HUGE props to Deloitte’s Toronto location for being a shining example of inclusivity for their Muslim staff! Not only did they create a space for them to do their daily prayers that is clean, quiet, and private, but they even built a wudhu station, which is the washing ritual all Muslims perform before doing their prayers. One way I have heard religious scholars describe wudhu is to think about a time you might meet a renowned dignitary or a celebrity that you absolutely adore. How would you prepare your clothing for this greatly anticipated meeting? And of course you would make sure you were freshly showered before approaching them. So of course a faithful person about to pray, which is the formal ritual act of speaking with God, would want to be clean and respectful in how they approach the One they are about to enter into reverent conversation with. Thus: wudhu. For anyone thinking it might be odd to have a separate room for men and women, that is because to do wudhu one must wash parts of their body that Muslim women who observe hijab will have covered in front of men, including their bare heads and arms. So having separate rooms shows just how much they did their homework! The room also has a turbah for any Shia Muslims, which made my heart so happy to see! A turbah is a small clay stone that we place our foreheads on while in prostration to remind us to be humble, and our body’s eventual return to the earth. There are extra prayer mats and hijabs for anyone to use, and even the prayer direction is conveniently labeled! All Muslims around the world pray in the direction of the Kaaba, which is a square structure in modern day Saudi Arabia that is central to the religion of Islam. We even have an emoji of it -> 🕋. THANK YOU to Deloitte Toronto for demonstrating your commitment to inclusion and equity in this way, you cannot possibly know just how much this means to our community. ————— [Video credit] I asked and received permission by the video creator to post this on LinkedIn, but was not able to find her here to tag. You can find her on TikTok at her handle @samraoncamera. #DiversityAndInclusion #Muslim #Belonging #Inclusion #HumanResources #Culture