AISHAH AZMI

School assistant Azmi sparked a national debate on multiculturalism by fighting to keep her veil on in the classroom.

The mother-of-one stood up to her employers at the Church of England primary school in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, when they told her to lift the veil.

The Local Education Authority and the school's head master said the veil stopped Azmi from teaching properly - and some children at the 90 per cent Muslim school found it scary.

The stand-off led to Azmi's suspension from the school in February, when she said: "I have not come this far just to fight for myself. There are so many women who wear the veil and love to teach.

"It (the veil) gives me a lot of self respect and self dignity. I can express anything I like, how I like, without any chance of distortion. I don't think it's divisive, especially when Britain prides itself on being multi-cultural. To not let people wear it excludes young Muslim girls. My outlook is everybody is equal."

The row ended in an employment tribunal, when Azmi was sacked by Kirklees Council. The hearing concluded pupils were not able to understand her fully with the veil on.

Azmi's stance became a focal point for debate - with Britain forced to decide whether tolerance or uniformity was the best route to religious harmony.

Cardiff-born Azmi faced great criticism for not complying with the school's rules - from those who believe that when working in a UK school, you should comply by British conventions.

Trevor Phillips, the head of Britain's race relations watchdog, was one such sceptic of her fight, he said: "She (Azmi) would be doing everybody, including herself, a great favour were she to decide either that she were to comply with the requirements for teaching in the classroom or to decide she didn't want to do that job."

Meanwhile, Leader of the House of Commons Jack Straw said the veil was a "visible statement of separation and of difference" and that he asked women visiting his surgery to consider removing it.

Azmi, whose appearance before the tribunal marked a test case for the new religious discrimination regulations, has vowed to continue her fight for the right to wear the veil.

She has attacked the government for treating ethnic minorities "as outcasts" and said that she was "fearful for the consequences for Muslim women in this country".

CITATION

"I would like to nominate Aishah Azmi for her strength and courage in raising a voice against discrimination. About time somebody took this step and started to create a society in which we can all live together peacefully. She does not seem to be forcing her views on anybody so where has all this fuss come from?" Sarah

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Minister calls for veil teacher to be sacked
Veil teacher loses case