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A Catholic airport worker was suspended for displaying an image of Jesus on a staff room wall after a Muslim colleague made a complaint against him.
The picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a subject of devotion for many Catholics, was put up by Gareth Langmead at Manchester City Airport as “an act of provocation” according to the complaint.
Mr Langmead, a car park supervisor, found the image when clearing out a desk drawer and hung it up rather than discarding it. But a Muslim colleague complained about the picture and Mr Langmead was escorted off the airport’s premises and barred from work while bosses investigated the claim.
A spokesman for the airport said Mr Langmead had been found innocent of wrongdoing and was reinstated after three days. But he admitted that lessons would be learnt from the handling of the incident.
“This investigation was swiftly concluded and the employee has returned to work with a clean record,” he said, “Given the nature of this incident, we have agreed with our airport Chaplain that he and his team will work with the employees involved to foster a greater level of understanding about each other’s beliefs and how this applies in the workplace.”
Mr Langmead’s suspension comes only weeks after a Hindu airport worker at Heathrow lost her job for wearing a nose stud as part of her religion. Amrit Lalji, 40, was reinstated as a customer relations worker after an appeal. Last year Nadia Eweida, a Christian British Airways check-in worker at Heathrow, was suspended for four months for wearing a cross on her necklace. After appeals by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the airline agreed to review its uniform policy and she returned to work.
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ALL HAIL JESUS.
Mary, Bethlehem, Jerusulem
So much for religious art exhibitions encouraging understanding. If we are to have appropriate freedoms then, at least in company, it is best to possess the requisite degree of acceptance of what makes us different. The alternative encourages public castigation and punishment, as has happened here.
Calum, Dun Éideann, Alba
This is disturbing to the many millions of us around the world who derived our ideas of the good life and liberty, our law, customs, and culture --- in short, our civilization --- primarily from the British Isles.
Have you, at long last, been conquered by totlaitarians? Are you now Soviet Britain? Or are you supine at the feet of the Saudis?
I do not mean this as an insult. I mean to express my astonishment and distress... and my hopes that you will resist, and recover your liberty.
Julianne Wiley, Johnson City, TN, USA
Freedom of religion? Freedom of expression? are these freedoms provided by the Human Rights Act only applicable to non-christians? It's seems like it is the case as these freedoms seem to be restricted to non-christians. They should be called 'Restricted Freedoms' under the 'Limited Human Rights for Certain Classes of Society Act'. Common sense has been lost in British society. Why is one religious preference given priority over another? These are just a few simple questions to which there have been no answers in the decade since Labour came in to power.
Vishal Kantilal Makwana, Leicester, UK
General cluelessness and political correctness on overdrive on the employer's part, pettiness and malice on the both the employees' part. Can't we all just get along? And besides, I thought that Muslims regard Jesus Christ as a prophet, although not as the son of god like the Christians.
Kristian Ramo, Helsinki, Finland
Why are people so worried about offending muslums, atheists and other non-Christian beleifs, but no one's worried about offending Christians?
Cloudchaser, Sevierville, TN
If Muslims are so uncomfortable, even provoked by Christian symbols, why on earth do they come to a Christian country.
It hardly needs mentioning that no such tolerance exists in any Muslim country towards its non-muslim minority. In all Muslim countries non-Muslims are persecuted and made to feel subjugated ie dhimmis.
Is it any wonder that some 80% in Britain think that Muslims are a threat to the culture of Britain. Why is the government allowing unrestricted immigration of unassimilables, which in the fullness of time will lead to serious civil discord.
DaveP, Beverley, UK
We live in a ridiculous world of nannyism instigated in particular (in UK) by Government legislation.
Since the immigrant floodgates have opened, we are no longer allowed to live and let live.
The media also fuel discord between the various religious factions. Perhaps if they reframed from over dramatizing - the majority (whatever their faith) would rub alongside together quite nicely.
Excellent reporting Ms Sugden.
Alice Glegg, Oxfordshire, UK