Scotland Yard: Top Muslim officer suing for racial discrimination

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Scotland Yard said Friday that its highest ranking Muslim police officer is suing the force, reportedly claiming religious and racial discrimination. Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur, the man charged with handling London's 2012 Olympic security preparations, is suing his employers for 1.2 million pounds (US$2.2 million) on racial and religious grounds, according to the British Broadcasting Corp., which did not cite a source for its report. A spokesman for London's Metropolitan Police said he understood that Ghaffur had initiated legal proceedings at an employment tribunal, but said the force had not yet been served with legal papers and could offer no further comment. He spoke anonymously in line with police policy. Ghaffur, born in Uganda to parents of Pakistani descent, joined Manchester's police force in 1974. He switched to the Metropolitan Police in 1999 and rose to assistant commissioner - the force's third-highest position - in 2001. Ghaffur has used the high-visibility post to speak out against racism among police, warning in 2006 that some officers were alienating minorities by stereotyping them as criminals.