Persecuted for Speaking Up about Palestine - A Muslim NHS Staff Member Fights Back
As-salamu alaykum. Ahmed Baker, a nurse at Whipps Cross Hospital in east London, has served 25 years in the NHS with no complaints from patients or colleagues. That changed after he used a watermelon image as a virtual-call background and his career was affected.
Ahmed, who is Palestinian, had been active on political and human rights issues related to Palestine. Trouble began when senior staff warned him that the watermelon background could be seen as “anti‑Semitic.” The trust then tightened uniform rules this year, banning pin badges, lanyards or other visible items showing flags or political causes not approved by the hospital. That followed complaints from some Jewish patients who said they felt unsafe when staff displayed Palestinian symbols.
Ahmed is one of three healthcare workers suing Barts Health NHS Trust for discrimination over the policy. He and others say the rules unfairly target those who show support for Palestine. “We are going through a genocide and we’re not allowed to say our opinion,” he said, and he believes the policy was aimed specifically at Palestinians and their supporters.
He told colleagues the issue was not the picture itself but the prejudice of the person who raised it. He and others compare the policy’s impact to stop-and-search practices that disproportionately affect minorities.
At least seven people have launched legal claims against NHS trusts, alleging harassment and discrimination for expressing support for Palestine. Many of the medical staff involved feel it is their duty to speak on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the deaths of healthcare workers there. Some have even urged their employers to stop using certain tech vendors connected to the Israeli military.
Others, including political leaders, argue there is a boundary between humanitarian concern and political advocacy that could affect the NHS’s mission to provide care for all. Some Jewish staff and patients say visible support for Palestine makes them feel unsafe, and that concern has fuelled calls for tighter rules.
So far, investigations into pro‑Palestine activism - including referrals to regulators - have not resulted in doctors being barred from practice. A few individuals faced arrests over posts that appeared to praise a proscribed group, though medical tribunals later cleared some of them. Still, referrals and inquiries have real consequences: for example, midwife Fatimah Mohamied resigned under pressure to remove social posts about Gaza and later brought a harassment claim after her hospital referred her to Prevent and the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Some clinicians say their names and pictures were circulated online, drawing hundreds or thousands of complaints and calls for dismissal. Legal action is costly and emotionally draining; many who bring claims face negative publicity and rely on crowdfunding for fees.
Lawyers representing Ahmed and others say the new uniform rule is written broadly but in practice has been used mainly against Palestine supporters. They argue protections under equality law should cover Palestinians and that “discrimination by association” could protect non‑Palestinians who face backlash for showing solidarity.
Doctors report trusts across the country adopting similar policies - banning non‑work lanyards or badges - and some fear they are being singled out because of their ethnic or religious background. A surgeon who joined medical missions to Gaza says her trust warned against non‑work lanyards and that she worries about suspension because she appears Arab or Muslim. She also finds it hard to raise humanitarian issues at work for fear of causing offence.
Many of the employment cases centre on heavy‑handed, opaque handling by hospitals - sudden suspensions, delayed explanations and prolonged investigations. Dr Nadeem Crowe, who worked at the Royal Free, says he was suspended without clear reasons tied to posts on a social platform; only later did he learn what was complained about via a Freedom of Information request and then resigned.
Others faced investigations after trying to organise peaceful, lunchtime demonstrations to express concern for Palestinians; in one case a staff member was barred while an inquiry later found no case to answer and that the trust had breached its procedures.
Some clinicians have chosen to leave the NHS rather than censor their humanitarian testimony. One paediatric neurologist said complaints over his talks about destroyed hospitals in Gaza led to pressure to limit his campaigning; feeling he could not remain silent, he left the service.
There are wider concerns about unequal treatment of ethnic minority doctors. The General Medical Council has acknowledged an imbalance in referrals and pledged to close the gap. The British Medical Association says it expects reviews of discrimination to include all affected groups and to recognise different forms of racism. A national survey of Muslim healthcare professionals is being organised to measure whether staff feel discriminated against for expressing support for Palestine.
Solicitors working on these cases say what we see now may be just the tip of the iceberg, with many more NHS workers reaching out for legal advice after warnings or hearings. For those who speak up, the personal cost can be high - professionally and emotionally - and many feel their right to express cultural identity and humanitarian concern is being restricted.
May Allah grant justice to those wronged and guidance to employers to handle such sensitive matters fairly and with understanding.
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