A Christian airport worker who claims she lost her job because she was harassed by Muslim colleagues who wrongly suggested she was “anti-Islam” is fighting her case at the Court of Appeal.
Nohad Halawi, a beauty consultant in Heathrow's Terminal 3, insists she was unlawfully dismissed from the job she held for over 13 years.
She is appealing against tribunal decisions that because she was self-employed she was not a "worker or employee", meaning she is not entitled to seek the protection of unfair dismissal and anti-discrimination laws.
Mrs Halawi, of Weybridge, Surrey, claims she and other Christian staff members were victims of harassment.
She said another friend was reduced to tears for wearing a cross.
In a statement to the tribunals, she said she was "well-known for standing up on behalf of those Muslims bullied by the extremists".
In one incident, a Muslim colleague "misheard" a conversation she was having and mistakenly thought she had criticised Islam.
Shortly after she said she was accused of being anti-Islam, and faced an internal investigation followed by dismissal in July.
Her case of unlawful religious discrimination was rejected by an employment tribunal in 2012, and then by the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) in October last year.
Paul Diamond, appearing for Mrs Halawi, told three appeal judges it was a case of "workplace religious discrimination".
The Christian Legal Centre, who are supporting Mrs Halawi, claim 22 colleagues, including other Muslim workers, signed a petition saying they were "shocked and saddened" by her dismissal.
CLC chief executive Andrea Williams said: "This is a clear case of injustice involving a Christian worker which was obvious to many of Nohad's colleagues - including some Muslim colleagues - who signed a petition protesting against her dismissal.
"In order for us to challenge Nohad's unfair dismissal, and the unequal treatment of Christians in the workplace, we need a judge to rule that she was in fact employed. This is why we're supporting Nohad as her case goes to the Court of Appeal."
Ms Williams added: "This is an issue of justice affecting thousands of people and their right to proper protection if they work at the command of others and are subordinate to them, even if they have self-employed status."
