| 9.5°C Dublin

Worker who told women to stop praying in park suspended

Expand
The man confronted the Muslim women in Griffith Park in Drumcondra and told them they needed a permit to pray. Expand
Expand

Close

The man confronted the Muslim women in Griffith Park in Drumcondra and told them they needed a permit to pray.

The man confronted the Muslim women in Griffith Park in Drumcondra and told them they needed a permit to pray.

/

A worker who told women to stop praying in park has been suspended

Niall O’Connor

A WORKER who told two women to stop praying in a Dublin park “in case they break their backs” has been suspended.

The man confronted the Muslim women in Griffith Park in Drumcondra and told them they needed a permit to pray.

One of the women claimed the man shouted "no praying in the park" as they knelt for one of the five daily calls to prayer that Muslims must observe.

The women were said to be “upset” and “shaken” after the incident last Saturday.

The official is an employee of Manguard Plus, contracted by Dublin City Council to provide an out-of-hours warden service.

The security man pulled up in a vehicle beside the women, honked the horn and told them to stop.

One of the women, whose name is Sajida, has claimed that she and her friend were told that they needed a permit to pray.

She says they are now seeking legal advice after being allegedly told by the male official that they could injure themselves when they stood up and then “sue Dublin City Council”.

Managing Director of the Manguard Plus, Bill Brown said that he is making efforts to contact the women directly and apologise for the incident.

“We will now look at whether we need to train staff more in terms of religion and diversity,” he told the Herald.

A Dublin City council spokesman said: “People are allowed to engage in private prayer in a public park.”

Most Watched

Privacy