27 September,2016 08:27 AM IST | | Agencies
Suraiya Bi says the video, meant for over-18s, shocked and upset the 11-year-olds; has filed a complaint against dismissal
Suraiya says the video showed people commiting suicide by jumping out of the windows
London: A UK school has sacked a 24-year-old Muslim teacher after she complained about its showing of a graphic video of the 9/11 terror attack in the US to a class of 11-year-olds.
Suriyah Bi
Suriyah Bi lost her job at Birmingham's Heartlands Academy after just a week and has now taken legal action against the school. She is pursuing claims for unfair dismissal and religious discrimination.
The Oxford graduate said the graphic YouTube video carried a warning that the content was not suitable for under-18s. "These were children aged 11, of whom many knew little, or nothing, about the 9/11 horror," Bi said. She said the children were subjected to graphic scenes and some were "shocked and upset".
"The video not only showed the plane crashing into the Twin Towers, but also showed people committing suicide by jumping to their deaths," Bi said.
Bi said she was in the classroom when the video was shown. "I objected. Later, I was told to leave the school. There was an investigation into the matter, but I was dismissed for making a whistle-blowing complaint," she said.
Birmingham employment tribunal has approved Bi's bid to pursue legal claims against E-Act, who sponsor a number of academies, including Heartlands.
