The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, and its New York chapter (CAIR-NY) today welcomed the decision of a federal court in the Eastern District of New York denying a motion to dismiss a Muslim woman’s lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
The woman, represented by the CAIR Legal Defense Fund and CAIR-New York, is suing the Bureau of Prisons for forcibly removing her hijab and taking her uncovered photograph on multiple occasions, forcing her to display her uncovered picture in her daily life while incarcerated, and retaining those photographs for continued use even after her release from prison.
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York found the Bureau of Prisons’ actions “substantially burdened” the woman’s rights under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, or RFRA, and found that she had grounds to challenge the Bureau of Prison’s retention of her photographs and associated policies. However, the court also concluded that the individual prison officials who committed these acts had qualified immunity from suit.
“This decision brings us one step closer to justice for our client and to the restoration of her rights, and one step closer to the recognition of the equal rights of American Muslims to religious freedom and dignity under the law,” said CAIR Legal Defense Fund staff attorney John M. Fossum.
CAIR offers an educational toolkit, called “A Correctional Institution’s Guide to Islamic Religious Practices,” to help correctional officers and administrators gain a better understanding of Islam and Muslims.
SEE: A Correctional Institution’s Guide to Islamic Religious Practices
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CONTACT: Afaf Nasher, Esq. CAIR-NY Executive Director, [email protected]; CAIR-NY Communications Team, [email protected]; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, [email protected]; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, [email protected]