Politics
Tuesday November 21, 2006
See today's LifeSiteNews stories
British Airways Denies Appeal from Christian Employee Banned from Wearing Cross
By Gudrun Schultz
LONDON, United Kingdom, November 21, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A Christian employee’ of British Airways has lost her appeal against the airline’s refusal to allow her to visibly wear a small cross while in uniform, BBC News reported yesterday.
Nadia Eweida, 55, has been on unpaid leave for almost two months, since her employers said she couldn’t allow a small cross she wears around her neck to show while she was at work. The airline defended the decision by saying the policy applies to all jewelry worn on a chain. Ms. Eweida was free to wear her cross so long as she made sure to conceal it beneath her uniform, the statement said.
Eweida has fought the ruling, saying her cross is a symbol of her faith, not jewelry, and should be permitted in the same way religious symbols of other faiths are permitted by the airline’s uniform policy. Muslim and Hindu employees are allowed to wear turbans, headscarves and bangles while in uniform.
The airline denied the charge that the policy discriminated against Christian employees. Religious symbols such as headscarves were only permitted, the airline said, because they could not be easily concealed beneath a uniform.
“British Airways has 34,000 uniformed staff, all of whom know they must abide by our uniform policy. The policy does not ban staff from wearing a cross. It lays down that personal items of jewelry, including crosses may be worn--but underneath the uniform. Other airlines have the same policy.
“The policy recognizes that it is not practical for some religious symbols--such as turbans and hijabs--to be worn underneath the uniform. This is purely a question of practicality. There is no discrimination between faiths.”
Dr. John Sentamu, Archbishop of York and the second most senior Church of England cleric, spoke out against the British Airways’ decision, saying the airline’s policy permitting some religious symbols to be displayed but not others was “flawed,” the BBC reported yesterday.
“British Airways needs to look again at this decision ad to look at the history of the country it represents, whose culture, laws, heritage and tradition owes so much to the very same symbol it would ban.”
“Wearing a cross carries with it not only a symbol of our hopes but also a responsibility to act and to live as Christians. This symbol does not point only upwards but also outwards, it reminds us of our duties not only to God but also to one another.”
Dr. Sentamu urged the airline to reconsider its decision.
Ms. Eweida responded to the ruling by saying she was “fairly disappointed,” in an interview with BBC. “[B]ut I’m looking forward to the next stage because the cross is important and the truth will be revealed.
“It is important to wear it to express my faith so that other people will know that Jesus
loves them.
Ms. Eweida has seven days to lodge a second appeal against the British Airways decision. She has stated in the past her intention of suing the airline for religious discrimination if her appeal was denied.
Contact British Airways by email through their website:
http://www.britishairways.com/travel/askbainter/public/en_gb...
By Mail:
London Registered Office
British Airways, plc
Waterside
PO Box 365
Harmondsworth, Middlesex
UB7 0GB
UK
See BA Board of Governors list with contact information:
http://www.britishairways.com/travel/askbainter/public/en_gb...
See BBC coverage:
http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/north_yorkshi...
See previous LifeSiteNews coverage:
No British Airways Decision Yet On Allowing Christian Employee to Wear Small Cross
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/oct/06102606.html
Back to TopSHARE THIS STORY: E-mail Print Newsvine Digg Reddit Del.icio.us Facebook
Latest Headlines
- Phill Kline Fights Critical Primary Campaign to Keep Planned Parenthood Case Alive - Asks Pro-Life Movement for Help
- Catholic University of San Diego Changes Mind - Rejects Radical Non-Christian Feminist For Theology Chair
- Traditional Anglican Bishops of Canada Protest Giving Order of Canada to Abortionist Morgentaler
- McCain Takes Obama to Task on Abortion, Still Defends Embryo Destroying Research
- Is the Pro-life Movement Too Christian? - Letters to the Editor for Friday, July 18, 2008
- London Times Runs Article Promoting Incest
- San Jose Professor Fired for Answering Question about Genetics and Homosexuality
- Dutch Replace Maiden Name with "Birth Name" to Accommodate Homosexual "Marriage"
- Spanish Euthanasia Advocates Launch Legalization Campaign
- NJ Assemblyman Proposes Legislation that Could Fund Embryonic Research through Back Door
- Same-sex "Marriage" Will Not be Counted in 2010 U.S. Census
- Canadian Politicians Take Part in Toronto's Raunchy Gay Pride Parade
- Homosexual High School Clubs Increase Risk of Suicide says Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays
- LifeSiteNews.com NewsBytes for July 18, 2008
Most Read this Week
- Death Wish: The Impending Suicide of a Once Great Nation
- Virgin Mobile Solicits Youth to Strip for Charity, Posts Videos on Website
- US Pediatric Nursing Journal Toys with Infanticide
- Priest Expert Says Infanticide is 50 Years Away from Being Normalized
- Knights of Columbus Calls on All 230,000 Members to Demand Morgentaler Award be Revoked
- "Premature Sexualisation" Pushing Young Girls into Depression and Self-Harm: New Study
- Norway Trial Court Finds Missionaries Guilty for Spreading Gospel
- Success: After Public Exposure, Psychiatrist Quits Signing Off on Late Term Abortion
- San Jose Professor Fired for Answering Question about Genetics and Homosexuality
- Why Is the Pro-Life Movement So Christian, and Should it be?
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any Internet re-publishing of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews that have come from other news sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.