Via Rail apologizes after Muslim man told not to pray at Ottawa train station
Via Rail is apologizing after a Muslim man was told he couldn't pray at the Ottawa train station.
Ahmed, who asked that his last name not be used, said a security guard at the station told him he was not allowed to pray there and that he should pray outside.
The Toronto man said the interaction left him feeling shocked, embarrassed and disgusted.
Via Rail issued a statement apologizing to Ahmed and "the entire Muslim community" and said they are investigating the incident.
'We don't want you praying in here'
Ahmed told CTV News he was waiting to travel home to Toronto by bus on Monday when his bus was delayed by a few hours. Some Ottawa-Toronto buses run from the Via station.
Before leaving the station to explore downtown Ottawa, he decided to pray. He washed up in the bathroom and walked across the station to an empty hallway.
After praying there for a few minutes, he returned to his luggage and the co-worker he was travelling with.
He said a security guard then approached him to tell him he couldn't be praying in the station. Ahmed said he was stunned.
"I wasn't bothering anybody. I was on my own little corner. I wasn't even loud," he said. "It was just a lot to handle, so I ended up just sitting down," he added. "I was in a state of shock."
At that point, bystanders started filming on their phones, along with his co-worker. So he asked the man to repeat himself.
"I asked him, 'Sorry, I didn't hear you, could you say that again?'"
Videos of the incident taken from two separate angles shows a security guard speaking to Ahmed and telling him not to pray in the train station.
"Don't pray in here. We don't want you praying here. You're bothering our other customers, OK?" he says.
Ahmed tells him he went to the end of the hallway and not one person had anything to say.
"Pray outside next time, OK?" the security guard responds. He also tells Ahmed he would complain to his employer, then walks away.
The videos, which Ahmed posted to TikTok and Instagram, have gone viral.
Ahmed said the interaction left him feeling hurt and disrespected.
"He made me feel embarrassed. I was just disgusted. Like: this is Canada? This is the nation's capital? This is Ottawa?
"If I was doing something where I'm causing a scene, that's a different story. But if I'm minding my own business, it looks like I'm doing yoga, what is the real situation?"
He said other passengers in the station came up to him and said he should have been allowed to practice his religion as he pleases.
Via Rail investigating
In a statement, Via Rail said it was "dismayed" to learn of the incident.
"First and foremost, we want to apologize unreservedly to the individuals involved and to the entire Muslim community," the statement said.
"Freedom of religion, including the ability to worship, is a human right and is enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. VIA Rail strongly condemns and will not tolerate any form of discriminatory behaviour.
"We take this situation very seriously and are currently investigating the incident and will take the appropriate actions pending the outcome of that investigation."
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, the minister in charge of Via Rail, tweeted about the incident Tuesday night.
"Canadians should feel comfortable in practicing their faith without harassment," he said. "I'm relieved that VIA is taking this matter seriously."
Ahmed 'not impressed' by apology
Despite the apology issued, Ahmed said he felt that Via Rail was not genuinely sorry.
He said after the interaction with the security guard, two Via employees approached him when he was speaking with one of the bystanders who shot the interaction.
He said the employees defended the security guard by saying he had worked there for a long time and deals with a lot of homeless people.
"I said, 'You’re trying to say that I'm homeless?' Then they tried to change the topic," Ahmed said. "I said, 'Isn't this borderline racism?' They said 'Oh no, you shouldn't think like that.'"
At that point, he said he was already fed up and said he didn't want to continue the conversation, and respectfully left the station.
"Their lack of care was evident," he said.
He said he went downtown and came back to the station a few hours later, where he prayed again with no issues. He then got on his bus and went home, still in disbelief.
- Download our app to get local alerts to your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
"For certain people to say you can't participate and practicing your religion it was like… a spit in the face," he said. "The apology is cool, but what are you really going to do to make this right?
"I'm not impressed with your little six-sentence apology."
Many Muslims pray five times a day: before dawn, in the afternoon, late afternoon, after sunset and nighttime. Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, starts on Thursday.
Ahmed said he had heard stories of other people experiencing Islamophobia, but never thought it would happen to him.
"I never experienced it before this situation, but it's quite clear and it's quite evident Islamophobia is a real thing."
- with files from Rahim Ladhani, CTV News Ottawa
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.