Muslim Family Says They Were Kicked Out Of Empire State Building For Praying

by Rishi Tue Apr 01, 2014 9:02 pm

http://gothamist.com/2014/03/19/muslim_esb_lawsuit.php

A Muslim family from Long Island is suing the Empire State Building owners, alleging that two security guards forcibly removed them from the building's observation deck because they were praying.

In a complaint filed on Tuesday, Farmingville resident Fahad Tirmizi, 32, and wife, Amina, 30, allege that they were visiting the building's famed observation deck with their two children on July 2nd of last year; at around 11 p.m. that night, they "walked over to an isolated area of the Observatory where they began to pray silently," according to the complaint. The suit alleges two security guards approached them, and one "put his hands" on Tirmizi and "menacingly poked at" him, telling him he was not allowed to pray there.

The security guards "forcibly escorted Plaintiffs and their children to the Observatory elevator, down to the lobby, and out of the Empire State Building entirely," according to the lawsuit.

Tirmizi says he previously prayed at the Staten Island Ferry terminal without incident. "Earlier that same day at the Staten Island Ferry terminal, I needed to pray the afternoon prayer and wanted to make sure I'm not in the way, so I confirmed with a police officer who was standing right there to make sure it was a good spot. The officer responded 'go for it, its not illegal to pray,' " he told us in a statement. "Later on, we went to the Empire State Building Observatory. We weren't doing anything wrong, we just wanted to enjoy the view like everyone else."

by Kris Tue Apr 01, 2014 9:47 pm

Rishi wrote:http://gothamist.com/2014/03/19/muslim_esb_lawsuit.php

A Muslim family from Long Island is suing the Empire State Building owners, alleging that two security guards forcibly removed them from the building's observation deck because they were praying.

In a complaint filed on Tuesday, Farmingville resident Fahad Tirmizi, 32, and wife, Amina, 30, allege that they were visiting the building's famed observation deck with their two children on July 2nd of last year; at around 11 p.m. that night, they "walked over to an isolated area of the Observatory where they began to pray silently," according to the complaint. The suit alleges two security guards approached them, and one "put his hands" on Tirmizi and "menacingly poked at" him, telling him he was not allowed to pray there.

The security guards "forcibly escorted Plaintiffs and their children to the Observatory elevator, down to the lobby, and out of the Empire State Building entirely," according to the lawsuit.

Tirmizi says he previously prayed at the Staten Island Ferry terminal without incident. "Earlier that same day at the Staten Island Ferry terminal, I needed to pray the afternoon prayer and wanted to make sure I'm not in the way, so I confirmed with a police officer who was standing right there to make sure it was a good spot. The officer responded 'go for it, its not illegal to pray,' " he told us in a statement. "Later on, we went to the Empire State Building Observatory. We weren't doing anything wrong, we just wanted to enjoy the view like everyone else."

>>>>If this was an area with potential security vulnerability, reasonable suspicion is (likely) enough grounds to justify the guards' ejection of them. If the guards got physical with them in the process, that could be grounds for a lawsuit. Seems like much ado about nothing or a salivating lawyer.

Muslim Family Says They Were Kicked Out Of Empire State Building For Praying

Muslim Family Says They Were Kicked Out Of Empire State Building For Praying

Re: Muslim Family Says They Were Kicked Out Of Empire State Building For Praying