The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today announced the resolution of its lawsuit against the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) and Multnomah County Detention Center (MCDC) in Portland, Oregon, for depriving two Muslim women of their religious rights by forcibly removing their hijabs, taking booking photographs of them without it, and allowing their photographs and the security footage to remain available on its statewide database.
CAIR, which sued the sheriff’s office and detention center last year, secured a settlement for $30,000, including substantive policy changes, on behalf of its clients Serine Abuelhawa and Marjannah Hassan.
“This settlement represents a great outcome for both our clients and the Muslim women of this community,” said CAIR National Litigation Director Lena Masri, Esq. “Muslim women in Multnomah County will no longer be forced to choose between their religious beliefs and complying with law enforcement officers. We welcome the policy change, and hope it sends the message that CAIR Legal Defense Fund will continue to fight for detained and incarcerated Muslims across the U.S.”
“I’m so grateful for my legal team at CAIR who are the embodiment of strength, justice and unmatched advocacy,” said Serine Abuelhawa. “I want to thank them for all of their hard work and efforts, and the long months they’ve dedicated towards seeking justice for me and my sister, and in ensuring the religiously-protected rights and liberties for all Muslim women in the future navigating the criminal justice system. I also hold incredible hope that our story and this settlement will inspire other agencies across neighboring counties to consider the implementation of religiously-inclusive policies.”
Earlier this month, CAIR’s Georgia chapter announced the filing of a federal lawsuit against Bartow County Sheriff Clark Millsap and detention officer “Jane Doe.” The suit challenges the forced removal of Plaintiff Ivana Elliott’s hijab, or Islamic headscarf, and the severe violation of her religious and civil rights.
Washington, D.C., based CAIR offers a booklet, “A Law Enforcement Official’s Guide to The Muslim Community,” designed to assist law enforcement officials in forming and implementing policies to create a culturally aware environment and cooperative relationship between American Muslims and law enforcement agencies.
BACKGROUNDER:
CAIR filed the lawsuit with the goal of having Abuelhawa and Hassan’s photographs destroyed, as well as having the MCSO implement policy changes to prevent officers and staff from taking booking photographs of women without their hijabs on in the future.
After the filing of the lawsuit, MCSO and MCDC took steps to destroy the photographs in question from their database and participated in discussions with CAIR to reach agreed-upon policy changes and a monetary settlement.
MCSO consented to multiple policy changes in the settlement for female arrestees who arrive at Booking wearing a religious hijab, including, but not limited to, the removal of their hijab by a female deputy in a separation cell outside the view of any male staff or arrestees, the provision of a new hijab from MCSO, the taking of one booking photo with hijab on, the taking of one booking photo without hijab on that cannot be viewed by male staff without legitimate reason.
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CONTACT: CAIR Deputy Litigation Director Gadeir Abbas, 720-251-0425, gabbas@cair.com; CAIR Staff Attorney Nadia Bayado, 202-984-7643 nbayado@cair.com; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@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