my handbag and put the swab in a machine and waited for the result to be printed.

My cousin and her husband told me that it was because of my muslim name and told me if i want to settle here I may need to change it to a christian name. I DONT AGREE TO THAT.

The earth is big enough for me to go somewhere where I dont need to worry about my religion.

Regards

Ibrahim

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You need to change your name to live here?

I've never heard of anything so ridiculous.

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.
You need to change your name to live here?

I've never heard of anything so ridiculous.

Just because an anonymous person on the internet says it, doesn't make it so. It sounds absurd because it is absurd... :rolleyes:

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My kids XBOX gets swabbed when they fly with it in their backpack. I've had the thrill of being the only woman in the line asked to remove her boots. Inconvenient yes, discrimination no .

As for the name change, that's the silliest thing I've read in a long time. This country accepts refugees from Muslim countries and they face the same challenges as any refugee or new comer.

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I have just arrived in Calgary and hired by CHR as registered Nurse.MY CARNA,VISA,WORKPERMIT all formalities completed in 9 months time.If have acted quciky I could have been there at least two months earlier.I never faced any discrimination at any stage so far.It is true that some people don't like muslims and behave differently .But this apply to all religion and races around world.for example Irish catholics are disliked and treated differently in their OWN BELFAST.SO Some people faces discrimination somewhere..Islam as a

religion is undergoing a critical period in its history.The main reason is lack of democracy in Arab world.Arab world Should take iniative to curb the fast eroding image of Islam .Islam is a wonderful relgion misunderstood by Non-Muslims and Muslims!.By the way, I am muslim.:up:

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Dear Ibrahim

I am a registered nurse in the united states and as some other people replied to you htere are many people that are middle eastern and muslim in the hospitals. I have never been a victim of discrimination here although when a patient was giving me a hard time one of my co workers joked "why don't you threaten this patient that you will call Osama?" And I laughed because it was funny. So sometimes you have to take it easy because some people do not mean any harm:yeah:. I love working in the U.S. Why don't you apply here instead of Canada?:nurse:

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Hi Labvab

Happy Ramadan to you. I will see later if i will come to the US as i have already decided to go to Calgary for the meantime. It is cos all my relatives are in Canada.

Bye for now. Looking forward to Eid.

Peace be upon you.

Ibrahim

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AA. Thanks for the reply! I hope you do get to come here or even to Canada. I know it may be frustrating with the immigration and you probably feel like this::banghead:. So if you don't mind me asking, what is your nursing specialty? And what are the educational requirements for a nurse? I know the education system is different there. So here there are associate degrees in nursing and bachelors and masters. I am actually getting my master's degree now. And how many years is nursing school? What school did you go to? So I hope I hear from you soon. Keep praying especially these last 10 nights :bow:. By the way you spelled my name incorrectly :sniff:. What city do you live in?

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Hi Labvah

Thank God my work permit has arrived last Friday. It seems that my last email where I complained about the lenghty wait and ask for a refund of my fee had worked.

I am from London, United Kingdom. I trained there for 3 years from 1990-93. My specialities are neurosurgery, neurology, ENT, maxillo facial, urology and plastic surgery. I have been working as a RN at one of the biggest teaching hospital in London for the last 13 years.

Anyway, i have been working most of my shifts as night duty during this month of Ramadan. The hours of fasting are 5:00 am to 19:00. I do only long shifts of 12.5 hours for the last 13 years.

bye for now

ibrahim

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Good luck and congatulations for Canada (I still feel that the US is a LOT more tolerant compared to other western countries though)

PS. I :redbeathe NY

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