OH come on! This is getting completely out of hand!
After we reported yesterday on the failed case of Muslim forklift operator Mohammed Ahmed, who alleged religious discrimination against Tesco over alcohol, we learn today that a Metropolitan police chef is taking his employers to an industrial tribunal because he was required to cook traditional British breakfast fare at a police college.
According to the Telegraph, Hasanali Khoja, 60, claims that while working as catering manager at Hendon Police College, in north London, he was asked to move to another team where he would be expected to cook what officers call the “999 breakfast” - a large fry-up including sausage, bacon and black pudding.
Said chef Khoja, who joined the Met in 2005:
I felt very unhappy about it. I was very upset and angry. I never enrolled to cook pork.
His solicitor Khalid Sofi said:
We are confident that we have a very good claim. Religious discrimination law obliges employers if possible to accommodate genuine religious needs. The Met is a very large organisation and should have the flexibility to accommodate people in this way. But they were not able to guarantee that he would not have to handle pork products.
The lawyer added:
This case goes in to wider issues of diversity, and I think it raises significant issues in the current climate. This is a claim based purely on religious discrimination rather than some of the other claims currently faced by the Metropolitan Police which use race discrimination law.
Khoja is being supported by the National Black Police Association.
An association spokesman said:
It was suggested that he could wear gloves to cook bacon and sausages. This of course was no good, because it is the principle involved and not about just handling the meat. It was all very, very nasty. They were telling him to do something which was against his faith.
His case is expected to go before a tribunal next spring.
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The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
November 3rd, 2008 at 11:30 am
Employed as a cook in a British establishment and didn’t expect to handle pork products…
ALL JOIN IN: “Money makes the World go round…”
November 3rd, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Yet another case of someone wanting to get paid for doing a job they refuse to do. No different than a free loader in my eyes
We all have aspects of our jobs that we disagree with but we do them anyway because WE ARE BEING PAID TO DO IT!!!
If you don’t want to do it, get another job!
November 3rd, 2008 at 4:02 pm
I look forward to the day when we can all exercise this kind of selectivism about our jobs. I don’t believe in god and believe that vicars, imams etc are evil people who deserve to be removed from existence - good job for them that i’m not a fireman who does his duty according only to his beliefs, eh ??
November 3rd, 2008 at 4:35 pm
But Roger, that would be religious discrimination…
November 3rd, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Er, I’m presuming Roger is joking. At least, I hope so.
I think that if your religious beliefs are going to stop you from cooking certain foods, then you ought to raise the question at interview since it’s a reasonable bet that not everyone shares your scruples.
I guess, if you were the best cook in the world, but didn’t want to cook pork, then if you said that might be a problem then you might get employed anyway to do everything except pork. If you were good enough.
You can’t expect people to second guess you, though. Not all vegetarians mind cooking meat. Not all pork-abstainers mind other people eating pork.
Dan
November 3rd, 2008 at 7:09 pm
All right then. I think we should solve this problem! Everyone: Don’t eat pork anymore! Start eating muslims.
November 3rd, 2008 at 7:24 pm
Dan - of course I’m joking - but it illustrates the point by taking it to the extreme - how can you even apply to a job where and reasonable person would know full well they might be expected to do something that is “against their religion”, be it cooking pork or handling alcohol.
I’m sure these people take these jobs knowing full well that the problem will arise, and that they could make a quick buck out of it. Either that, or they’re monumentally stupid !
November 3rd, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Why should an irrational prejudice be given special status? If this guy had a sausage phobia (oo-er missus) I’d sympathise - but only if he’d sought treatment. That’s the problem with the religious, they never seek help. Except for legal aid, state benefits, tax breaks…
December 9th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
All comments taken into cosideration, these are the facts: Mr Khoja accepted his position on the pretence that he would not have to handle pork. He was later transfered to a different met building under the same title when he was told to handle pork. He may very well be another Mirority opportunist looking for some easy cash but the problem here is a breakdown of with communication within the Met. So unfortunatly under Mr Blairs ultra sensitive human rights stance this man is well within his rights to sue the Met, it just a shame that the money will be coming out of the tax payers pocket and not certain certain senior Met officials. Why Do so many people fail to read between the lines…
December 9th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
appologies for spelling errors as i have Dislexia - A.D.D