Indonesian Female Muslim Workers’ Identity Negotiation Process: A Reflection in the Rise of Anti-Foreigner, Anti-Islam Sentiment in Japan

Abstract Book of the 11th International Conference on Research in Social Sciences

Year: 2026

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Indonesian Female Muslim Workers’ Identity Negotiation Process: A Reflection in the Rise of Anti-Foreigner, Anti-Islam Sentiment in Japan

Dr. Dhany Pratama

ABSTRACT:

This article investigates how Indonesian Muslim women workers navigate religious practices within Japanese workplaces and addresses the increasing anti-foreigner and anti-Islam sentiments in Japan. Based on a qualitative study examining the experiences of eleven Indonesian Muslim women workers and one Indonesian human resources mediator in Japan through semi-structured interviews, this article focuses on four primary aspects of religious accommodation: prayer time and space, fasting during Ramadan, Muslim lifestyle practices such as wearing the hijab and consuming halal food, and the celebration of Eid. Employing Identity Negotiation Theory and the intersectionality framework, the article contends that accommodation is shaped by more than individual communication skills or employer goodwill. Instead, negotiation is influenced by intersecting factors, including visa status, gender expectations, industry sector, Japanese language proficiency, rural or urban settings, and the complexities of workplace arrangements. According to the informants’ experiences, workers frequently employ strategies such as strategic silence, relationship-building, professional reliability, and selective disclosure to preserve both employment security and religious identity. Prayer and Eid leave are the most challenging to negotiate, whereas fasting and lifestyle practices are more manageable when supervisors and coworkers perceive them as predictable and non-disruptive. The article concludes that Japanese multicultural coexistence policies must be translated at the workplace level into explicit, repeatable, and sector-sensitive accommodation practices.

Keywords: Identity Negotiation, Indonesian Muslims, Migrant Workers, Religious Accommodation, Japan