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Brooklyn Woman Accuses Venmo Of 'Singling Out Muslims' When Blocking Transactions
By
Sydney Pereira
Published Dec 24, 2019
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By
Sydney Pereira
Published Dec 24, 2019
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It was another day being a Muslim woman in America for Shahana Hanif.
After finishing up lunch with a group of friends last weekend, she sent her friend a $14 payment via Venmo with the phrase "al-aqsa"—a reference to the name of the Bangladeshi restaurant in the Bronx she went to with a group of friends. But her payment was immediately blocked, "pending review by their compliance team," according to Hanif.
Several hours later, she got an email from Venmo rep "Mike" asking about her "reference to 'al-aqsa,'" with a "detailed explanation of what you intended to pay for and the establishment/location if applicable."
Al-Aqsa Restaurant, on Starling Avenue, had apparently ticked off the payment application's algorithm, blocking her payment in a move that Hanif felt targeted Muslims and any references to Islam in the payment description box—something Venmo users have described happening before.
"They're singling out Muslims," Hanif told Gothamist. "It just feels so strange to me that I and other Muslims are constantly inundated with needing to explain our actions."
She was "immediately overwhelmed with anxiety" after her payment was blocked, the meal with friends "tarnished."
"Muslims' joyful moments are constantly paired with ridiculous scrutiny," said Hanif, a 28-year-old Brooklynite who's running for City Council in Park Slope.
"It's disturbing. A part of me is numbed by the fact that this is our norm," she said. "But no, it's so critical to constantly show that this happening because discriminatory practices against Muslims are not just federal issues—it's an everyday local issue."
"This is like a small version of the Muslim ban," added Hanif, referencing the Trump administration's sweeping restrictions against travelers and immigrants from Muslim-majority countries, sparking mass protests and tearing families apart.
The Venmo restriction was reminiscent of when Venmo blocked references to "Persia" or "Persian" after another woman tried to pay her friend for a meal at a Manhattan Persian restaurant back in February, labeling the payment "Persian shinanaganz." The filtering policy spurred a petition calling for a public audit of Venmo's rules, particularly after discovering terms like "KKK" and "cocaine" didn't halt payments.
A Venmo spokesperson told Newsweek at the time that the payment restriction was aimed at following government sanctions under the Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control.
"Venmo, like all U.S. persons, including other U.S. financial institutions, is required to screen activity and flag any payments" that could violate U.S. trade sanctions or involve certain countries under OFAC, according to a 2016 notice from Venmo.
Hanif's transaction was ultimately approved when she provided the Bronx restaurant's address, but she wasn't given an explanation.
It is not clear whether Hanif's reference to Al-Aqsa Restaurant was flagged due to OFAC's sanctions programs.
Al-Aqsa is also the name of a mosque in Jerusalem, considered the third holiest site in Islam. The mosque has been a site of clashes between Israelis and Palestinians, where just this week, a group of Israeli settlers stormed the site, leading to arrests.
But it is also the name of several restaurants and grocery stores in the New York City area.
Twitter users were quick to note words like "Muhammad" and "Quaran" are also flagged under the tech company's algorithm and suggested the filtering system may have assumed it was a reference to Al-Qaeda (though "al" in Arabic means "the").
References to drugs are known to be seen on the app.
Hanif says it "prohibits Muslim communities from our heritage, our culture, our food. And that's fucked up."
Gothamist has reached out to Venmo/PayPal for comment, and we'll update when we hear back.
Tagged
islamophobia
islam
paypal
bronx
venmo
Sydney Pereira
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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