Yousaf court threat over nursery ‘discrimination’
LAWYER SAYS RESPONSE HAS NO EXPLANATION Spaces ‘available’ for non-ethnic names
A DISPUTE between the health secretary Humza Yousaf and a nursery over allegations of discrimination is likely to hit the courts.
A lawyer acting for Yousaf and his wife Nadia El-Akla, gave Little Scholars’ nursery a two-week deadline to pay damages and publicly apologise, amid claims it refused their daughter Amal a place on racial and religious grounds.
But the Broughty Ferry nursery last night insisted it had responded.
Acting for the couple, lawyer Aamer Anwar wrote to the nursery on August 9 alleging that it had “unlawfully discriminated against the Yousafs and their two year-old daughter on the grounds of race and/or religion”.
The letter claimed there was an “abundance” of evidence to back up the allegations, all of which the nursery denies.
Anwar said that unless the nursery met his clients’ demands, a court action would be raised.
The nursery said yesterday: “Little Scholars is extremely proud of being open and inclusive to all and we are deeply saddened that anyone would think otherwise.
“Our owners are themselves of Asian heritage, and for more than a decade we have regularly welcomed both children and staff from a range of different religious, cultural, ethnic and racial backgrounds.” It later issued a further statement, with a spokesman saying: “A full and detailed response to the allegations made by Humza Yousaf and Nadia El-Nakla has been provided, however, we have yet to receive a response or even an acknowledgement to this.
“We abhor discrimination in all its forms and it is not and would not be tolerated at the nursery. Little Scholars Day Nursery takes pride in being an inclusive nursery that is open and welcoming to all.
“We refute the claims made by Mr Yousaf and Ms El-Nakla and any proceedings raised will be robustly defended.”
The legal action follows a joint investigation by Nadia and the Record, in which the nursery said it had no spaces available for three applicants who had ethnic, Muslim-sounding names, including Amal.
But responding to fake inquiries from three mothers with non-ethnic names, the Dundee nursery said spaces were available.
Anwar said: “This (nursery) response refutes that there has been any discriminatory behaviour but fails to provide a reasoned explanation as to why there were repeated refusals to accommodate children with Muslim/ minority ethnic names, whilst at the same time children with white/Scottish names were offered nursery places.”