Muslim family: Hospital guard said they looked ‘scary’

FAIRFAX, Va. – A Muslim family says staff at a Virginia hospital told them they looked “scary” and threatened to kick them out when they went to visit a newborn relative in December.

The newborn’s aunt, Arwa Zahr, tells WRC-TV that a security guard confronted the family at Inova Fair Oaks Hospital’s birthing centre, and told them they weren’t allowed to be there. The family says visiting hours weren’t over.

The family believes the guard’s “scary” comment referred to the niqabs the women were wearing, which show only their eyes.

The guard summoned the head nurse after the newborn’s father, Ahmed Zahr, tried to intervene. Ahmed Zahr says the nurse told the family “nobody wants you here” and then called police.

A statement from Inova says the hospital is reviewing the family’s complaint.

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Information from: WRC-TV, http://nbcwashington.com