A Muslim man claims he is being discriminated against for having a beard.
Security guard Khalid Iqbar Malik said he was horrified when a supervisor turned him away from work at the South Quay Plaza Two building, at Canary Wharf, saying he needed to be a "clean shaven gentleman" to work there.
The father-of-four, 36, said: "It's an embarrassment for me. Really I'm upset, it's against my religion to shave my beard so this is discriminating.
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"They think I'm not a gentleman because I have a beard, like I'm a terrorist or a gangster or something.
"I work all over the place and nobody has a problem with me."
Mr Malik, of Leyton, was sent by his employer Mitie to the building three times to do security work there.
But each time he arrived, his Mitie supervisor sent him on to another site.
The fourth time Mr Malik asked why and recorded the conversation on his mobile phone.
In the recording, heard by the Guardian, the supervisor - who says his name is Peter - says: "I can't use you in this site I'm afraid because of your beard. The site manager said no. I can't ever use you."
Mr Malik is heard to reply: "It's religious discrimination."
Peter then says: "It's not at all. We were told when we got the contract that we needed to be clean shaven gentleman and I'm afraid that's the way we've got to go.
"As soon as we put you on the reception, the manager is going to go mad."
A spokeswoman for DTZ, which manages the property, said: "We don't have any problem with bearded people working at the building, which we let to other companies."
Mr Malik has been working for Mitie on a zero-hour contract since January, after four years on the dole, and said he was worried about losing his new job.
He has therefore put in an official complaint to Mitie.
The company's operations support manager, Helmey El-Aasar, said: "The matter's been dealt with internally and that's as far as I'm going to go. I'm not at liberty to divulge any further information."
Posted by: Abbas, Blackburn on 3:25pm Fri 11 Apr 08
It's not religious discrimination, they simply want a clean shaven gentleman. It’s business not personal! I have been to Canary Wharf on a conference and it is now regarded as the Worlds financial centre people have to be 110% professional. It does not look good to have a beard it’s simple as that. I’m a Muslim I would not dream of going to work in Canary Wharf with a beard. Nothing to do with him being a Muslim. This is what gives us a bad name for being whingers shouting discrimination at every hurdle.
It's not religious discrimination, they simply want a clean shaven gentleman. It’s business not personal! I have been to Canary Wharf on a conference and it is now regarded as the Worlds financial centre people have to be 110% professional. It does not look good to have a beard it’s simple as that. I’m a Muslim I would not dream of going to work in Canary Wharf with a beard. Nothing to do with him being a Muslim. This is what gives us a bad name for being whingers shouting discrimination at every hurdle.
[quote][bold]Abbas[/bold] wrote:
It's not religious discrimination, they simply want a clean shaven gentleman. It’s business not personal! I have been to Canary Wharf on a conference and it is now regarded as the Worlds financial centre people have to be 110% professional. It does not look good to have a beard it’s simple as that. I’m a Muslim I would not dream of going to work in Canary Wharf with a beard. Nothing to do with him being a Muslim. This is what gives us a bad name for being whingers shouting discrimination at every hurdle.[/quote] Hi Abbas,
It is actually Discrimination on the grounds of Race/Religeon.
The hard working, law abiding Gentleman named Khalid Iqbar Malik can take them to court as a matter of fact.
I wear a beard and i work very high up in the government, nothing to do with professionalism, its more to do with peoples preferences.
You can choose to wear a beard, clearly you choose not to.
I Would advise you to read the Hadith on growing a beard first before you comment as they may back-fire.
Kindest Regards.
Abbas wrote:
It's not religious discrimination, they simply want a clean shaven gentleman. It’s business not personal! I have been to Canary Wharf on a conference and it is now regarded as the Worlds financial centre people have to be 110% professional. It does not look good to have a beard it’s simple as that. I’m a Muslim I would not dream of going to work in Canary Wharf with a beard. Nothing to do with him being a Muslim. This is what gives us a bad name for being whingers shouting discrimination at every hurdle.
Hi Abbas,
It is actually Discrimination on the grounds of Race/Religeon.
The hard working, law abiding Gentleman named Khalid Iqbar Malik can take them to court as a matter of fact.
I wear a beard and i work very high up in the government, nothing to do with professionalism, its more to do with peoples preferences.
You can choose to wear a beard, clearly you choose not to.
I Would advise you to read the Hadith on growing a beard first before you comment as they may back-fire.
Posted by: Abbas, Blackburn on 6:49pm Fri 11 Apr 08
Well it's not the end of the world if someone does not wear a beard. There are a lot more important things in the world to worry about then if you keep a beard or not. Am I going to hell because I don’t wear a beard?
Wearing a beard does not make you any better or religious or it does not exempt you from any ill doing.
If they chose not to employ someone because they want someone clean shaven then that's up to them, if they have always expected people to shave then I don't see the problem. If he was a Muslim and didn’t have a beard there would be no problem he is acting as if they are picking on him because he is a Muslim.
It has nothing to do with religion. They just expect people to be clean shaven at work.
People who class themselves as Muslims don’t always have beards. A lot of things are required of you as a Muslim but you don’t follow every single detail. Common sense has to prevail here.
It's fine if he works for the sec company but when he work in Canary Wharf he works under them and he has to follow thier rules.
Well it's not the end of the world if someone does not wear a beard. There are a lot more important things in the world to worry about then if you keep a beard or not. Am I going to hell because I don’t wear a beard?
Wearing a beard does not make you any better or religious or it does not exempt you from any ill doing.
If they chose not to employ someone because they want someone clean shaven then that's up to them, if they have always expected people to shave then I don't see the problem. If he was a Muslim and didn’t have a beard there would be no problem he is acting as if they are picking on him because he is a Muslim.
It has nothing to do with religion. They just expect people to be clean shaven at work.
People who class themselves as Muslims don’t always have beards. A lot of things are required of you as a Muslim but you don’t follow every single detail. Common sense has to prevail here.
It's fine if he works for the sec company but when he work in Canary Wharf he works under them and he has to follow thier rules.
[quote][bold]Abbas[/bold] wrote:
Well it\'s not the end of the world if someone does not wear a beard. There are a lot more important things in the world to worry about then if you keep a beard or not. Am I going to hell because I don’t wear a beard? Wearing a beard does not make you any better or religious or it does not exempt you from any ill doing. If they chose not to employ someone because they want someone clean shaven then that\'s up to them, if they have always expected people to shave then I don\'t see the problem. If he was a Muslim and didn’t have a beard there would be no problem he is acting as if they are picking on him because he is a Muslim. It has nothing to do with religion. They just expect people to be clean shaven at work. People who class themselves as Muslims don’t always have beards. A lot of things are required of you as a Muslim but you don’t follow every single detail. Common sense has to prevail here. It\'s fine if he works for the sec company but when he work in Canary Wharf he works under them and he has to follow thier rules. [/quote] We can debate beard vs. no beard in Islam for ages. Let's say for the sake of a debate it is better to have a beard in Islam. Having said that, a person with a beard may be worse than one without. Only the Almighty can judge the best.
The professionalism of a manis reflected in the way he conducts himself at work, his dress and appearance. Who are you to say someone with a beard is less professional. Yes there are those who have untidy beards, this could impact on their professionalism. A well kept and maintained beard can look very professional. At least it shows you have taken time to take care of your appearance.
As for "No-one wears a beard at Canary Wharf" this is a matter of your perception. There may be clean shaven people when you get off the DLR or Jubilee Line or in the shops, but can you guarantee 100% that there is no-one with a beard. In your workplace, where you have established yourself amongst your colleagues and peers, they should know by now who you are. Unless of course you've portrayed a cardboard image of the type of worker you feel the need to aspire towards. Anyway, over a few weeks build up from a moustache to goatee and then to a full beard. You'll find no-one will complain. Then you'll wonder what the fuss was all about.
As Haji Mohammad Yasin explained to me 10 years ago, normal Muslims should reclaim the beard from extremists. You're a normal person and you'll show to them all that a normal person can have a beard. If you have problems beyond this, well they are acting unlawful if you are well presented. If such a workplace can still put obstacles in your way, then you have to ask if it is the right kind of place for you to work in.
Abbas wrote:
Well it\'s not the end of the world if someone does not wear a beard. There are a lot more important things in the world to worry about then if you keep a beard or not. Am I going to hell because I don’t wear a beard? Wearing a beard does not make you any better or religious or it does not exempt you from any ill doing. If they chose not to employ someone because they want someone clean shaven then that\'s up to them, if they have always expected people to shave then I don\'t see the problem. If he was a Muslim and didn’t have a beard there would be no problem he is acting as if they are picking on him because he is a Muslim. It has nothing to do with religion. They just expect people to be clean shaven at work. People who class themselves as Muslims don’t always have beards. A lot of things are required of you as a Muslim but you don’t follow every single detail. Common sense has to prevail here. It\'s fine if he works for the sec company but when he work in Canary Wharf he works under them and he has to follow thier rules.
We can debate beard vs. no beard in Islam for ages. Let's say for the sake of a debate it is better to have a beard in Islam. Having said that, a person with a beard may be worse than one without. Only the Almighty can judge the best.
The professionalism of a manis reflected in the way he conducts himself at work, his dress and appearance. Who are you to say someone with a beard is less professional. Yes there are those who have untidy beards, this could impact on their professionalism. A well kept and maintained beard can look very professional. At least it shows you have taken time to take care of your appearance.
As for "No-one wears a beard at Canary Wharf" this is a matter of your perception. There may be clean shaven people when you get off the DLR or Jubilee Line or in the shops, but can you guarantee 100% that there is no-one with a beard. In your workplace, where you have established yourself amongst your colleagues and peers, they should know by now who you are. Unless of course you've portrayed a cardboard image of the type of worker you feel the need to aspire towards. Anyway, over a few weeks build up from a moustache to goatee and then to a full beard. You'll find no-one will complain. Then you'll wonder what the fuss was all about.
As Haji Mohammad Yasin explained to me 10 years ago, normal Muslims should reclaim the beard from extremists. You're a normal person and you'll show to them all that a normal person can have a beard. If you have problems beyond this, well they are acting unlawful if you are well presented. If such a workplace can still put obstacles in your way, then you have to ask if it is the right kind of place for you to work in.
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