New York County Police Face Lawsuit for 'Inhumane' Hijab Removal

IQNA – A Muslim woman who was arrested by the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) in New York in 2022 is suing the department for violating her rights and causing her emotional distress after officers forcefully removed her hijab.

The woman, Marowa Fahmy, claims that the police officers forcibly removed her hijab, a religious head covering, and touched her inappropriately during a body search in front of male officers. She also says that the police did not give her back her hijab for several hours after her release, despite her repeated requests.

The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair-New York) and Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP (ECBAWMM), seeks damages for Fahmy and challenges the SCPD's hijab-removal policy, which it calls "inhumane, regressive, and clearly unlawful."

The lawsuit argues that the policy violates both New York State and federal laws that protect religious freedom and prohibit discrimination based on religion.

“Cair-NY asserts that the rights of Muslim Americans do not stop at the doors of the local police precinct," said Burhan Carroll, a legal fellow at Cair-NY. "We will continue to fight on behalf of our community members who have been wronged by law enforcement. We hope this filing will result in justice for Ms Fahmy and will protect others from future harm."

Andrew Wilson, a partner at ECBAWMM, said that the case aimed to set a standard for the SCPD to respect the religious practices of New Yorkers. "What happened here was wrong. Religious practice and police practice are not incompatible," he said.

"We are hopeful that this case can set a standard that requires Suffolk County to protect the religious freedom of New Yorkers who, like Ms Fahmy, choose to wear religious head coverings."

Source: Agencies