UK Veiled Muslim Teacher Sacked

A British veiled Muslim teaching assistant was sacked on November 24, for refusal to take off her face-veil (niqab) while men are present.

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June 10, 2022

A British veiled Muslim teaching assistant was sacked on November 24, for refusal to take off her face-veil (niqab) while men are present.

Aishah Azmi, 24, was suspended earlier this year from the Church of England primary school in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire , in northern England , for refusal to take off her niqab.

A spokesman for the Kirklees Council said a staffing dismissals committee of the school’s governing body had held a disciplinary hearing and decided to terminate her employment contract, reports said.

Last month, an employment tribunal ruled that the Muslim teacher had not been discriminated against. But the tribunal found the veiled teacher had been victimised by the school and awarded her 1,000 pounds (1,480 euros, 1,930 dollars) for injury to feelings.

Azmi had said she was willing to remove her niqab in front of children but not when male colleagues were present.

British Local Government and Community Cohesion Minister Phil Woolas has pressed for the dismissal of the Muslim teacher.

Azmi’s lawyer Nick Whittingham, of the Kirklees Law Centre, said she was told of her dismissal at a disciplinary hearing on November 23. The Muslim teacher had requested the written reasons behind her dismissal, he added. “Until we get those we can’t make any further comment,” said Whittingham.