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School sacks woman after veil row (Aishah Azmi fired, awarded £1,100 for "injury to feelings")
The BBC ^ | November 24, 2006

Posted on 11/24/2006 10:03:10 AM PST by Stoat

School sacks woman after veil row

 

Aishah Azmi speaking at a press conference
Ms Azmi's lawyers said they were unaware of the decision to sack her
A Muslim classroom assistant suspended by a school for wearing a veil in lessons has been sacked.

Aishah Azmi, 23, was asked to remove the veil after the Church of England school in Dewsbury, West Yorks, said pupils found it hard to understand her.

Last month, an employment tribunal ruled Mrs Azmi had not been discriminated against, but awarded her £1,100 for "injury to feelings".

Kirklees Council confirmed the teaching assistant had been dismissed.

A spokesman said a staffing dismissals committee of the school's governing body had held a disciplinary hearing into "the circumstances that resulted in the suspension of a bilingual support worker at the school".

Test case

"As result of the hearing the committee decided to terminate the employment of the employee concerned," he said.

Mrs Azmi's lawyer Nick Whittingham, of the Kirklees Law Centre, said Mrs Azmi was told of her dismissal at a disciplinary hearing on Thursday, and had requested the written reasons behind it.

"Until we get those we can't make any further comment," he said.

In October, a tribunal dismissed her claims of religious discrimination and harassment on religious grounds.

Mrs Azmi had said she was willing to remove her veil in front of children, but not if male colleagues were present.

Tony Blair
Tony Blair said wearing full face veils was a "mark of separation"

The dispute was brought as a test case under new religious discrimination regulations, the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2004.

The married mother-of-one is still considering whether to appeal against the decision to dismiss her religious discrimination claims.

At the time of the tribunal, she criticised government ministers who had intervened in the case, saying it made her "fearful of the consequences for Muslim women in this country who want to work".

Necessary debate

Dewsbury MP Shahid Malik, who had urged to Mrs Azmi to accept the tribunal's decision, said the case was about the education of the children at the school and not about religion.

Speaking after the sacking, he said: "While I would absolutely defend her right to wear the veil in society, it's very clear that her wearing the veil in the classroom setting inhibits her ability to support children."

Mrs Azmi's case became a central part of a national debate on multiculturism in Britain.

Prime Minister Tony Blair said the veil row was part of a necessary debate about the way the Muslim community integrated into British society.

The veil was a "mark of separation" which made people of other ethnic backgrounds feel uncomfortable, he added.

His comments came after Leader of the House of Commons Jack Straw, said wearing the full veil - or niqab - made community relations more difficult.
 



TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: aishahazmi; britain; greatbritain; islam; muslim; muslims; uk; unitedkingdom; veil; veils
See also:

Veil teacher was obeying a FATWA

1 posted on 11/24/2006 10:03:13 AM PST by Stoat
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To: Stoat

If you can't migrate into our culture, go back where you came from. Simple as that.


2 posted on 11/24/2006 10:06:49 AM PST by duckman (I refuse to use a tag line...I mean it.)
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To: duckman
If you can't migrate into our culture, go back where you came from. Simple as that.

And when you're back in your home country, tell everyone there not to consider moving to a Western society unless they have an interest in being a cohesive, non-threatening part of it.

3 posted on 11/24/2006 10:11:18 AM PST by Stoat (Rice / Coulter 2008: Smart Ladies for a Strong America)
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To: Stoat

Ms Azmi's lawyers said they were unaware of the decision to sack her

Really?
Why, her (I think it's a her) body language is so plain ... just look at ... um ... its facial expression ... the eyes ....

I don't see what the problem is, here.

4 posted on 11/24/2006 10:16:12 AM PST by knarf (Islamists kill each other ... News wall-to-wall, 24/7 .. don't touch that dial.)
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To: knarf
Why, her (I think it's a her) body language is so plain ... just look at ... um ... its facial expression ... the eyes ....

I don't see what the problem is, here.

Agreed....after all, why should they sack her when she's already wearing one?

img64/6484/awgeezkf1.gif

5 posted on 11/24/2006 10:19:40 AM PST by Stoat (Rice / Coulter 2008: Smart Ladies for a Strong America)
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To: Stoat

When all else fails,play the victim card.Note:Mrs.Azmi is "fearful of the consequences for muslim women in this country who want to work."I swear i heard violins playing in the background when i read that....does anyone have a spare hankie?sarc


6 posted on 11/24/2006 10:23:45 AM PST by Thombo2
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To: Stoat
Oy! Am I HURT by this award of money! My feelings are SO hurt! It's goota be four, maybe five thousand dollaqrs worth of pain -- even with the Post-Thanksgiving sale, I've got SUCH hurt feelings! OWW! OwwiE! Maybe even $5,500!

And for $6k I'll agree to KEEP a bag on my head.


Crusader Bumper Sticker
7 posted on 11/24/2006 10:26:41 AM PST by Mad Dawg (Now we are all Massoud)
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To: Thombo2
When all else fails,play the victim card.Note:Mrs.Azmi is "fearful of the consequences for muslim women in this country who want to work."I swear i heard violins playing in the background when i read that....does anyone have a spare hankie?sarc

The consequences are that they now understand that they are working in a society that has actual standards, and that there are consequences for thinking that you are somehow above those standards.

Here's your hanky   :-)


8 posted on 11/24/2006 10:30:31 AM PST by Stoat (Rice / Coulter 2008: Smart Ladies for a Strong America)
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To: Mad Dawg
And for $6k I'll agree to KEEP a bag on my head.

I wonder how much it would cost to have her and her friends develop an interest in being an enthusiastic and productive part of Western culture?

Whatever it is, it's too much.  People shouldn't have to be paid just to be a normal, sane person.

9 posted on 11/24/2006 10:33:22 AM PST by Stoat (Rice / Coulter 2008: Smart Ladies for a Strong America)
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To: Stoat

Thanx for the hankie-i've been sobbing uncontrolably since i read the article:)Seriously,if muslims are trying to gain sympathy,it ain't workin.Very similar to the mullahs on the flight earlier in the week.They're pushin the tolerance envelope,and at some point the tactic is going to backfire.


10 posted on 11/24/2006 10:42:04 AM PST by Thombo2
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To: Thombo2
Thanx for the hankie-i've been sobbing uncontrolably since i read the article:)Seriously,if muslims are trying to gain sympathy,it ain't workin.Very similar to the mullahs on the flight earlier in the week.They're pushin the tolerance envelope,and at some point the tactic is going to backfire.

They need to be made to understand that this indignant, haughty, "how dare you!" attitude that they instantly unleash when politely asked to act like a real and non-threatening person  is something that works on the intellectually deficient and the Left but not on the majority of people.

11 posted on 11/24/2006 10:46:17 AM PST by Stoat (Rice / Coulter 2008: Smart Ladies for a Strong America)
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To: Stoat
In a Church of England School. And she apparently found this appropriate.
12 posted on 11/24/2006 10:50:28 AM PST by CaptRon (Pedecaris alive or Raisuli dead)
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To: CaptRon
In a Church of England School. And she apparently found this appropriate.
 

It seems that she actually couldn't have cared less what was or was not appropriate in the school; the only thing that mattered to her was imposing her ideas upon everyone else...a notion that is not exactly unknown to Islam.

Fortunately, there were enough sane people involved in this matter that her pushing was met with a stronger push back.  My great hope is that here in America we will also be ready, willing and able to push back as hard as necessary when the time comes.

13 posted on 11/24/2006 10:55:28 AM PST by Stoat (Rice / Coulter 2008: Smart Ladies for a Strong America)
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To: Stoat

Just another in-your-face you-will-be-assimilated move like the one on the US Airways plane. 9/11 was also the call to start the takeover, in ways big and small.


14 posted on 11/24/2006 11:14:06 AM PST by CaptRon (Pedecaris alive or Raisuli dead)
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To: Stoat

I've already had my feelings injured twice today, where do I go to pick up my check?


15 posted on 11/24/2006 11:38:54 AM PST by SWAMPSNIPER
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To: Stoat

Aishah can use the settlement to try to bribe her husband into beating her only every other day rather than daily.


16 posted on 11/24/2006 11:41:50 AM PST by snarks_when_bored
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To: Stoat

Severance pay...and pretty cheap, at that.

Hey, lady...Go home and contemplate your need to eat vs your need to wear a bag over your head.


17 posted on 11/24/2006 11:42:37 AM PST by bannie
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To: Stoat

In England, we may appear a little too accommodating for our own good sometimes, but we do like to give people like this enough rope to eventually hang themselves. It's certainly a lot quicker than a stoning and less messy than a beheading. . . . . ;-)


18 posted on 11/24/2006 12:26:15 PM PST by AngloSaxonChristian
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To: Stoat

Ms Azmi's lawyers said they were
unaware of the decision to sack her

Looks to me like she sacked herself. Case dismissed.

19 posted on 11/24/2006 12:41:54 PM PST by ApplegateRanch (Islam: a Satanically Transmitted Disease, spread by unprotected intimate contact with the Koranus.)
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