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30/03/2007
Teaching assistant loses appeal over veil
A Muslim classroom assistant has lost her appeal against an employment tribunal ruling which said that she was not being discriminated against by not being being allowed to wear a full veil in school.
Aishah Azmi, 24, was suspended from Headfield Church of England School in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire because she refused to remove her veil.
The school had said that pupils found it difficult to understand her when she was wearing the veil. Mrs Azmi said that she was willing to remove the veil in front of children, but not when male colleagues were present.
Last October, a Leeds employment tribunal had dismissed Mrs Azmi's claims for discrimination and harassment, but awarded her just over £1,000 for injury to her feelings, because they agreed that she had been victimised.
A month later, Mrs Azmi was sacked from her job. She did not appeal the sacking, but claimed that she had suffered religious discrimination.
Mrs Azmi's lawyer Nick Whittingham described the case as an "important test case" and said that the Employment Appeals Tribunal had accepted that it was possible for direct discrimination to occur in respect of a manifestation of a religious belief such as the wearing of the veil.
He said: "This will apply to manifestations of religion such as wearing the veil, a cross, the wearing the hijab or other religious symbols or clothing."
(KMcA/SP)
Aishah Azmi, 24, was suspended from Headfield Church of England School in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire because she refused to remove her veil.
The school had said that pupils found it difficult to understand her when she was wearing the veil. Mrs Azmi said that she was willing to remove the veil in front of children, but not when male colleagues were present.
Last October, a Leeds employment tribunal had dismissed Mrs Azmi's claims for discrimination and harassment, but awarded her just over £1,000 for injury to her feelings, because they agreed that she had been victimised.
A month later, Mrs Azmi was sacked from her job. She did not appeal the sacking, but claimed that she had suffered religious discrimination.
Mrs Azmi's lawyer Nick Whittingham described the case as an "important test case" and said that the Employment Appeals Tribunal had accepted that it was possible for direct discrimination to occur in respect of a manifestation of a religious belief such as the wearing of the veil.
He said: "This will apply to manifestations of religion such as wearing the veil, a cross, the wearing the hijab or other religious symbols or clothing."
(KMcA/SP)
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