Woman secretary forced to quit over sex dispute

A woman has been forced to quit her job at a Muslim girls school in blackburn becaue parents thought she was a man following a malicious email campaign.

Shifa Patel, who worked at at Al-Islah Muslim girls school in Blackburn, was targeted after photos of her with short hair and wearing trousers and a shirt were seen on facebook leading parents to believe she was a man.

The secretary, who wore traditional Islamic head scarf and full length robe to work, voluntarily underwent a medical examination to prove she was female. But when a group of parents gathered at the school gates attempting to force their way in and demanding she be sacked, the secretary decided to hand in her notice and the head also decided to quit in protest.

Miss Patel, 28, was so upset she chose to quit, saying: "They have hurt me so badly."

Sergeant John Rigby, of Lancashire Constabulary's minority team, said: "Police were called to the school after reports that people were trying to damage school doors.

"When we arrived a group of 10 to 15 people were outside the school.

"This is an entirely internal school matter and police were simply there to calm the situation down."

Nizamuddin Makda, 57, was one of the school’s founder members and its headteacher until January last year. He employed Shifa Patel as an administrator in 2003.

He said the photographs showed her with short hair in "manly clothes behaving like a man".