Should veil wearing teaching assistant be sacked?

Question

Should this teaching assistant be sacked? In my humble opinion yes as I really don't think she can do her job effectively. I actually think if I was 9 I would be quite scared of her. If she wore a headscarf - no issues. On another note, does anyone consider this weird that this is a Church of England school? You'd probably get the sack for wearing the cross in a muslim school wouldn't you?

Answer 1

I've never thought of myself as a racist person, but I'm in complete agreement here, and I don't think this is a racist issue per ce. This is about what is acceptable in the country where you chose to live and work. The Asker gives the example of crosses being worn in muslim religious establishments, well I can think of a more severe example?

How many times have we been told about Britons being whipped and caned in muslim countries for consuming alcohol. The Foreign office have fought tooth and nail for their rights as British citizens but they were flogged anyway.

In this country, we rely heavily at all ages on communication based on eye contact and facial expression, the use of the veil obviously automatically precludes this.

Additionally, the veil in my opinion is an antiquated and subdugative law, implemented by men to protect them from their wives being coveted by another man and for fathers to level the playing field in case their daughters weren't quite blessed with the same good looks as actresses like Persus Khambata (Star Trek The Motion Picture - The bald one) who is from a region of the world where veil wearing is customary and prevelant.

Answer 2

If the reports in the newspaper are true, this is a decision that she decided on after she got the job. She didn't attend the interview wearing her veil.
Also, it's got nothing to do with a symbol of her faith - a simple Islami symbol danging from a neck chain wouldn't be offensive. But the veil and all it represents is offensive. Women in this country have fought long and hard for their equal rights to men and I don't want my daughter being taught by someone in a veil. I also don't want her taught by a woman in a short skirt but actually, in our CoE school, they all wear trousers because it makes it easier to get around. They also had a muslim teacher who wore the headscarf, which alone offended me and this was before 9/11.
It's time the lid was put on all extreme religion, no matter what religion it is.
So yes, she should be sacked. She can't do her job.

Answer 3

3rd time Ive mention this but no offence the covering of ones face will always be questionable ,Religious head gear however is a whole different ball game..Sihks are allowed to wear their head gear and beards in the Army and police force ,As always its blown out of proportion ...There is a great amount of tolerance to building different religious churches ,temples or mosques in Britain.not everyone is for it but it is .....What is Compromise I ask you..
Also its the bloody media again....It should have said teaching assistant sacked for not complying with school regulations as you would with any janice and jane...Not teaching assistant sacked because of her veil...1 it makes a lot of ppl talk yet again about muslims some agreeing some not..Its like pointing a finger in their direction and saying its trouble again..on that note they should be angry..

Answer 4

No she must not be sacked. She got the job on her own merits and she was able to do the job effectively. I have dealt with Muslim parents and they don't scare me at all.

If anyone should be sacked it should be the Race Relations Minister who called for this woman's sacking. Teaching assistants have a bad enough press as it is; politicians have it bloody easy. They don't earn peanuts!

Answer 5

how the hell can can this be discrimination on religious grounds, i am a 23 year old male, it went into a muslim temple and didnt have an hat on or remove my shoes then they would be very pissed off and ask me to leave, so ok this is a school but its achurch of england school and we are different from muslims, why do we bend over backwards to help the ethnic minorities of this country, now im not racist but this country is been run with foreign people in mind not people of england and i also have to agre with the fact the 9 year old kids get scared and something like that will scare them, and that is a fact,

Answer 6

Too quickly to nicely known. on the 2d, sure yet there will be others to grant it a attempt and yet another case for somebody to deside. it form of feels quite unusual to me that anybody could opt for to wair the veil in a western united states. I stay between many countries of Muslims and not often see absolutely everyone wearing the veil. as quickly as I do see the veil it quite is maximum consistently in an area the place the extremosts have administration.

Answer 7

Yes she should be sacked. The school had agreed that she could wear the veil in the corridors and the staff room but not in the classroom. She chose to go against this and should face the consequences. If she is not intelligent enough to appreciate that there would be repercussions why is she a teaching assistant? If she is intelligent then I would say it was a deliberate attempt to promote reaction. Either case makes her totally unsuitable to be involved in the education of children.

Answer 8

In a Muslim school you wont get sacked for wearing the scarf why? Because we beleive in rights, the rights to practice your religion as it says in the Quran (From the last line of surah Kafiroon) "Your religion is with you as mine is with me" so this means you do what you religion says and i will do what my religion says (not including anything outside the religion thought etc terrorism and suicide bombing)

Also sack the teacher if you want to it just goes to show how our rights are like in this country (and i am not blaming the brittish people) Let me just as you this:"Why is it that women can take their clothes of to an extent but it becomes a problem when they put clothes on?"

Well this isnt an Islamic country so obviously us Muslims wont be entitled to all our rights (e.g being able to marry more than one wife, well a man can marry up to four wives)

As Muslims we should obay rules and reglations of the country we are in. If it restricts us practicing our religiong then we should try to protest against it and if that doesn work we should try other legal practices. However it doesnt seem to be working for the Veil and so either we stay in this country or we leave because this is just the start there will be more and more rules coming into place restricting not only Muslims but all religions from doing certain things.

Mufakir-e-Islam said: Take what you need from this country (education, work experience etc) because here in U.K it is very good (Good education and health a safety regulations also mean we can work affectively) however they (meaning those who think Muslims are bad and want then out) will not say go out of our country but they will do things that will make us leave.

For more information please email me
or vissit www.yanabi.com (You will be able to find all the information on there on any issue related to Islam)

Answer 9

It seems that none of the answerers, so far, have heard that she has AGREED that the veil is a barrier to communication with children and she has AGREED that she will take it off while in class, and only put it on in the presence of adult males.

I think the veil is a stupid idea, (not even practised by most muslim females) and it denigrates women, but IN THIS CASE, the woman has shown - a little - common sense in the matter, Her compromise is acceptable to the school and she should be left alone.

Answer 10

I don't think she should be sacked if she's qualified and effective at her job, but they are right to ask her not to wear it and she would be right to comply with this. If I chose to live in a country where I had to wear a veil, I would honour the culture and laws of that country and would wear one, regardless of my own personal beliefs or religion. Just like I would have to accept it if I was flogged or imprisoned in certain 'muslim' countries for what would be considered a minor crime in the UK - them's the rules. People can come and live here and we welcome them with open arms, but they have to start accepting and adopting OUR culture a bit more, and I'm sorry but wearing a veil like that is just not part of our heritage and culture.