London Firm Pays £110k To Muslim Woman After Colleague Suggests She Remove Her Headscarf 'To Attract More Men'

A Muslim paralegal was awarded £110,000 in a sexual harassment settlement after her male colleague told her to remove her headscarf or hijab to "attract men."

Trainee solicitor Forida Kaiser was subjected to discriminatory comments from lawyer Imitiaz Ahmed, who suggested she remove her headscarf to "attract men," the employment tribunal heard. Kaiser felt "insulted and embarrassed" by Ahmed's remarks, believing he implied that wearing a headscarf would hinder her chances of finding a husband.

In another incident, Ahmed overheard Kaiser discussing personal matters with a client and rudely interrupted them, demanding they leave the premises. Kaiser subsequently sued Khans Solicitors for £110,000 and won the case at an employment tribunal.

Forida Kaiser's Ordeal At Khans Solicitors

According to the employment tribunals, Kaiser began working as a paralegal at the Canary Wharf-based firm on April 1, 2019, after declaring bankruptcy following her divorce. Khans Solicitors, a firm specialising in divorce, wills, and immigration, was described by the employment tribunal as "predominantly a Muslim business."

Conveyancing specialist Imitiaz Ahmed, who had seen a photograph of Kaiser without her headscarf, made discriminatory comments suggesting she could attract men if she did not wear a headscarf.

The tribunal found that Kaiser was deeply offended by Ahmed's comments, believing he implied that wearing a hijab would hinder her chances of finding a husband. "Mr Ahmed knew that her marriage had ended," the tribunal said.

The tribunal learned that Kaiser suffered from glaucoma and fibromyalgia, among other medical conditions. The company did not fulfil her requests despite asking for a larger computer screen and a comfortable chair to accommodate her needs.

Kaiser's colleagues made insensitive comments about her medical conditions, questioning the amount of medication she required. When she declined to move some furniture, she was told, "You will not die, so you better not give me any excuses."

Kaiser's claims of sex harassment, discrimination, disability discrimination, unfair dismissal, unauthorised deductions from wages, and breach of contract were all upheld by the tribunal, except for her claim of race discrimination.

Court Upholds Kaiser's Claims

"As a practising Muslim man, Mr Ahmed would have known that modesty in dress is important to Ms Kaiser as a Muslim woman and that he was likely to insult her by the suggestion that she needed to go against her beliefs in order to attract a man," employment Judge Julia Jones said.

Judge Julia Jones stated that Kaiser conducted herself professionally during her conversation with a client. The suggestion that something inappropriate was going on was deeply hurtful to her, leaving her feeling disrespected and insulted.

The tribunal concluded that both comments were particularly offensive to Kaiser as a Muslim woman and that Ahmed was aware of this. "He would have been aware of how insulting, humiliating and offensive it would be to suggest that she should go off with a strange man," the judge added.

In addition to facing workplace discrimination, women often endure insensitive comments from colleagues and bosses. For example, a pregnant employee in her eighth month of pregnancy began experiencing contractions at work and was in active labour. Despite her condition, her boss insisted, "It's not like the baby is going to pop out right now."

This is not the first instance of an employee suing their employer and winning. Last month, a former Twitter employee reportedly received a 550,000 euro settlement (approximately $600,000) after being fired for refusing to comply with Elon Musk's demand for an "extremely hardcore" work culture.