Muslim woman cites gym after interrupted prayer

Dearborn resident says her complaint to Fitness USA manager about patron went unheeded.

Gregg Krupa / The Detroit News

DEARBORN -- Fitness USA, a gym chain, is investigating an alleged civil rights violation involving a local Muslim woman who says her afternoon prayer was interrupted by a fellow patron, and that her complaint to management about the situation was rejected.

"The manager told me, 'You have to respect her (the patron), but she does not have to respect your God,' " said Wardeh Sultan of Dearborn. "I've had my membership for seven or eight years, and I've never had a problem with praying there.

"I told that manager, 'I can't believe you said that' " Sultan said. "Honestly, I feel humiliated and I feel ashamed, right now, to go back to Fitness USA."

Local representatives of Fitness USA, which operates branches throughout Metro Detroit and in two other states, referred all inquiries regarding the matter to their corporate offices.

"We will, as we will with any complaint involving our staff and a member, be doing a full and thorough investigation of the matter and take any appropriate action we need to take," said Jodi Berry, executive director of Fitness USA. "We want every member to get a good exercise experience every time they come to the club."

Berry said she learned of the complaint on Monday.

The allegations are among a series of recent complaints by Muslims who say they are free to practice their religion in the United States, until someone tells them they cannot. Recently, the same Fitness USA facility enacted a new dress code to allow Muslim women to wear more modest clothing, in compliance with some Islamic practices.

Two weeks ago, six Muslim clerics were removed from a U.S. Airways flight after three of them said their evening prayers in the St. Paul-Minneapolis International Airport.

Passengers and employees of the airline said later that their suspicions were aroused when the men were overheard making comments critical of the United States, and because the men had one-way tickets and no baggage.

The airline and the civil rights office of U.S. Department of Homeland Security are investigating that incident.

Imad Hamad, regional director of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, which lodged a formal complaint with Fitness USA on behalf of Sultan, said the recent spate of conflicts results from a growing intolerance of Islam and a growing restiveness among Muslims that their rights to speak freely and worship are increasingly at risk.

"They (Muslims) are resenting that they are to be suppressed from expressing themselves freely, like others," Hamad said.

"It's OK for a Christian fellow or a Jewish fellow to pray, and it would be regarded highly and respected. When it comes to a person of Muslim faith, especially if a woman is wearing the head cover or a man with a typical clergy outfit, yeah, it is becoming like something that is offensive to people and making them nervous."

Sultan said that, like all pious Muslims, she prays five times daily. She also wears a veil and a long dress, in observance of her faith.

Born in Jordan, of Palestinian descent, Sultan arrived in Detroit 17 years ago, before moving to Dearborn. She is an American citizen.

Sultan said she came to the United States to secure her freedom and to avoid intolerance.

"We're here in the great United States and for this happening, it truly breaks my heart," she said. "You know, things are starting to change backwards, instead of frontward. We need to keep this United States, our country, up on our shoulders. We don't want it to go down."

Muslim woman cites gym after interrupted prayer - 12/05/06 - The Detroit News Online

Gyms are for working out. She has nothing to complain about. These people are going to keep pushing until they push too far. She can pray if she wants to, but she is not allowed to inconvenience anyone else who is there for a workout. Christians can pray while they are working out without bothering people, why can't she? Because she wants to make a big deal out of her "rights". Piss on her.

Please show me where her prayer inconvenienced the other patron. From what I read, it sounded like her prayer was interrupted by the other patron.

The article said she had been a member for over six years, which means she had been praying there all that time. Why is it an issue now????

It's an issue now because she wants it to be. You don't know what's going on do you? You think all this crying by muslims having their rights violated every day is just happening out of the blue? It is all orchestrated. Dhimitude.

I repeat: Please show me where her prayer inconvenienced the other patron.

The muslim is the one complaining, not the other patron. You're confused.

No. You're confused. You stated that she is not allowed to inconvenience other patrons:
Show me where she inconvenienced another patron. She was interrupted - if anyone was inconvenienced, it was her.

Exactly, she was interrupted. She was the one inconvenienced. I apologize, I worded it incorrectly. It's a gym. What is she doing praying at a gym? The muslim had been going there for years and all of a sudden she is inconvenienced because someone is working out at a gym while she is praying????? Anything sound fishy to you? What if this woman was a Christian and she complained about being interrupted while praying at the gym? Would you defend the Christian? I don't think so. The entire thing is another set up just like the set up by the muslims at the airport. The article said the muslim had been going there for years and now all of a sudden, she gets interrupted while praying????? Come on. This is another set up.

chrisg967, You are trying to get through to blind ears and deaf eyes, hatred has no point of entry!

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Well, I don't think the information in this article is enough to say who is at fault. I mean, if she is praying, and some other patron walks up and starts giving her a hard time, then obviously that other patron should not be doing that.

On the other hand, if the other patron accidentally bumped into her and apologized, then that's another story. It was just an accident.

My guess is that the other patron did more than just bump her on accident, since she felt the need to complain, and the manager said that the other patron does not have to respect her God.