The Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-DFW) today condemned the alleged forced removal of protesters’ Islamic headscarves, or hijabs, after they were arrested by Garland Police.
Over a dozen protesters were arrested after blocking the entrances to a General Dynamics facility to stop the production of the bombs currently being used to carry out the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. Some of the protesters reportedly had their hijabs forcibly removed for mugshots after being arrested.
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In a statement, CAIR-DFW Executive Director Mustafaa Carroll said:
“By allegedly forcibly removing the hijabs of the female protesters, Garland police violated their fundamental right to religious liberty. We call on law enforcement authorities to allow the protesters to retake their photos with their hijabs and to delete the photos without them. No American should have their First Amendment rights violated while seeking to end support for genocide.”
He noted that CAIR’s national office offers educational booklets, called “A Correctional Institution’s Guide to Islamic Religious Practices,” and “A Law Enforcement Official’s Guide to the Muslim Community,” to help law enforcement authorities gain a better understanding of Islam and Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR-Dallas Director Mustafa Carroll, 1-832-549-1042; muspeaks@gmail.com; CAIR-Austin Board Chair Fayyaz Shah, 1-214-597-0690, fshah@cair.com; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com, CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com