A British government minister responsible for race relations has said a Muslim teaching assistant who was suspended for refusing to remove her veil should be sacked.
Local Government Minister Phil Woolas told a Sunday newspaper that the teacher, 23-year-old Aishah Azmi, had put herself in a position where she could not do her job.
Ms Azmi works at a junior school in West Yorkshire; she said her pupils never complained about the veil.
Last week, the Leader of the Commons, Jack Straw, started a debate on the wearing of the veil when he suggested the full veil over the face separated communities.
Another British Minister has meanwhile criticised British Airways for banning a Christian employee who wore a cross around her neck at work.
In a BBC interview, The Northern Secretary, Peter Hain, described the decision to suspend the employee as 'loopy'.
