I was sacked for being a Christian

Masih, 37, took his case to an employment tribunal, where last week Raymond Williamson, the judge, agreed to refer it to the European Court of Justice for a preliminary ruling on whether Masih's role as a volunteer was protected by anti-discrimination legislation.

The test case is backed by the Christian Legal Centre, and Masih wants his day in court because he believes that the radio station discriminated against him as a Christian when it sacked him.

"I came to this country from a country where freedom of speech is not encouraged, a country where six Christians were burned alive just a few weeks ago," he says. "In this country, all communities are supposed to be allowed to live their lives according to their faith. But I found myself sacked because the radio station showed preferential treatment to the Muslim community. I did not expect to come to Britain only to be treated as badly as in my own country."

The incident took place last July during his one-hour show for Glasgow's Asian Christians, broadcast on Awaz FM, a station that promotes itself as the voice of Glasgow's Asian communities and their respective faiths. Masih was chairing a debate with co-presenter Afzal Umeed about the views of Dr Zakir Naik, a Muslim speaker who stood accused of belittling the Christian faith and rejecting the Christian premise that Jesus Christ is the only prophet to be "the way, the truth and the life".

Asif Mall, a Christian caller to the show, claimed that Naik, president of the Islamic Research Foundation in Mumbai, demonstrated a lack of understanding of the Bible and the Koran.

Masih accepts that the debate became "lively" but at no stage did he think it could be interpreted as an insult to Islam. "It was about the uniqueness of the Christian faith and about Jesus. It is our right to express our views. The guest expressed his views. I didn't actually say anything; I was the presenter. But what was said did cause offence to some Muslims. I was never told how many and I was never told who they were," he says.

Some listeners who were offended went to the Glasgow mosque to urge their leaders to complain about the broadcast, and the station's management called Masih in.

"I kept asking, what have I done wrong? They said I tried to create friction in the community and they wanted me to apologise. I said, all right, I will apologise to avoid any further conflict, but I stressed that no insulting words were used, there was no intemperate language."

Masih read out an apology on air. "After it, I said something along the lines that we live in a free country and people have fought long battles to achieve the freedom to express views about their faiths. Then I thought it was okay, that it was over and done with," he says.

But it was not. A few hours later, Masih was called at his home in East Kilbride by one of the station managers and told that members of the Muslim community were still not happy. He was asked to go to the mosque and issue another apology.

"I said I was not going to do that, it was not appropriate," says Masih. "I said I was prepared to talk to anyone in the radio office but that was not accepted. I felt very let down. I would have expected some support from colleagues I had worked with for six years but I got none.

"My suspicion, that the radio station management sided with the Muslim community, was confirmed when I was told that I wasn't allowed to present my programme any more. I got a letter of termination on August 16."

The letter claimed that Masih had "failed to remain neutral and as such allowed the guest to make comments that led to offending various members of the community". However, a spokesman for Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, said that it had received no complaints.

Masih says: "This is a community radio station run largely by public funding. It's my money and your money that is being spent and I think it is a scandalous use of that money to give the Muslim community preferential treatment while at the same time suppressing freedom of speech. It is contrary to the rule of law here.

"I think all public funding should be halted until my case is settled."

The Scottish government confirmed that Awaz FM has received a grant of £190,000 for 2008 to 2011. The station is monitored by the Voluntary Action Fund, an independent grants body, to ensure that the money is being spent appropriately.Javed Sattar, the station manager at Awaz FM, says the rest of the running costs are met by grant donations and advertising revenue. Sattar rejects Masih's claims of discrimination, saying: "Awaz FM has no preferential treatment towards any faith or organisation. We disagree with his remark that the station only cares about Muslims."

On the judge's decision to refer the case to the European court, Sattar says: "We have to respect and abide by the decision."

But he insists that the issue is not about religion but about an alleged breach of procedure. "In this current climate of faith, it is easier for him [Masih] to use this angle of Muslims against Christians. A large part of the Christian community are very supportive of our programming."

Masih says that until recently he has lived happily in his adopted homeland. "But now I feel disappointed and angry and helpless," he says. "The reason I came to Scotland was to study, but the overarching reason was to get out of that discriminatory environment [in Pakistan]."

His court case will examine whether a volunteer can be sacked for reasons related to religion or belief, but Masih thinks it has wider implications: "I firmly believe it is about whether we have freedom of speech, freedom of expression. I would do anything to hold on to that."