London
An elementary school teacher’s aide who was suspended for wearing a veil over her face said she would fight the ruling in court. Aishah Azmi said the veil, which shows only her eyes, is part of her religious observance as a Muslim. But school officials said that children were having a hard time understanding her muffled voice, and some Muslim leaders are siding with the school. “It’s just common sense,” said Shahid Malik, the member of Parliament for Azmi’s district and himself a Muslim. “If you are not able to fulfill your job requirements, then obviously it will be difficult for you to continue in that particular role.” Veils have been the focus of national debate since MP Jack Straw revealed two weeks ago that he asks veiled constituents to remove their veils to speak to him. Said Prime Minister Tony Blair: “We need to confront this issue about how we integrate people properly into our society.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Trump embraces NATO after budget vow, charm offensiveSpeed Read The president reversed course on his longstanding skepticism of the trans-Atlantic military alliance
-
'The arts are not just expressions of creativity'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
June 26 editorial cartoonsCartoons Thursday's cartoons include a White House misspelling, a heatwave in the northern hemisphere, and a ticking clock for climate change
