Elsa McLaren and agencies
A Muslim teaching assistant today lost a religious discrimination case after being suspended for refusing to remove her veil during lessons.
But Aishah Azmi, 24, was awarded £1,100 by an employment tribunal for victimisation - effectively for her hurt feelings.
Mrs Azmi told a press conference in Leeds tonight that Muslim women who wear veils were "not aliens" and that she was able to do her job "perfectly" while teaching children at a school in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.
And she said that she was considering appealing against the tribunal's ruling against her discrimination and harassment claims.
She said: "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. I am taking the advice of my legal team at Kirklees Law Centre and will be looking to appeal against that decision.
"However, I am pleased that the tribunal have recognised the victimising way in which the school and the local education authority have handled this matter and the distress that has caused me.
Mrs Azmi was suspended on full-pay by Kirklees Council for refusing to remove her veil because it said face-to-face communication was an essential part of her job as a bilingual support worker.
The case has fuelled a row about the use of the veil and the way that the Muslim community integrates into British society, drawing comments from Tony Blair.
Yesterday, the Prime Minister described the wearing of the veil by Muslim women as a "mark of separation" and backed the school in its decision.
At her press conference - where she wore a veil through which only her eyes could be seen - Mrs Azmi criticised ministers who had intervened in the case and said it made her "fearful of the consequences for Muslim women in this country who want to work".
"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," she said.
"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."
The school has said that Mrs Azmi may return to her teaching post if she is willing to remove her veil. However, she said today that she was not willing to do so.
She said: "The school has no proof that I was not doing my job perfectly, which I was. Women who wear the veil can teach. I did perfectly well. A blind child can't see me but they can have a proper education."
A spokesman for Kirklees Council said: "As an employer, Kirklees Council actively promotes and encourages equality and diversity and respects the wishes of employees to express their religious and cultural beliefs," the spokesman said.
"Mrs Aishah Azmi is employed as a bilingual support worker which is a crucial role in a school where English is spoken as a second language by a large proportion of pupils.
"In this case the school and 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 by wearing a veil in class. The education of the children is of paramount importance and it is disappointing that the school was unable to reach a compromise with Mrs Azmi in this case.
"However, the tribunal has agreed that the action taken was correct. The decision that Mrs Azmi should not wear a veil whilst communicating with children in class was taken after a monitoring period where the impact of wearing the veil on the teaching and learning was studied."
Source: (The Times Online website, www.timesonline.co.uk, October 19, 2006)
