Muslim Teacher Suspended for Wearing Veil in Class
Torri Adrian
Issue date: 11/1/06 Section: Perspectives
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Aishah Azmi, 24, was an English teacher at Headfield Church of England Junior School, and was suspended by the administration after students complained that they could not understand what she was saying due to the veil she wore. The veil, known as the niqab, covers all but the eyes, leading to student complaints that her lips could not be seen when she spoke. School officials said that wearing the veil violated a compromise made that stated she could wear the veil during school hours, but not while teaching.
Azmi subsequently filed a discrimination suit against the school, and on October 20, 2006, an employment tribunal found that she had not been discriminated against, but according to the New York Times, "was awarded $1,850 in damages for 'injury to feelings.'"
The controversial decision made by school officials, prompted Prime Minister, Tony Blair to also comment on the situation of full-face veils in schools.
"It is a mark of separation, and that is why it makes other people from outside the community feel uncomfortable," Blair said during a recent press conference, "No one wants to say that people don't have the right to do it…But I think we need to confront this issue about how we integrate people properly into our society."
Secularism is something that has been coming under intense scrutiny in the wake of September 11, 2001. In 2004, The French government banned all visible symbols of faith, such as yarmulkes, veils, large crosses, and turbans. Many people were offended by this action, seeing it as a personal attack on their faith in countries where people were supposed to be free to practice whichever religion they chose.
A 2004 article in the Christian Science Monitor stated that the law was proposed as a result of fear that Muslim girls were being forced to wear veils, and to instill 'secular French values' within the predominately Catholic nation.
As Europe aims to become more secular, the US has almost taken a reverse role, placing more of a focus on religion and the importance of it within society. Here at Manhattan College, it has taken an opposite stance.
Instead of rejecting religion, Brother Scanlan hopes to make Manhattan "the premier Catholic College of New York City" by the year 2025.