Muslim teaching assistant won case of unfair dismissal over 9/11 footage

Birmingham: A Muslim teaching assistant has won the case of an unfair dismissal against a school for objecting to 9/11 attack video shown to an 11-year-olds.

The Heartlands Academy in Birmingham had sacked Suriyah Bi, 25, after she raised concern when a seven-year-old, special needs child along with the others were showed video of people jumping from upper floors of World Trade Centre, reports The Guardian.

The group had been studying Simon Armitage’s poem ‘Out of the Blue’, based on 9/11 attack. According to Bi’s claims, the teacher logged into YouTube account and ignored a warning that the video was unsuitable for children.

When children asked the teacher whether it was suitable for them to watch after seeing warning, the teacher had asked them to be quiet. Bi raised concern the following day, on 23 September 2015, and was dismissed after less than 15 days of her job.

The school offered Bi £11,000 in compensation after she was dismissed. However, she rejected the offer and took the case to an employment tribunal. In March, Bi was successful in a claim for unfair dismissal due to whistleblowing, though the judge rejected her claim of being discriminated on religion basis.

Bi, who has degrees from Oxford University and Soas, and is studying for a PhD in human geography at UCL.

A spokesman for E-ACT, the multi-academy trust which runs Heartlands Academy, stated: “Although we are disappointed by the judgment, we respect the tribunal’s decision and we continue to further strengthen our processes to ensure that there can be no repeat of the errors highlighted to us in this case.”

“Heartlands is an outstanding academy which prides itself on promoting a culture of inclusiveness and in creating a nurturing environment in which all issues can be openly discussed and understood by all,” he said.