A Christian woman that was suspended after a Muslim co-worker rushed to her employer to complain she was witnessed to has had her appeal denied by a British tribunal.

Victoria Wasteney, 38, thought she had become friends with Muslim Enya Nawaz, 27.  The two worked at St. John Howard Center in London.  The two discussed Islam and Christianity and Wasteney shared her church’s efforts to fight human trafficking.

“The whole basis of our conversations around faith started with her telling me that she’d had an encounter with God, that she felt she had been brought to London for a particular reason,” Wasteney told reporters. “We were both interested in what one another were involved in. It was part of the normal process of building a relationship with someone, to talk about primarily things we were interested in outside of work.”

In 2013, Nawaz told Wasteney about some health concerns.  Wasteney offered to pray for the woman she thought was a friend and did so.  She also gave the woman a book about a Muslim that turned to Christianity.

Nawaz then rushed to their employer alleging that Wasteney was attempting to witness and convert her.

After suspending Wasteney for nine months with pay, a disciplinary panel last year declared that Wasteney was guilty of “bullying and harassment” for talking about her faith and praying over her sick co-worker even though the co-worker gave permission.  She was given a written warning and allowed to resume working but not in her specialized field.

“I knew she was from a different faith background and I was respectful of that. I didn’t force my beliefs on anyone at any point. Surely there should be room for mutual conversations about faith, where appropriate, in the workplace?” she said in a statement on Wednesday.

“I am extremely disappointed with the tribunal’s decision to side with my employer,” Wasteney continued. “There is already an unnatural caginess around faith and belief which is an obstruction to building meaningful relationships in the workplace.”