Muslim GP was ‘forbidden from going to mosque’

A Muslim doctor who was dismissed from her job claims she was discriminated against on religious grounds because she wanted to attend a mosque for prayers every Friday, a tribunal heard today.

Doctor Musarrat Syed-Shah, 31, is alleging religious discrimination and victimisation against four partners from the North Leeds Medical Practice after her partnership agreement was terminated on August 8 last year.

The employment tribunal in Leeds heard that Dr Syed-Shah claims the other doctors were “unhappy” about her attending the weekly prayers.

Michael McDonough, for Dr Syed-Shah, told the tribunal: “They were unhappy with her attending the mosque for Friday prayers and they applied a condition to her which was not applied to anyone else by saying they were not allowed to leave the surgery between sessions.”

Mr McDonough continued: “Following the notice of termination on August 8, she was expressly forbidden from going to the mosque from August 8 till the end of her contract.”

Yorkshire Post, 14 May 2009