Security guard threatens Muslim man who prayed in Canadian train station, video shows
A Muslim man was approached by security and threatened after he prayed at a train station in Canada, video shows. The rail company has apologized for the “discriminatory behavior.”
Ahmed, who told McClatchy News he only wanted to be identified by his first name because of safety and privacy concerns, was at the VIA Rail train and bus station in Ottawa on Monday, March 20, when he decided to pray.
“I go to this empty hallway and I’m in the corner minding my own business praying,” Ahmed said in the caption of a video posted to TikTok. He finished praying and returned to his co-worker who was waiting with their bags.
The co-worker told Ahmed that a security guard had come by saying he couldn’t pray there, the video caption said. The guard approached Ahmed, and several bystanders filmed the interaction.
“What is the problem? You want me to say something,” the security guard in a yellow vest said in the video. “Don’t pray in here. We don’t want you praying here. You’re bothering our other customers, OK?”
“Who? There’s not one person. I went to the end of the hallway,” Ahmed said, “not one person had anything to say.”
“Pray outside next time, OK?” the security guard said.
“In the cold? When I’m inside here?” Ahmed said.
“Pray outside,” the guard said. “I’m going to complain to your employer.” He walked past Ahmed as the video ended.
After the video ends, Ahmed told McClatchy News that other security guards approached him and “defended” the one who confronted him.
A bystander, Clarence Frazer, described this second interaction on Twitter, saying the officials asked Ahmed, “Are you homeless? We get a lot of homeless people loitering.”
Ahmed confirmed this to McClatchy News, saying “I was in a hoodie, sweatpants and my slippers. Are you (the security guards) trying to say that I look homeless?”
“If I was doing something where I’m causing a scene, that’s a different story,” Ahmed told CTV. “But if I’m minding my own business, it looks like I’m doing yoga, what is the real situation?”
“It was just a disrespectful, racist and awful situation to be a part of,” he wrote in the caption of the video. He told CP24 that hearing people tell him not to practice his religion “was like a slap in the face and then a spit in the face.”
@a.p416 Part 2. Obviously a lot of this whole situation wasn’t recorded. He said dont pray here. And said im gonna complain to your employer right now, and went into an office. By then a bunch of people came to check on me and said don’t mind him, this isn’t ottawa.. we apologize keep doing your thing you’re not bothering anyone It was just a disrespectful, racist and awful situation to be apart of, and I hope nobody has to deal with anything like this. It was disgusting to say the very least. How can this stuff be happening in my home country canada… not the states… CANADA #ottawa #viarail #racismneedstostop #islamophia ♬ original sound - A.P
VIA Rail Canada issued an apology statement later that day, saying, “we want to apologize unreservedly to the individuals involved and to the entire Muslim community.”
The rail company told McClatchy News that the security guard involved in the incident was a subcontractor employee. The company asked the guard to be removed from their contracts “pending the outcome of the investigation.”
“We strongly condemn and will not tolerate any form of discriminatory behaviour,” the March 20 statement said.
Ahmed responded to the apology, telling McClatchy News it was “unacceptable and pathetic.”
“I want real change,” he said. “Islamophobia is a real thing. Let people practice their religion in peace. If that building had a prayer (or) spiritual room, this entire situation would have been avoided.”
The National Council of Canadian Muslims said on Twitter on March 21 that its legal team was “reaching out” to the rail company and the minister of transportation about the incident.
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