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Rabat – A Muslim man in France lost his job in October 2020 in the Charles de Gaulle airport for “praying at work.”
The case dates back to 2017, when the man, who worked as a bus driver at the airport, prayed on the bus when there were no passengers on board.
The driver, who likes to identify himself by his pseudonym Anis, used to transfer the flight crew of Air France, the state carrier.
Crew members filed a complaint against Anis, when they found him praying inside the bus, which he locked to perform his prayers.
The French government decided to remove the Muslim man from his job for “praying at work.”
Anis’ lawyer, Sefen Guez Guez told Anadolu Agency that the government viewed Anis’ act as a “serious radicalization.”
The lawyer told the Turkish news outlet that his client’s accreditation was destroyed and he was no longer able to access Charles de Gaulle airport, where he worked for 15 years.
Anis decided to take his case to the court.
The lawyer said Anis has four children, emphasizing that his client should be able to go back to work as soon as possible.
Anis is set to receive the verdict on March 25, with the lawyer condemning the initial decision.
Guez said that “racism” or “ignorance” led to the initial decision.
The lawyer said: “Police chiefs see a religious requirement that is performed everyday by regular Muslims a threat to public safety.”
He described the decision as “open Islamophobia.”
The lawyer said the decision of firing Anis coincided with anti-Muslim campaigns after the murder of French teacher Samuel Paty.
The brutal murder of Paty shocked Muslims and non-Muslims across the world.
However, the murder also sparked anti-Muslim and Islamophobic campaigns across France.
President Emmanuel Macron escalated tension after his controversial remarks on Islam.
The French President called Islam as a religion “in crisis.”
The French government also proposed a bill to fight against “Islamist separatism,” raiding mosques across the country.
Anis’ lawyer flagged the situation in France, saying the decision of the airport authority to fire him.
“He could be warned about not to perform prayers at work but being fired for praying is not normal,” he said.
