A dirty fork? That's the least of worries for staff at a Leeds prison, where Muslim inmates are threatening to sue after being offered ham sandwiches in their packed lunches.
Prison officials say the offending sandwiches were off the menu as soon as kitchen staff were told of their mistake.
But the inmates insist that their human rights have been breached and are demanding GBP 2 million in compensation. Islam forbids Muslims to eat any pork products.
Meanwhile in London, a Muslim teenager is pressing charges of religious descrimination against a hairdresser who refused to employ her because she wears the hijab, or headscarf.
"Wearing a headscarf is very important for my religion and non-negotiable," says Bushra Noah, 19, who is demanding over GBP 15,000 from hairdresser Sarah Desrosiers - reportedly more than Desrosiers earns in a year.
"To me, it's absolutely basic that people should be able to see the stylist's hair," counters Desrosiers, who says her decision not to hire Noah "has nothing to do with religion. It is just unfortunate that for her covering her hair symbolises religion."
We've been here before. Recall Shabina Begum, the Luton schoolgirl who lost a two-year court battle after being excluded from school for wearing what she considered Islamic dress in defiance of school rules.
One is tempted to hang one's head.
But remember the scandal when it emerged that MP Jack Straw had asked Muslim women in his constituency of Blackburn to let him see their faces during private consultation?
Over howls of protest from (mostly male) Muslim "community leaders", Straw revealed that he and his female constituents had long ago reached a compromise: they doffed their niqabs provided only Straw and a female staffer were present.
Like all minorities, Muslims are destined to find that some of their beliefs and traditions continually run up against British law and social norms. When conflict arises, patience and flexibility - from all sides - ease it. Recriminations and reflexive demands of cash do not.
Comments (2)
iam amuslim girl but this not mean i have to be with bushra noah side, iam with sarah and she absolutely right bushra noah just s wants money first and to do descrimination between muslim and cristian she dont care about her religion . our religion dont say go and make a problem for people just because they refuse to let u work with them
Posted by samar | June 1, 2008 4:14 PM
Posted on June 1, 2008 16:14
So she woke up one morning and thought:- Let's see... I believe that the supreme being wants me to keep every hair on my head covered when I am out in public so what would be a good career for me? Aha, gottit! Hairdresser, but not any old hairdresser, oh no - I need to be a hairdresser in a young trendy, punky, funky salon. If these people insist on being immodest and inviting the wrong sort of attention from men I am just the person to show them how to do it properly!
Posted by Anne Ominous | November 10, 2007 1:59 AM
Posted on November 10, 2007 01:59