DEWSBURY, England — A Muslim teaching assistant who was suspended from her job when she refused to stop wearing her full-face veil in the classroom has lost her claim that she was discriminated against because of her religion.
An employment tribunal threw out the suit filed by Aishah Azmi, ruling that the standards set by the Headfield Church of England Junior School in Dewsbury, England, were a "proportionate means" of making sure students "received the best possible instruction in the English language." Students had complained that Azmi’s "niqab" veil, which concealed all but the eyes, hid her lips and made it difficult for them to understand her.
Azmi was awarded about $1,900 because the school failed to follow proper procedure in the case, but she said she intends to appeal the court’s discrimination ruling to the European Court of Justice.
Support for the teacher’s claim appeared to be waning. A representative from The Muslim Council of Britain, Reefat Drabu, said the veil was not obligatory. She said Azmi’s stance was "exacerbating the misunderstanding" of Islam and making things harder for Muslim communities in Britain.
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