Manhattan, NY – A Muslim security guard at the Manhattan FBI headquarters claims he’s being forced to carry around proof of his religion because he has a beard.
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Daoud Ibraheem, 72, was granted a religious exception for facial hair when he was hired in 2007 by Wackenhut Services, but says the special treatment has triggered harassment by supervisors.
In a $3 million discrimination suit filed in Brooklyn Federal Court, Ibraheem says he is subjected to daily spot-checks by officers from the Federal Protective Service.
They repeatedly insist he must produce a letter written by the imam of his Brooklyn mosque vouching for his faith, the suit says.
They also falsely accused Ibraheem of sleeping on the job and ordered him to stay outside a heated guard booth while non-Muslim guards have unlimited access to the shelter in freezing weather, said his lawyer, Tamara Harris.
She said Ibraheem fears upcoming terror trials of 9/11 plotters could ramp up the hostility even further.
“The anger people harbor against Muslims might be heightened by the proximity of his workplace to Ground Zero, where 9/11 happened,” Harris said.
The Federal Protective Service, a government agency, and private contractor Wackenhut are jointly responsible for security at 26 Federal Plaza.
A lawyer representing both Wackenhut and the Federal Protective Service did not return calls for comment.
Let him ask the chabad man in the army what he is doing about his beard!! I hope VIN posts this.
At 72 he is still a security guard???? What exactly can he do to thwart an attack or an attempted security breach???
TheFBI must be really crazy to employ a Muslim as a security guard! Are they looking for trouble?!
what good is an FBI with a 72 year old bearded muslim as its security guard? We might as well all move to zimbabwe. I just dont get ths country anymore
The guard sleeps on the job and he is the one suing?
Has the Iman who is vouching for the guard been investigated if he has ties to terrorists? Did the FBI become a branch of Chelm?
He will lose the case and he will be fired by the Federal Protective Service.
Another shyster trying to make a fast buck.