ISLAMAPHOBIA AT SEA
Complaint accuses NYC Ferry staffers of refusing Muslim families because of ‘security issue’
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
Crew aboard a city ferry
forbid a group of Muslim families
from boarding a Brooklynbound
boat last month because
they posed a “security issue,”
according to an attorney for the
jilted passengers.
“We believe that it was because
of who they were and
how they looked, there’s nothing
else that explains that this
group — three mothers and 11
children — were labelled a security
issue,” said Ahmed Mohamed,
an attorney with the
the Muslim civil rights group
the Council on American-Islamic
Relations.
The families fi led a complaint
on Wednesday with the
city’s Commission on Human
Rights in an effort to spark an
investigation into the incident.
The three mothers, two infants,
four young boys, and
two young girls — who remain
anonymous in the complaint —
were waiting to board a Kings
County-bound watercraft from
Manhattan’s Pier 11, when
two crew members whispered
something to each other, before
informing the families that
boat security had decided to
deny their passage, according
to the complaint.
The employees escorted the
distraught mothers to security
staffers, while the ferry’s passengers
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watched the scene unfold
— but the head of the pier’s
security was confused about
his colleagues’ claims of security
issues, according to the
document.
The complaint goes on to
accuse another ferryboat employee
of raising her voice to
the families in a “rude” and
“unprofessional” way.
That employee informed the
families that they were being
denied service because their
kids had allegedly stood on
their seats aboard a previous
ferry ride during a trip from
Brooklyn to Manhattan earlier
that day.
One of the women submitted
a complaint to ferry operator
Hornblower as well, and the
company later explained the
incident as a “misunderstanding”
and offered to reimburse
their fare.
But the families remain unsatisfi
ed and fi led the complaint
to ensure that future passengers
don’t experience the same type
of discrimination, according to
Mohamed, who demanded that
the Economic Development
Corporation — the city’s business
boosting arm which manages
the ferry system — better
train its employees.
“The most important thing
is that we want to empathize is
to provide people of fair service
that’s free of discrimination,”
he said. “Any type of resolution
requires some kind of training,
and that the staff are not using
their authority to traumatize or
humiliate people.”
A spokesman for the agency
said they are investigating the
incident to make sure no rider
is discriminated against based
on their background.
“We are aware of the complaint
and are currently investigating
the incident. NYCEDC
takes these matters seriously,
and is committed to ensuring
that no person is denied services
based on race, color, national
origin, age, sex, religion,
gender identity or disability,”
said Christian Ficara in an
emailed statement.
Muslim families claim crew aboard a NYC Ferry gave them the boot over security concerns.
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