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Bias against beard in UK

KARACHI: A Sikh can insist on wearing his turban at the workplace in the United Kingdom while a Muslim cannot insist on the same right to sport a beard, and the reason for this is that the Sikh is treated as part of the race while the Muslim is treated as part of a religion in seeking the right.

In British law racial discrimination is prohibited but the law for prevention of discrimination on the basis of religion is yet not there in the UK, says a report in the January, 2000 issue of the Motamar Alam-e-Islami journal titled 'The Muslim World'.

The report says that the Muslims have had a limited success in UK in arguing their case under the Race Relations Act. However, Barbara Cogen, a lawyer from Race Relations Commission says that Muslim do not fit the legal definition for a racial group since Islam is a broadly diverse religion. Converts to Islam are most vulnerable to dscrimination but cannot resort to the race laws.

However, a European directive banning religious discrimination is expected in two years.ÑUPP