Are the litigious few ruining our prospects?

By Lopa Patel, 26 November 2009

OK, so this post is going to get me into trouble, but after hearing about TV-presenter Liza Aziz’s multi-million pound lawsuit against ITV West for alleged religious discrimination, ageism and sexism, I am beginning to wonder if the litigious few among the Asian community are ruining the prospects of the next generation.

Liza Aziz, who earns £200,000-a-year as a news presenter for the ITV West station, alleges religious discrimination on the grounds that her bosses asked her use her “terror contacts” when investigating a story about a Bristol terror suspect. In turn, her employers claim that she was suspended for fiddling her expenses. Following her suspension, Aziz claims ageism and sexism because they replaced her with “two blonde, blue-eyed presenters in their thirties”.

Whether Aziz wins her case or not, what is clear is that future Asian presenters are going to find it much harder to gain a foothold at ITV. They are certainly going to find it much harder to progress.

Don’t believe me? Consider the Metropolitan Police Service.

First there was the case of Det Sgt Gurpal Virdi who was awarded £150,000 in 2000 following claims of racial discrimination; this was followed by a payout of £90,000 in 2002 for “injury to his feelings”, then a claim for £70,000 for being passed over for promotion which was overturned in July 2008. In September 2008, Virdi was awarded £4,500 because his bosses failed to take into account his failing eyesight when he was taking Police exams. Virdi’s claims that it is “not about the money” do sound a little weak given the plethora of claims and proceedings.

Then there is the case of Tariq Ghaffur, Britain’s former top-ranking Asian Police Officer, who took early retirement in November 2008 and received a reported £310,000 out-of-court settlement for alleged claims of racial discrimination against the then Commissioner of the Met, Sir Ian Blair.

Thirdly is the case of Commander Shabir Hussain who last year took the Metropolitan Police Force to a tribunal claiming that he had been repeatedly overlooked for senior jobs and that a "golden circle" of favoured candidates was groomed for promotion and received preferential treatment. However, an employment tribunal rejected his claims saying that there was no evidence of a "golden circle" of officers.

And the outcome of these discrimination disputes?

Despite the fact that nearly one in ten officers in the Capital are from an ethnic minority, there are only 11 BME officers above the rank of Chief Inspector (out of 314 in total) and out of 75 Chief Superintendents only one is Asian. Claims by the Metropolitan Police Service that it is working hard to fast-track black and Asian officers are dismissed by the Metropolitan Black Police Association as “window dressing”. In an opinion piece in the London Evening Standard (1 September 2008), Andrew Gilligan said that he felt Tarique Ghaffur had “if anything, have been over-promoted, rather than held back on grounds of race”! Perhaps the real issue is that the majority of BME officers want to attain promotion on merit. Little wonder that more than 359 officers* in London who claimed to be from an ethnic minority group did not want to give details of their ethnic background.

Using the “race card” can be a “double-edged sword”

Using the “race card” can be a “double-edged sword”: on the one hand it can get you the compensation you deserve if your claim is genuine though you face the continued disdain of colleagues and the community, but on the other hand it can make your employer wary of taking on or promoting others from the same minority group in the future. Interestingly, young British Asians are cynical about “race claims” with many stating it is just so that the individual concerned can get a “big fat cheque and retire into the sunset”. Most young Asians do not perceive these litigious individuals as trail blazers fighting to end discrimination for all minorities.

And why should minorities expect preferential treatment anyway? Most individuals want to progress on merit and yet when claims arise, they are clutching at issues about race, gender, sexual orientation and disability. Is the thought of failing on the grounds of merit just too awful to contemplate?

I don’t have the answers, but I am concerned about the mounting costs for legislation which is paid for ultimately by the taxpayer. I am also worried about the toll on the next generation of British Asians in terms of career progression. “Institutional racism”, as is often cited against the Metropolitan Police Service, can only be conquered by working with an organisation, not against it.

* Out of 32,453 officers in the Metropolitan Police Service there are 2865 BME officers in total: 1,109 are Asian, 841 are black, 556 are mixed race and 359 identified themselves as from an ethnic minority but did not give details.

Are Jains the only true environmentalists?

By Lopa Patel, 8 November 2009

On Saturday (7 November 2009) I attended Jain Network's Interfaith seminar where one young man asked why the Jains hadn't been invited to Prince Philip's Arc climate change project launch held at Windsor Castle on 3rd November. This young man was, to my assessment, fobbed off with answers of how British Jains have met The Queen and been invited to private dinners at Buckingham Palace etc. All Community Cohesion and Interfaith blah! blah!

What I failed to grasp at the time was why he was asking the question. Further research lead me to understand the Jain view on the planet and to conclude that 'Jains are the only true environmentalists'! I agree that it is quite incredulous that they weren't invited to participate in the climate change talks. It’s a bit like hosting a dinner and forgetting to invite the guest of honour!

So why exactly do I think “Jains are the only true environmentalists”? * Jain cosmology denies the existence of a supreme being responsible for creation and operation of universe – nectar to non-creationists like Richard Dawkins (author of ‘The God Delusion’). The distinguishing features of Jain philosophy are its belief of the independent existence of soul and matter, denial of a creative and omnipotent God, potency of karma, eternal and uncreated universe, a strong emphasis on non-violence, accent on relativity and multiple facets of truth, and morality and ethics based on liberation of soul.

Jain philosophy attempts to explain the rationale of being and existence, the nature of the Universe and its constituents, the nature of bondage and the means to achieve liberation. It has often been described as an ascetic movement for its strong emphasis on self-control, austerities and renunciation. Apart from the strong ethical code Jains follow of: Ahimsa (non-violence), Aparigraha (non-possession), Asteya (not-stealing), Satya (truth) and Brahmacarya (celibacy), they view all life as sacred.

Compassion for all life, both human and non-human, is central to Jainism. Human life is valued as a unique, rare opportunity to reach enlightenment. To kill any person, no matter their crime, is considered unimaginably abhorrent. History suggests that various strains of Hinduism became vegetarian due to strong Jain influences.

Jainism's stance on non violence goes far beyond vegetarianism. Jains refuse food obtained with unnecessary cruelty. Many practice a lifestyle similar to veganism, due to the violence of modern dairy farms, and others exclude root vegetables from their diets to preserve the lives of these plants. Potatoes, garlic and onions in particular are avoided by Jains. Traditionally-oriented Jains do not eat, drink, or travel after sunset, and prefer to drink water that is boiled and then cooled to room temperature. Many Jains abstain from eating root vegetables as the plant, which is a living organism, is usually uprooted during the harvest. The purpose of these practices is to minimise the harm that may otherwise be caused to living organisms inadvertently.

I recall my father’s great aunt in India who would eat before dusk and retire to bed before sun down so as to avoid switching on lights that attract moths and other insects. She could not bear to see them harmed inadvertently by the heat of the light bulb.

Jains also believe in fasting. There are three types of Jain fasts based on the level of austerity; Uttam, Madhyam and Jaghanya; the first being the most stringent: Uttam involves renouncing all worldly things including food & water on the day of fasting and eating only once on the eve & next day of fasting. During a Madhyam fast, water is taken on the day of fast, but not the food. For Jaghanya fasting, Jains eat only at a particular time on the day. Jain fasting is described “as the most radical form of religiously-motivated diet regulation in the Indian subcontinent.”

A life this ascetic takes a lot of hard work and yet many Jains in the UK successfully juggle their Western and Eastern lives on a daily basis, thus proving that it is possible to preserve the planet by having a lower impact on it as they do. They preserve “life” as far as humanly possible, exercise rigid dietary restraint to almost inhuman levels, practice non-consumerism and believe in continuity of life and the universe - so arguably Jains are the only true environmentalists.

* Information obtained from Wikipedia.

Click here to read about the Jain Network Interfaith Seminar

Do Indian businesses actually support sport?

I’m a big fan of all things related to sports, so it comes as no surprise when I say that the UK India Business Council put together a fantastic line-up of sports personalities at their gala dinner last week, which took place at the Royal Courts of Justice and should be congratulated. In attendance were Dame Kelly Holmes, Monty Panesar, Kapil Dev, and the guy who brought the IPL to the world – Lalit Modi.

Earlier in the day, I’d had the privilege to attend the baton relay that had been organised by Buckingham Palace to mark the start of the journey for the Commonwealth Baton, which will end up in Delhi next year. So, with athletics and sport running through my head that day, the cynic in me wondered whether Indian business actually supports sport – beyond Cricket.

We know of examples like Lakshmi Mittal supporting tennis stars, Vijay Mallya, TCS and ICICI being involved in Formula 1, but does support for athletics and other lesser publicised sports really run through the veins of India’s business leaders? In the UK, we have clear examples of corporate money from Aviva supporting athletics, is there an equivalent in India? Will the Commonwealth Games change this?

It was Dame Kelly who made the point most eloquently to me when she said that the benefits of supporting kids from the grassroots are huge. Without this investment, as a society we’re poorer for the simple reason that sports personalities have long been considered the best role models for future generations to emulate.

It’d be great to learn as to whether Indian businesses are opening up to supporting grass-roots sports. If you have a view, let me know.