A MUSLIM chef who lost a claim of religious discrimination against Scotland Yard after complaining he was forced to cook sausages and bacon faces a legal bill of more than £75,000.
Hasanali Khoja
Hasanali Khoja accused the Metropolitan Police of failing to consider his Islamic beliefs when he was asked to handle pork products as a catering manager at a police station.
The £23,000-a-year chef claimed suggestions by his bosses that he should wear gloves and use tongs left him “stressed and humiliated”.
But Khoja, 62, lost his claim in May after a police employee told an employment tribunal how she saw Mr Khoja eat bacon rolls and sausages.
The Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA), according to this report, has now won a ruling ordering the lying hypocrite to pay its costs, which total at least £76,200. In its costs claim, the Met said Khoja:
Knew that he had asked for a bacon roll two or three times for personal consumption before bringing his claim and throughout the conduct of his claim. The fact that he had knowingly come into contact with pork products before bringing the claim shows that the claim had no reasonable prospect of success from the outset.
Judge Michael Southam agreed and ruled Mr Khoja should pay costs, though these would be determined at a later date at a county court.
Mr Khoja, from Edgware, North London, who is still employed by the Met, claimed at a hearing in Watford that he could afford to pay only £80 a week as he has little income, lives in rented property and is struggling with £30,000 legal bills of his own.
But the court discovered he had sold another home last year, splitting profits of almost £200,000 with his wife and two sons.
The decision is another setback for the police chef, who believed he was on course for a large settlement when he launched his case in 2007.
Khoja, who sits on a Foods Standards Agency advisory committee on Muslim issues, decided to take action after Scotland Yard chiefs placed him on unpaid leave for a year after his refusal to work with pork.
He said he was then given work in a different building but his role was downgraded.
But his case fell apart when another caterer, Mary Boakye, told the court she served him bacon rolls ‘two or three’ times at the Met canteen at Heathrow in West London.
Mmmmm ... bacon rolls are so good they can even tempt a Muslim
When she told him she was surprised because his religion banned him from eating pork, Mr Khoja allegedly replied:
I eat them once in a while.
Another chef said he saw Mr Khoja once happily eat a sausage dish and told the court:
He was not as strict as some Muslims.
Khoja is one of several ethnic minority staff to launch racial discrimination claims against Scotland Yard. The most high-profile was former Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur, who last year accused Sir Ian Blair of excluding him from the upper echelons of the force because of his skin colour.
Ghaffur retired after receiving an out-of-court settlement and dropped the allegations.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
December 20th, 2009 at 11:13 pm
So, he was telling porkies then!
December 20th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
A Muslim chef, who ate pork pies,
Was caught out when telling great lies:
Now the Old Bill’s big bill
He has got to pay still;
To tell the truth surely is wise!
December 21st, 2009 at 2:31 am
But would he have won if he had not been eating bacon? also *handling* pork is not the same as eating it.
Not quite the same thing, but I’ve been in loads of shops ran by muslims, most of them sold pig products and alcohol – it didn’t seem to bother them when profits were involved.
December 21st, 2009 at 5:56 am
Yes rog, you can’t serve god and gammon
December 21st, 2009 at 6:25 am
Yet another reason the “religious beliefs” excuse for getting out of work should be dropped–so many of these people are hypocrites or even outright liars.
December 21st, 2009 at 7:07 am
The bacon is not bad, just don’t marry a child, Mohamed.
December 21st, 2009 at 9:34 am
Religious belief: an excuse for being a liar, cheat, bigot…. Or perhaps this guy is just an out and out crook using islam to hide behind. I hope the courts demand all costs from him.
December 21st, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Hmmm, don’t touch pork, but okay to eat it, LMAO, are u kidding me?? What hypocrites!!
December 21st, 2009 at 6:18 pm
Well, the more stupid laws we have, the more people will try to exploit them. It’s great news for lawyers though – that’s the upside.
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:21 am
I am also curious to know how this nonsense case would have ended had the caterer not spoken out about Khoja’s ‘mmmmm bacon rolllll’ moments. Sadly, I really couldn’t pick a ‘most likely’ verdict. New benchmarks for religion-related battiness in every walk of life seem to only ever be a new day away.
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:25 am
Talk about putting your money where your mouth is lol
December 22nd, 2009 at 11:26 am
If you choose to work in catering in the UK you accept you wil have to handle pork products. Even if he had not eaten pork, his objections should not be countenanced. What would happen if a Muslim got a job in a pub and then brought a claim for being forced to serve alcohol.
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:05 pm
This case would make a good sketch on tv.
December 22nd, 2009 at 8:42 pm
an interesting case for a vegetarian atheist to mull over…
while there are some moral grounds for my choice of diet, i wouldn’t blame someone else for making me cook or serve meat if i had taken a job at a restaurant that served it. it’s that simple.
don’t want to compromise your muslim practices? “cater” exclusively to muslims.
the hypocrisy if his pork eating is laughable, but shouldn’t be the crux of the verdict.
December 24th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
LOL @ “bacon rolls AND sausages.” The greedy bastard!
January 12th, 2010 at 8:26 pm
pork is forbidden to be eaten or handled by muslims, as a muslim i wouldnt even work in a place where pork had to be served, same as a pub i wouldnt work there because you would have to serve alcohol, this man was a hypocrite and it has got nothing to do with religion. He was obviously using it as a excuse and should be ashamed of himself