Bilderberg.org

[TonyGosling]

NONSENSE
'Jesus has to be glorified'
It takes the Archbishop of York (born in Uganda) to bring common sense to BA's absurd ban on this woman's tiny cross
Daily Mail front page lead
21Nov06
By Jane Merrick and Steve Doughty
BRITISH Airways was accused of ignoring the nation's Christian heritage last night by refusing to let an employee wear a cross.
The attack from the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, came after the airline rejected an appeal by check-in worker Nadia Eweida.
Dr Sentamu, the second most senior fig¬ure in the Church of England, denounced the decision as 'nonsense'.
He said: 'British Airways needs to look again at this decision and to look at the history of the country it represents, whose culture, laws, heritage and tradition owe so much to the very same symbol it would ban.'
A growing chorus of MP's, civil liberties campaigners, Muslims and Sikhs also condemned. BA. The outcry came after Miss Eweida, 55, who has been off work without pay for two months to fight her case, lost her appeal.
She now faces the sack but vowed to fight 'to the bitter end' for the right to wear the tiny cross on a chain.
BA insisted its policy for uniformed staff did not ban them from wearing a cross.
A spokesman said: 'The policy lays down that personal items of jewellery; including crosses, may be worn - but underneath the uniform.'
Miss Eweida had appealed against the ban because her Muslim and Sikh fellow workers at Heathrow are permitted to wear hijabs and turbans.
But BA said it would not be 'practical' for such religious symbols to be worn under a uniform.
Ugandan-born Dr Sentamu said BA's position undermined its right to claim to be our national airline because it was failing to recognise the country's Christ¬ian culture and heritage.
He said: 'It is clear Nadia's cross does not form an impediment to her ability to carry out her duties.
'Under BA's current reasoning, an employee who turned up to work wearing a 3ft-long cross must be allowed to wear it, because to hide such a cross under their uniform would be impracti¬cal. Yet in Nadia's case, a cross of much less than three inches is deemed a problem.'
Dr Sentamu added: 'For me, the cross is important because it reminds me that God keeps his promises.
'Wearing a cross carries with it not only a symbol of our hopes but also a responsibility to act and to live as Christians.
'This symbol does not point only upwards but also outwards, it reminds us of our duties not only to God but also to one another. '
The broadside is the latest in a series from the increasingly out¬spoken Dr Sentamu, Britain's first black archbishop.
He has warned Muslim women against wearing veils in public and launched impassioned def¬ences of the Queen, family values and faith schools. He says 'no minority' should impose its belief on the rest of society.
Shami Chakrabarti, director of the civil rights group Liberty, said: 'British Airways' policy appears to be fundamentally miscon¬ceived and has led to a bonkers result.
'This woman's cross is clearly as important to her as a turban or a hijab to someone else.'
Miss Eweida's MP, Liberal Demo¬crat Vince Cable, said: 'BA have behaved very badly.
'They are treating different faiths inconsistently and have shown a complete lack of flexibil¬ity in dealing with a situation that could have been resolved quickly and simply.'
London mayor Ken Livingstone said: 'Nadia Eweida should have the right to wear a cross if she wishes to do so. Individuals should be able to follow their beliefs, and this must apply to all religions.'
Miss Eweida, who lives in Twick¬enham, South-West London, was delighted with Dr Sentamu's comments.
She said: 'I am very grateful for his support. It is wonderful. I was beginning to feel a lone voice in this country. '
'I am glad that a Christian like him has spoken out. .
'I hope: it encourages other Christians to start praying and persuades BA to change its mind.
'I am disappointed by the deci¬sion but I will not give up. They accept that I wear the cross for my religious beliefs and that it is not jewellery. But despite this they stuck by their decision to refuse to let me wear it.
'I find their stance confusing. It makes no sense.
'I will continue my fight until the bitter end. If BA chose to termi¬nate my employment I cannot stop them. It is their prerogative. I would be very sad, but this is what I must to.'
She said she did not want to hide the cross because 'Jesus has to be glorified'.
Miss Eweida added: 'I am not politically motivated or minded, I just follow the Biblical truth.'
She said a TV company flew her to the US after her case became public last month, and she received 'over¬whelming support' there.
Miss Eweida is planning to lodge a second appeal before launching employment tribunal proceedings.
She said she had been wearing the cross to work for seven years, without any complaints, and more than 250 BA workers had signed a petition supporting her.
But BA insiders said it was clear the airline would not back down.
The hard-line stance is said to be backed at the highest level by chief executive Willie Walsh, who believes giving way would mean other employees could wear jewellery.
BA said in a statement that its 34,000 uniformed staff, many thou¬sands of them Christians, had 'happily' accepted the jewellery ban for years.
It added: 'The policy recognises it is not practical for some religious symbols such as turbans and hijabs to be worn underneath the uniform.
'This is purely a question of practicality. There is no discrimination between faiths whatsoever.
'In Nadia Eweida's case, she is not suspended and we want her to come back to work.
'We have explained to her the need to comply with the uniform policy like all her colleagues, whatever their faith. She is refusing to do this. We have also offered her an alternative non-uniformed post, in which she would be able to wear her cross openly.
The statement pointed out that BA operates in 90 countries and added: 'We have staff and customers of all faiths and none.
'The uniform policy reflects the need to present a professional and consistent image wherever we operate. '

j.merrick@dailymail.co.uk

[cbpalumbos]

[size=18][/size]dont let metal, or a symbol be your faith.
faith is of the heart, where no man can see, or take from you.
_________________
hello...
if it was your position to protect.. i say to you, beware it is better for you to tie a brick around your neck, and throw yourself into the lake of fire than to hurt one of my children.

judging is at hand...