Indigenous Muslim man files human rights complaint against TD bank

Mar 1 2022, 8:33 pm

A BC man who is Heiltsuk, east-Indian, and Muslim has filed a human rights complaint against TD Bank after staff at a Surrey branch refused to open an account for him.

The bank teller apparently assumed Sharif Mohammed Bhamji’s status card was fake, and the bank called police on him at the end of his visit to the Clayton Heights branch.

“I have a Muslim name. I’m also Indigenous. But I can’t be both while banking at TD,” Bhamji said in a news release. “I am filing this complaint to seek justice for myself, my community, and everyone with cross-cultural heritage who doesn’t fit neatly into a certain identity checkbox.”

Bhamji went to the TD location at 18630 Fraser Highway on May 5, 2021, to verify his identity after starting the account-opening process online. According to the human rights complaint, the teller took Bhamji’s status card and at first didn’t know it was valid government-issued photo ID.

Sharif Bhamji

Bhamji and his daughter outside the TD location (Heiltsuk Tribal Council)

After spending approximately 45 minutes in the branch providing the teller with his SIN number, proof of address, and a photo of his BC Care Card, the teller told Bhamji the bank wouldn’t open the account because it didn’t believe his status card was legitimate.

The teller handed him a rejection letter, and Bhamji, who was upset by this point, crumpled it and threw it underneath the plexiglass barrier toward the teller. He left the bank, and staff phoned police.

An officer showed up at Bhamji’s home later that afternoon and told him bank staff didn’t think the name on his status card made sense.

The officer had confirmed Bhamji’s identity before arriving and the two of them shared their own experiences with racism — the officer apparently recounting issues within the force and how difficult it is to be “brown and blue.”

Nearly nine months later, Bhamji is sharing his story because he hopes his nine-year-old daughter doesn’t have to deal with a similar experience.

“I felt empty, for sure. I felt worthless. I didn’t feel like I was equal,” Bhamji says in a YouTube video shared by the Heiltsuk Tribal Council. “What I want out of this is hopefully a lot more eyes opening and seeing the scrutiny and the pain people are being put under.”

Bhamji filed a complaint with TD over the experience but has not returned to the branch or spoken with anyone from TD since the incident. Because he was unable to verify his identity within the 50-day window, his account was closed.

TD issued a public apology after Daily Hive shared Bhamji’s story, and spokesperson Ryan-Sang Lee said he was troubled to hear about what happened. He added the bank will conduct a full review of the incident.

“We recognize the reality of systemic racism and the courage it takes to speak out,” Lee said. “We are taking this matter very seriously.”

This is the second human rights complaint filed by a Heiltsuk Nation member against a bank in as many years.

In December 2019, police put Maxwell Johnson and his 12-year-old granddaughter in handcuffs as they tried to open an account at a downtown Bank of Montreal location. Bank staff apparently thought the money in Johnson’s account was obtained through fraud.

Elected Heiltsuk Nation Chief Marilyn Slett said banks need to be better when serving BIPOC customers.

“TD had no reason to deny Sharif service, except that they didn’t think a status card with a Muslim name could be legitimate,” she said in a news release.

“From the Max Johnson case to this one, it’s clear that banks like TD still have a lot of learning. ‘Banking while brown’ can be a dangerous activity for BIPOC customers, and TD must take steps to ensure this never happens again.”

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