A Christian employee of British Airlines has been asked to conceal her cross necklace to comply with the airlines’ dress code.

Heathrow check-in worker Nadia Eweida is on unpaid leave after refusing to cover up her cross necklace.

“I believe that it is a very important issue on the matter of expressing Christianity and employees having their say in the way they express their faith,” she said.

British Airways says all jewellery and religious symbols on chains must be worn under the uniform.

But it makes an exception for Sikh turbans and Muslim hijabs because they cannot be covered up. (BBC)

There’s a few things rolled up into this issue, only one of which is the Muslin head-scarf thing. Now, technically speaking, it’s orthodox according to the Apostle Paul and also to Jewish religious law (i.e., the Old Testament, where did you think it came from?) for women to cover their hair in church/all the time. If one is truly Christian, what’s to say one shouldn’t cover one’s sinful female head-growth? I’m just asking.

The real issue here is a bit deeper. If, say, a Wiccan wanted to wear a pentacle to work, how much media splash would there be? Who would be on this hypothetical Wiccan’s side? If Christians end up being able to wear crosses outside their uniforms (advertising/flaunting their religious beliefs) what’s to stop the rest of us from doing the same?

If Christians are not allowed to do so, what does this mean for other religions’ outward marks of faith–like the Sikh turban or the hijab?

I applaud British Airlines for being willing to draw the line. Christians have rammed their beliefs down other peoples’ throats so mercilessly for so long, the uproar over this simple request is both disproportionate and idiotic. It is the tantrum of a three-year old, especially since Ms. Eweida is looking to sue. (What happened to the love of money being the root of all evil? An inconvenient and oft-forgotten Christian principle, that.) And her coreligionists hardly sound more mature.

David Cannings, chairman of Christians in Politics, which encourages people in public office to make their faith part of their work, said religious imagery was becoming marginalised.

“We think such ostentatious expressions of faith are starting to be pushed into the background in an attempt to treat people equally and I think there’s a danger that faith will be pushed into the background at the same time.” (BBC)

Heaven forbid that the single factor–religious “faith”–in more killings, wars, and brutalisations should be pushed into the background. Heaven forbid that insulting ostentatious displays of fanaticism should be pushed into the background.

Sheesh.