1 min read
I'm not sure if I believe this story:
A Muslim catering manager has accused the
Metropolitan Police of religious discrimination as he was told he may
have to handle sausages and bacon.Hasanali Khoja was told he would be expected to handle pork
products at his new job at the Empress State Building in Earls Court,
west London.His lawyer said Mr Khoja was excused from pork meat in his previous job at Hendon Police College in north London.
I wonder if there's another element to his case - some sort of racial harrassment perhaps? - becauseas it stands, as reported by the BBC it so preposterous, and so utterly without merit, that it should be laughed out of court.
I don't eat pork. Never would it cross my mind that I should be able to demand a job in a canteen which serves pork sausages and not have to handle them. It's my choice not to go near pig produce. It's not my right to have that choice protected in employment law.
UPDATE: My colleague, Simon Rocker, reminds me that there was an (unsuccessful) racial discrimination case brought against Marks and Spencer some years ago from a Jewish woman who applied for a food technologist job but was told she would not be suitable as she wouldn't eat pork and shellfish.