BBC NEWS | England | Bradford | Veil teacher ‘should be sacked’
This is quite a tricky one. A primary school teacher refuses to remove her full face veil (Burka?) whilst teaching mixed sex classes.
Personally I think she should be sacked for breach of contract. She attended the interview without the veil (male or female interviewer?), therefore intending to wear this during her employment is wrong.
Also my opinion is that hiding a women’s face due to some religious writing is an abomination. However, restricting the wearing of this does impinge on this women’s rights.
In this situation the children’s rights should be paramount, and if there is any evidence that the children suffer because of reduced communication (as there appears to be) then the veil should be removed. It also promotes the wearing of the veil to the impressionable children. Teaching children overly political messages is wrong, and so is promoting religious views (in my opinion even moderate religious views should be restricted).
It is a much more complicated matter than the recent one of BA telling a female employee to hide her cross. Although there is no issue of sexual discrimination in the wearing of the cross, it is an overtly religious symbol and its display should be able to be regulated by a person’s employer. Again though this affects the wearer’s human rights.
Tricky one. How do you combine a strong belief in freedom of speech with a strong dislike of indoctrination and propaganda? Where is the line drawn? Personally this is easy to judge, but how do you determine the line in law?