A Muslim teaching assistant who refused to remove her veil during lessons has said minorities are treated as "outcasts" in Britain, after her claims of discrimination and harassment were dismissed.
Aishah Azmi, 24, criticised Prime Minister Tony Blair and cabinet ministers who had intervened in the row as part of the ongoing debate about the ways Muslims integrate into British society.
Mrs Azmi said she was "fearful of the consequences for Muslim women in this country who want to work", but urged Muslims to engage in dialogue with the wider community despite "the attacks that are being made upon them".
An employment tribunal dismissed three of Aishah Azmi's claims of discrimination and harassment but found that she was victimised by Headfield Church of England Junior School in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, and awarded her £1,000 for "injury to feelings".
Kirklees Council suspended her after she refused to remove her veil while teaching at the school. The school said face-to-face communication was essential for Ms Azmi's job as a bilingual support worker.
Mrs Azmi said: "Muslim women who wear the veil are not aliens, and politicians need to recognise that what they say can have a very dangerous impact on the lives of the minorities they treat as outcasts.
"Integration requires people like me to be in the workplace so that people can see that we are not to be feared or mistrusted.
"Sadly the intervention of ministers in my case - against the ministerial code - makes me fearful of the consequences for Muslim women in this country who want to work.
"I will continue to uphold my religious beliefs and urge Muslims to engage in dialogue with the wider community, despite the attacks that are being made upon them."
Mrs Azmi, of Thornhill Lees, Dewsbury, remains suspended on full pay from the school.
