Jehovah’s Witness Sues to Regain Job

A Jehovah’s Witness in Singapore, fired from his teaching job for refusing to sing the Singapore national anthem, has gone to court in an effort to win back his position.

“Based on my constitutional rights, I believed that my refraining from singing the national anthem and [reciting] the national pledge . . . would not be prejudicial,” Peter Nappalli told the court Monday, Reuters reported.

Reciting the pledge and singing the anthem during morning assemblies were made mandatory in 1988. Nappalli was fired for misconduct in 1994 for not saying the words to the anthem or the pledge.

The Jehovah’s Witness movement has been banned in Singapore since 1972 on the grounds it is prejudicial to public welfare and order. Jehovah’s Witnesses consider pledges and anthems as acts of worship and, therefore, against their faith.

During the hearing, Nappalli’s lawyers argued that there is no law in Singapore compelling either the singing of the anthem or the recitation of the pledge and that the republic’s constitution protects his right not to do so.

But lawyers for the school said Nappalli had intentionally suppressed information about his religious beliefs on his employment application form.