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 LONDON, Fri: This is Aishah Azmi, 24. She was suspended after she refused to remove her veil when teaching in Headfield Church of England Junior School in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.
The Muslim teaching assistant then took the Kirkless Council - the local authority having jurisdiction over the said school - to an employment tribunal, but lost. The tribunal yesterday held that she had not been discriminated against when she was asked to remove her veil. She was, however, awarded £1,000 for “injury to her feelings” because the manner in which her complaint was handled by the Kirklees education authority had victimised her when grievance procedures were not complied with. The Times of London reported that Aishah had vowed to continue to fight for her right to wear the niqab in the classroom. She said she might take the case to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, and that her legal team were applying for legal aid. The report also stated that most pupils at the school speak English as a second language and there were concerns that some were finding it difficult to understand what Aishah was saying because the veil covered her mouth.
Jim Dodds, a cabinet member for education in the Kirklees council said: “The school and the local authority had to balance the rights of the children to receive the best quality education possible and Mrs Azmi’s desire to express her cultural beliefs. The decision that Mrs Azmi should not wear a veil while communicating with children in class was taken after a monitoring period where the effect of wearing the veil on teaching and learning was studied.”
Dewsbury’s MP, Shahid Malik described the decision as “a victory for common sense”.
The ruling, however, registered a paragraph stating that it was “most unfortunate” that politicians and others had made comment on a case that was sub-judice, an obvious reference to Prime Minister Tony Blair and some of his colleagues including former foreign minister Jack Straw who this week had described the veil as “a mark of separation”.  The Times report also quoted Aishah as saying:
• “It is clear that discrimination against me has taken place and I am disappointed that the employment tribunal has not been able to uphold that part of my claim.”
• “Muslim women who wear the veil are not aliens, and politicians need to recognise that what they say can have a very dangerous impact on the lives of the minorities they treat as outcasts.”
• “Integration requires people like me to be in the workplace so that people can see that we are not to be feared or mistrusted.”
• “Sadly the intervention of ministers in my case makes me fearful of the consequences for Muslim women in this country who want to work.”
• “I will continue to uphold my religious beliefs and urge Muslims to engage in dialogue with the wider community, despite the attacks that are being made upon them.”
• “I would just like people to understand that the veil doesn’t cause a barrier.”
• “I teach perfectly well with my veil on. Give it a chance —- that’s what I call integration.”
Meanwhile, the case appeared on most front pages of the British newspapers today. The Daily Telegraph reported Shahid Malik, the MP for Dewsbury, calling on Aishah to drop her appeal, quoting him as saying, “I would appeal to Mrs Azmi just to let this thing go. There is no real support for it....I have Muslim parents in my constituency who have said they wouldn't send their children to a school where the teachers wore veils while they were teaching. I just think there is very little support for this. She is very isolated and it would be healthy all round if she just accept the tribunal result.” The Daily Express says the case has landed the taxpayer with a £250,000 bill. The Sun says Aishah's legal battle is being paid by the same council - Kirkless Council - she is fighting against. The report said the law centre backing Aishah was given a £100,000 grant from Kirkless Council last year, quoting Council leader Robert Light, a Tory, as saying “We are effectively picking up the bill for both sides.”
The Daily Mail says the ruling is a clear victory for racial integration. This London claims that Aishah is connected to a hardline mosque where the ringleader of the July 7 bombers worshipped. The report alleges that Aisha's family plays a key role at the fundamentalist Markazi mosque in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire - which was attended by suicide bomber Mohammed Sidique Khan. Related article: Purdah uniform pengganas?
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I believe that anyone and everyone has a right to practice the religion that he or she believes in but surely this is limited to the infringment of the rights of others. If the external practices of one's religion causes discomfort uneasiness because others are not used to it, more easpecially if you live in a country that you have adopted to live in; then I feel that you have to accept the norms and practices and cultures of the country of adoption which is one point. The other point is that if one adamantly want to wear a veil, then I feel that the person concerned should spend her time in a religious institution eg equivalent of a convent and not in the middle of the world which is strictly secular. Go and live with the Taliban.