Veil teacher "should be sacked"

Aishah Azmi, a 23-year-old Muslim teaching assistant who worked at a Headfield Church of England junior school in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom was suspended because she refused to remove her veil in class. Phil Woolas who is a Britain’s race and faith minister said that she should be dismissed. On the other hand, she said that she would take her veil off, but not in front of male colleagues. The United Kingdom’s debate over “Veil teacher should be sacked” started last year in October 2006 and was broadcasted by BBC News.

It all started when children said that it was hard to understand her, and they were having difficulty understanding her English lessons. However, Mrs. Azmi’s lawyer Nick Whittingham said that “Mrs. Azmi is very well able to carry out her role as a teaching assistant providing support to people who speak English as a second language.” He also said that she can do this efficiently even with her veil on, and she has proved herself while she was being interviewed. She spoke fluently and clearly.

As said by Mrs. Azmi, people at Headfield Church of England junior school never criticized her veil. Whereas Phil Woolas said, “Aishah Azmi had put herself in a position where she can’t do her job.” He added to his statement by stating that “if the head teacher chose to sack Ms Azmi so be it.” Hence, her lawyer asked Mr. Woolas to withdraw his comments. She told the BBC that her veil never created any trouble between her and children. In fact, her relationship with children was great. She said, “If people think it is a problem, what about blind children? They can’t see anything but they have a brilliant education, so I don’t think my wearing the veil affects the children at all.”

An employment tribunal ruled that Mrs. Azmi was not discriminated against religion. Thus, she was given £1,100 for “injury to feelings.” Kirklees Council verified that she had been dismissed because the school’s action had “nothing to do with religion.” Therefore, a tribunal discharged her claims of religious discrimination along with harassment on religious grounds. In February 2006, she was suspended on full pay. However, she is still thinking to appeal against the decision.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/bradford/6050392.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bradford/6179842.stm