(CANTON, MI, 5/30/2023)- The Michigan chapter of Council on American Relations (CAIR-MI), a local chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today filed a Notice of Claim with the Kent County Sheriff’s office for the forcible removal of an African-American Muslim woman’s hijab (Islamic head scarf) for a booking photograph that was later placed on the sheriff’s office website that is accessible to the general public.
SEE: NOTICE OF CLAIM
On April 8, 2023, Jannah Hague was arrested by the Kent County Sheriff’s Department after a domestic altercation at her home. She was taken to the Kent County Jail where she was forced to remove her religious head covering in front of male officers and detainees over her objections.
Hague had originally been able to take her identification photograph wearing her religious hijab but was later told by a male officer that she must take an additional photograph without the hijab. She was then allegedly forced to stand in front of the male officer to take an identification photograph that was then placed on the sheriff’s office website that is searchable by the public. The acts of the male officers involved in the photographing of Hague without her hijab is a direct violation of the sheriff offices’ written policy regarding religious head covering.
In a statement, CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid said:
“Muslim women have the right to their sincerely-held religious expression even when encountering law enforcement. The Law enforcement officials involved in Ms. Hague’s detention need better training in religious competency and religious rights to ensure that no Muslim woman is ever again striped of her hijab in public.”
In a statement, CAIR- MI Staff Attorney Amy V. Doukoure said:
“When a Muslim woman is stripped of her hijab for a photograph and that photograph is placed on the internet for all to view, it is akin to publishing an intimate and private photograph of any woman and leaves the Muslim woman ashamed and embarrassed. It should never have happened to Ms. Hague, especially in light of the previous litigation in the state of Michigan involving several other law enforcement agencies engaging in the same illegal conduct. Kent County Sheriff’s office knew better and should have done better by Ms. Hague.”
CAIR offers a “Law Enforcement Official’s Guide to The Muslim Community” and “A Correctional Institution’s Guide to Islamic Religious Practices.”
BACKGROUNDER:
Muslim women wear the hijab as part of their sincerely held religious beliefs that they must cover their hair, neck, and ears whenever they are in the presence of men who are not close family relations. Removal of the hijab by or in front of nonrelated men is highly offensive to practicing Muslim women and often leaves them in a state of undress similar to feeling naked.
Despite the fact that Hague was released from the jail without charge, her hijabless identification photo remains a permanent public record in a manner that poses an ongoing threat of violation to her sincerely held religious beliefs.
In 2022, CAIR-MI settled three similar lawsuits for Muslim women who were forced to remove their hijab for identification photos, one against the city of Detroit and a second one against the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC), the third against the City of Ferndale.
SEE: Ferndale police settle with Muslim woman over hijab removal lawsuit
https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/ferndale-police-settle-with-muslim-woman-over-hijab-removal-lawsuit
SEE: Lawsuit: Detroit police forced Muslim woman to remove hijab during booking photo
SEE Also: Civil rights group sues Michigan Prisons for photographing incarcerated Muslim women without hijab
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR-MI Executive Director, Dawud Walid (248) 842-1418, dwalid@cair.com; CAIR-MI Staff Attorney, Amy V. Doukoure, Esq. (586) 943-8823, adoukoure@cair.com