https://www.citizensadvice.org.

uk/law-and-courts/discrimination/discrimination-because-of-race-religion-or-
belief/discrimination-because-of-religion-or-belief/

The law against discrimination because of religion or belief does not cover purely political beliefs unless they
are also philosophical beliefs.

You are protected if someone discriminates against you because they think you are a certain religion, when you
are not. For example, it's against the law for someone to discriminate against you for wearing a headscarf
because they think you are a Muslim, even if you are not actually Muslim.

Discrimination by association is also against the law. For example, it is against the law to refuse to let you into
a restaurant because of the religion of someone who is with you.

You are protected from religious discrimination in your workplace. This means you are protected:

 whatever your religion or belief

 whatever your employer's religion or belief
 whether you are already working for your employer
 whether you are applying for a job.

Discrimination at work because of your religion or belief could include:

 dismissing you because of your religion

 advertising for job applicants of one religion only
 requiring you to dress in a certain way, for example, requiring all women to wear a short skirt. This
would not be acceptable for women of several different religions
 requiring you not to wear sacred items. For example, a Sikh man might be required to remove their kara
(symbolic bracelet). However, if the employer can justify this on health and safety grounds, this
wouldn't count as discrimination
 making you work at times that you cannot work because of your religion
 victimisation
 bullying at work because of your religion. This is also known as harassment

Before you take any action, you should check if your problem at work is discrimination.

If you experience discrimination at work because of your religion or belief, you may be able to make a
complaint. This includes raising a grievance with your employer or making a claim to an employment tribunal.
However, in some circumstances, it might be possible for your employer to show that there were genuine
business, or health and safety reasons for the way you have been treated which have nothing to do with your
religion or belief. If this is the case, it won't count as discrimination.

For example

I'm Jewish and need to take Friday afternoons off work in winter to get home before dark and prepare for the
Sabbath. At the moment, my boss is happy to let me do this and make up the time during the rest of the week.
However, he is thinking of introducing a new shift pattern, which means I will not be able to do this any more.
Can he do this?
It is against the law to discriminate against a worker because of their religion or belief. So, if your employer is
introducing a new shift pattern which will be difficult for you because of your religion, it may be that you are
the victim of discrimination because of religion. Your employer would have to justify why it is essential for you
to work on Friday afternoons. He must be able to show that he has tried to meet your needs but that for business
reasons you still need to work on Friday afternoons. Otherwise, his behaviour towards you may count as
discrimination because of your religion.

Religious discrimination when providing goods, facilities or services

It's against the law for anyone providing goods, facilities or services directly to the public to discriminate
because of religion or belief.

Examples of organisations which provide goods, facilities or services include:

 pubs, restaurants and hotels

 shops
 cinemas and theatres
 hospitals and clinics
 estate agents, private landlords and local authority housing departments
 banks, building societies, insurance companies and finance companies
 railway stations, bus stations and airports
 churches and other places of worship
 charities and voluntary organisations
 government departments, local authorities, courts and tribunals, police officers and prisons
 welfare services such as housing advice, day-care or community care.

For example, it's against the law for a pub or restaurant to refuse to serve you, or for a hotel to refuse to give
you a room because of your religion or belief, or what they think your religion or belief is.

For more examples of organisations which provide goods, facilities and services, see the Equality and Human
Rights Commission website at: www.equalityhumanrights.com.

Someone providing goods, facilities or services must not:

 refuse to provide you with them because of your religion or belief

 discriminate in the way any of these things are provided because of your religion or belief.

It is illegal to discriminate regardless of how the goods and services are provided or whether you have to pay for
them or not.

I'm an Asian man. Recently, I booked a room in a B&B, but when I arrived, the receptionist told me the room was no
longer available. She told me about a hotel nearby that could probably take me. When I asked the receptionist why
she didn't have a room for me when I'd booked two weeks in advance, she told me that the B&B owner doesn't like
Muslim people staying there as they could be terrorists.

Religious discrimination in schools and colleges

It's against the law for a school or college to discriminate because of religion or belief when it decides on who
should be accepted as a pupil or student. This applies to both state and independent schools and colleges.
However, it doesn't apply to faith schools. Once you have been accepted as a pupil or student at the school or
college, it's against the law for them to discriminate against you because of your religion or belief. For example,
you can't refuse to let someone be a prefect, give them detention or extra homework just because of their
religion or belief.

School uniform

Rules about school uniform must not discriminate against you because of your religion. For example, if you're a
young Sikh man, you must be allowed to wear a turban at school as this is part of your faith.

However, this doesn't mean that a school has to allow all items of religious dress. Schools can have a uniform
policy which prevents pupils wearing certain things. They might, for example, do this for health and safety
reasons.

The curriculum

The law about religious discrimination does not apply to what is taught in schools (the curriculum). For
example:

 a school is allowed to teach evolution theories even if these theories go against the religious views of some
parents
 it isn't against the law for religious education lessons in schools to teach mainly about Christianity. However,
teachers must also take into account the other main religions. This doesn't apply to faith schools.