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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| School sacks woman after veil row | School sacks woman after veil row |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| A Muslim classroom assistant suspended by a school for wearing a veil in lessons has been sacked. | A Muslim classroom assistant suspended by a school for wearing a veil in lessons has been sacked. |
| Aishah Azmi, 23, was asked to remove the veil after the Church of England school in Dewsbury, West Yorks, said pupils found it hard to understand her. | Aishah Azmi, 23, was asked to remove the veil after the Church of England school in Dewsbury, West Yorks, said pupils found it hard to understand her. |
| Last month, an employment tribunal ruled Mrs Azmi had not been discriminated against, but awarded her £1,100 for "injury to feelings". | |
| Kirklees Council confirmed the teaching assistant had been dismissed. | Kirklees Council confirmed the teaching assistant had been dismissed. |
| A spokesman said a staffing dismissals committee of the school's governing body had held a disciplinary hearing into "the circumstances that resulted in the suspension of a bilingual support worker at the school". | A spokesman said a staffing dismissals committee of the school's governing body had held a disciplinary hearing into "the circumstances that resulted in the suspension of a bilingual support worker at the school". |
| Test case | Test case |
| "As result of the hearing the committee decided to terminate the employment of the employee concerned," he said. | "As result of the hearing the committee decided to terminate the employment of the employee concerned," he said. |
| Mrs Azmi's lawyer Nick Whittingham, of the Kirklees Law Centre, said the local education authority was involved in a disciplinary process against her, but he was not aware any decision had been reached. | |
| Mrs Azmi had said she was willing to remove her veil in front of children, but not if male colleagues were present. | Mrs Azmi had said she was willing to remove her veil in front of children, but not if male colleagues were present. |
| Tony Blair said wearing full face veils was a "mark of separation" | |
| In October, a tribunal dismissed Mrs Azmi's claims of religious discrimination and harassment on religious grounds. | In October, a tribunal dismissed Mrs Azmi's claims of religious discrimination and harassment on religious grounds. |
| Her dispute was brought as a test case under new religious discrimination regulations, the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2004. | |
| At the time the married mother-of-one said she would appeal against the decision to dismiss her religious discrimination claims. | At the time the married mother-of-one said she would appeal against the decision to dismiss her religious discrimination claims. |
| And she criticised government ministers who had intervened in the case, saying it made her "fearful of the consequences for Muslim women in this country who want to work". | |
| The tribunal report also said it was "most unfortunate" that politicians had made comments on the case which were sub-judice. | |
| Mrs Azmi's case became a central part of a national debate on multiculturism in Britain. | |
| Prime Minister Tony Blair said the veil row was part of a necessary debate about the way the Muslim community integrated into British society. | |
| The veil was a "mark of separation" which made people of other ethnic backgrounds feel uncomfortable, he added. | |
| His comments came after Leader of the House of Commons Jack Straw, said wearing the full veil - or niqab - made community relations more difficult. |