SHARIF Mohammed Bhamji is filing a Canadian Human Rights Commission complaint against TD Bank for being denied service while trying to open a bank account.
Bhamji is a single father and a member of the Heiltsuk First Nation. He is also Muslim, and he lives in Surrey with his nine-year-old daughter. In May 2021, Bhamji tried to open a bank account at a TD branch in Clayton Heights near his home. When he presented his new Indian status card with his name and picture on it, the bank denied him service, claiming the card was fake. They also called the police, who later went to Bhamji’s house.
A video of Sharif telling the story about what happened to him has been posted to the Heiltsuk Nation’s YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/raV_9yGibkQ
“I’m Muslim and East Indian. I have a Muslim name. I’m also Indigenous,” said Bhamji. “But I can’t be both while banking at TD. I am filing this human rights complaint to seek justice for myself, my community, and everyone with cross-cultural heritage who doesn’t fit neatly into a certain identity checkbox. My daughter is Muslim and Indigenous too. I want her to have a better future.”
This is the second complaint in as many years filed against a bank by a Heiltsuk member for human rights discrimination. Maxwell Johnson and his 12-year-old granddaughter were handcuffed in Vancouver by police when Bank of Montreal reported that Johnson was fraudulently trying to open a bank account for his granddaughter. BMO suspected their ID was fake as well.
“TD had no reason to deny Sharif service, except that they didn’t think a status card with a Muslim name could be legitimate,” said Marilyn Slett, elected Chief of the Heiltsuk Nation. “From the Max Johnson case to this one, it’s clear that banks like TD still have a lot of learn. ‘Banking while brown’ can be a dangerous activity for BIPOC [black, Indigenous and people of color] customers, and TD must take steps to ensure this never happens again.”
“TD Bank must take immediate steps to rectify this gross demonstration of blatant institutional racism,” said Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC). “We stand with Sharif Mohammed Bhamji and his family during this difficult time and applaud them for taking this action. We cannot afford to stay silent in the face of such dangerous, hurtful and deeply traumatizing racist behaviour.”
The Canadian Human Rights Commission filing:
http://www.heiltsuknation.ca/
