lawsuits

Muslim Boy Says He Was Kicked Off City Bus for Praying in Public

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 19: A crosstown bus makes its way through Union Square on December 19, 2012 in New York City. Following the recommendation of outgoing Chairman Joseph Lhota, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) board approved fare and toll hikes Wednesday. The hikes, which will go into effect in March, include raising the base fare from $2.25 to $2.50, the 7-day MetroCard from $29 to $30 and the 30-day MetroCard from $104 to $112. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Photo: Spencer Platt/2012 Getty Images

A 10-year-old in Brooklyn was boarding an MTA bus after school last fall when he realized he’d misplaced his MetroCard and recited a little religious plea in Arabic. “I start in the name of God, the most merciful, the most beneficent,” he said, setting off the bus driver who called him a “terrorist” and kicked him off, according to a new lawsuit — because what’s more threatening than a nervous preteen? His family is now suing for religious discrimination and civil-rights abuses, said an attorney: “He’s a young boy, but he’s old enough to know what discrimination is.” That’s the really sad part.

Muslim Kicked Off City Bus for Praying