Muslims Questioned After Praying at Football Game

New York, NY —

A group of young muslims who were questioned by the FBI after praying at a Giants game are urging Americans to better understand their culture. WNYC's Marianne McCune has more.

REPORTER: Sami Shaban says stadium security agents removed him and four friends from their seats and took them to FBI agents for questioning right after half-time. So when the interrogation was over, he says, he wanted to return to his seat and show the rest of the fans nothing was wrong.

SHABAN: When we left we had about 15,000 fans, booing hissing cursing us.... And I wanted to show them, you know, we're innocent, we didn't do anything wrong, this is who we are!

REPORTER: But he says agents asked them to sit in different seats, under surveillance - and insisted on escorting them back to their cars when the game was over, saying it was for their own safety.

The FBI and stadium security say the men were questioned because they'd congregated near an air duct. But Shaban says they prayed in public and did not know they were near any duct. He says they were never asked about the air duct.

For WNYC, I'm Marianne McCune