Personal (Journal Entry)

Dear Journal,       

I lost my job. All because of my religion. I work at a primary school in the 17^th District of Paris. In October 2001 I asked to meet with the School Director when I heard the rumors about me losing my job because of my religion. He said that he was fully satisfied with my professionalism and my work as a teacher.  But doing a good job was not enough. 

On November 20^th, 2001 things worsened. On my way into school a flier attacking my reputation was distributed.  Great now everybody knows everything I did. Then a few days later the head of the local hate group organized a meeting in my school cafeteria.  He could not help to admit that I had not done anything wrong, but he still wanted them to write to the School Inspector to complain about me.  The whole campaign was all over the media. There was an article in the newspaper called “The Teacher Who Is Frightening.” I am mortified right now. All of my business is all over the news and the papers.

Then after all of this there was a demonstration held against me and my whole church. The hate group was in charge of the whole demonstration.  The hate group boasts about the support it enjoys from the French Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Employment, the Paris School District and the “Interministerial Mission to Fight Against Sects.”  Because of the hate campaign I was transferred to another school. So I lost my job at one school just because of my religion but at least I got transferred to another school  and didn’t completely lose my job. Then on top of all of this in my country claims to be a haven for human rights and which has just passed legislation forbidding discrimination in the workplace. But yet it still happened to me.

With all of this happening I am glad I got another job because if I hadn’t have been transferred to another school I don’t know what I would have done.

Teacher loses her job. n.d. Church of Scientology International Human Rights Office. Retrieved March 1, 2012, from http://www.humanrights-france.org/personal-discrimination.htm#Teacher.