Here again we see the same phenomenon playing out that we have seen many, many times over the last few years: a Muslim demands that a workplace change its practices to allow for Islamic observance, rather than dealing with the parameters of the job as it is. Every one of these incidents is a test case in the question of which will prevail: Islamic law or Western practice and custom. Will Muslims be established as a privileged class in Western countries, with rights that others don't have, or will equality of rights and equality of treatment be maintained?
A Muslim doctor who was dismissed from her job claims she was discriminated against on religious grounds because she wanted to attend a mosque for prayers every Friday, a tribunal heard yesterday.
Dr Musarrat Syed-Shah, 31, is alleging religious discrimination and victimisation against four partners from the North Leeds Medical Practice after her partnership agreement was terminated on August 8 last year.
The employment tribunal in Leeds heard that Dr Syed-Shah claims the other doctors were "unhappy" about her attending the weekly prayers.
Michael McDonough, for Dr Syed-Shah, told the tribunal: "They were unhappy with her attending the mosque for Friday prayers and they applied a condition to her which was not applied to anyone else by saying they were not allowed to leave the surgery between sessions."
Mr McDonough continued: "Following the notice of termination on August 8, she was expressly forbidden from going to the mosque from August 8 till the end of her contract."...
Dr Syed-Shah described herself in her evidence as a "devout" Muslim who had been on a pilgrimage to Mecca before taking up the post at the practice and prayed five times a day.
She had attended mosques on Fridays throughout her adult life.
On being given the job, Dr Syed-Shah said she requested Fridays off but was told it was not convenient.
However, she believed her sessions could be arranged to allow time in between to visit the mosque for Friday prayers, and said the practice manager, Sharon James, and one of the other partners, Dr Manjit Purewal, agreed there would be no problem with this.
When Dr Purewal later asked her to take on an extra shift on Fridays, meaning she would have to work for more than nine hours without a break and miss prayers, she objected and was accused of not pulling her weight. Dr Syed-Shah said: "I felt that this was an attack on me by Dr Purewal. He knew that I could not take up an extra surgery on that day."
At a meeting of the partners on August 4, one partner, Dr Marcus Julier, said: "Nobody should have a commitment that is more important than this surgery on any day that they are working at this practice."
Dr Syed-Shah said she was told the next day by partner Dr Elizabeth Martin that she would be "out of a job" if she continued going to Friday prayers. She said: "I felt bullied and victimised."...
Describing the occasion when she refused to take on another GP's patients as well as her own, Dr Syed-Shah said in her evidence that she did not consider it to be "clinically safe" to see a patient every five minutes.The doctor said she became concerned about her health after two of her fingers swelled up and her hand and arm became painful following four-hour "telephone triage" sessions, which saw her "continually using" a computer and telephone.
Dr Syed-Shah said that despite repeated complaints to the other partners about her health problems no-one suggested she should be excused from these sessions and "ignored their obligations to safeguard my health".Dr Syed-Shah was given one month's notice on August 8 in a letter which said the reason for the termination was that "arrangements are unfortunately... not working".
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