This is the first case of religious discrimination in a country where freedom of worship is normally protected. The female employee worked for the Jordan Islamic Dubai Bank. In 2011, the bank adopted new Sharia-inspire rules for all of its workers. A Jordanian priest says that Gulf States are stealthily pushing for the Islamisation of Jordanian society.

Amman (AsiaNews) - Religious discrimination is raising its ugly head in Jordan. A Christian woman, Vivian Salameh, was fired by her employer, the Jordan Dubai Islamic Bank (JDIB) for refusing to cover her head in accordance with new rules adopted by the financial institution. Jordanian Christians appealed to the media for respect of religious freedom and Muslim-Christian dialogue.

"A process of silent Islamisation is underway in Jordanian society," said Fr Rif'at Bader, a priest with the Latin Patriarchate who is also the director of the Catholic Media Study Centre. "Gulf States are using Islamic banking to introduce Sharia precepts in the population. No one was ever been discriminated for being Christian. The government should not allow such practices in our country. Our constitution protects freedom of worship."

In 2010, the JDIB bought the Industrial Development Bank, where Vivian Salameh had worked for 25 years. The following year, they introduced a new dress code requiring female staff to wear a uniform and a headscarf.

Salameh accepted the uniform but refused to wear the head cover arguing that it violated her religious beliefs and because her initial contract with the bank in March 2010 did not include a dress code requiring staff to wear a head cover.

After negotiating with her bosses and receiving two letters of warning, she agreed to wear a scarf on her shoulder. When she went to pick up the scarf, she found instead her notice of dismissal, unmotivated.

On advice of Fr Bader, she filed a complaint against her employer, and will take the case until the Supreme Court.

 

• jordan
• christians
• muslims
• religious
• freedom
• discrimination