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London: A former television chief on Thursday demanded more than £1 million (Dh7.2 million) in compensation from Arabic station Al Jazeera for allegedly firing her because she was not a Muslim.
Jo Burgin, former head of planning at the English language arm of the news channel, said she was axed while her husband was kept on in a senior post.
Burgin, 49, alleges that she was dismissed because she is a "white, Christian, British woman".
Her solicitor Jonathan Cohen told a tribunal: "We say that a Muslim or an employee from a predominantly Muslim country would not have been dismissed."
Burgin, from Derbyshire, was based at the channel's offices in Doha, Qatar, but is suing it for sexual, racial and religious discrimination at Central London Employment Tribunal.
Husband quits job
Burgin's British husband Steve Clark, who was director of news and programmes, did have his contract renewed.
But Clark, a former executive at ITN and Sky News who was a driving force behind Al Jazeera English's launch in November 2006, resigned in March.
Al Jazeera's five most senior executives flew in from the Middle East to attend the hearing on Thursday. The tribunal heard Burgin allege seven separate "acts or series of acts" - including her dismissal - which amount to discrimination.
Al Jazeera denies all of Burgin's allegations and insists company policy was the reason for her dismissal.
But Cohen said: "We say that that is not the case and that was not the reason why she was dismissed."
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