Bruce Kent, the Chair of the Coalition said:
“To sack a woman for wearing a small, discreet Hindu nose
stud is a violation of her right to freedom of religion and her right as
a woman to dress as she wishes. The dismissal of Mrs Lalji is an affront
to every person who respects freedom of conscience whether they be Hindu,
Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh or, indeed of no religious faith. Companies
in the airline industry should be in the forefront of welcoming people of
diverse cultures and faiths to Britain. This company has, on the contrary,
chosen to ignore the sensitivities of the hundreds of millions of followers
of one of the world's great religious faiths. The company's claim that this
is a health and safety issue has no credibility as it allows staff to wear
pierced ear studs. Mrs Lalji should be re-instated immediately."
Please see links below for more details:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6998380.stm
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/london-indian-loses-airport-job-for-wearing-nose-stud/48929-2.html
The Coalition to Defend Freedom of Religious and Cultural Expression
The Coalition's Aims & Objectives
1. To work to defend the right of every individual to freely pursue their beliefs,
regardless of creed, gender or ethnicity, subject only to their conscience
and to the necessary and proportionate protection of the rights and the freedoms
of others
2. To raise awareness of violations of freedom of religious and cultural
expression
3. To challenge through constructive means encroachments upon freedom of
religious and cultural expression, and promote mutual understanding and respect
among individuals of all faiths and none
4. To examine and raise awareness of the existence and extent of religious
discrimination and Islamophobia throughout society - in political discourse,
media, education, employment, service provision, and in day-to-day life
Steering Group members:
Anas Altikriti – The
Cordoba Foundation
Andrew Stunell MP
Billy Hayes – Communication Workers Union
Bruce Kent (Chair)
Caroline Lucas MEP
Cllr Salma Yaqoob
Cristina Odone
Diane Abbott MP
Dr Abdul Bari – Secretary General, Muslim Council of Britain
Edie Friedman – Jewish Council for Racial Equality
Harpartap Singh - Sikh Federation representative
Ismail Patel – British Muslim Initiative
Jon Cruddas MP
Karen Chouhan – 1990 Trust, Black Londoners Forum
Kate Hudson – Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Lindsey German – Stop the War
Lord Nazir Ahmed
Milena Buyum – National Assembly Against Racism
Mohammad Sawalha- British Muslim Initiative
Paul Mackney - National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education
Rajnaara Akhtar – Prohijab
Ruqqayah Collector – NUS Black Students Officer
Sir Geoffrey Bindman – Chair, British Institute of Human Rights
Soumaya Ghannoushi – Islam Expo
Steve Sinnott – National Union of Teachers