The Michigan chapter of Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI), a local chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today announced the filing of a federal lawsuit against Kent County, Kent County Sheriff’s Office, and Kent County Sheriff, Michelle LaJoye-Young, over the forcible removal of a Muslim woman’s hijab (religious head covering) in 2023 when she was arrested and detained in Kent County Jail.
In 2023, Jannah Hague was arrested at her home while wearing a hijab and was taken to the Kent County Jail where she was forced to remove her hijab for a booking photo that was later published on the Kent County Sheriff’s Office public website. Hague was later released from Kent County Jail without charge.
Shortly after her arrest, CAIR-MI issued a notice of claim to the Kent County Sheriff’s Office informing them of the civil rights violation suffered by Ms. Hague and requesting compensation.
SEE: Muslim woman from Grand Rapids to sue after being forced to remove hijab for mugshot
CAIR-MI has attempted to resolve this issue with Kent County Sheriff’s Office by attending meetings and sending correspondence but has been unsuccessful. As of the filing of this instant lawsuit, Hague’s photograph without her hijab remains on law enforcement databases where it was uploaded by Kent County creating a permanent public record of her hijabless photograph.
Kent County Sheriff’s Office still maintains the same policy, pattern and practice of photographing Muslim women without their hijab and uploading it to law enforcement databases that led to the public release of Hague’s photo causing real concern for the Muslim population in Kent County and its surrounding areas that further civil rights violations could occur.
“The filing of today’s federal lawsuit on behalf of Ms. Hague is an attempt to protect her from further harm should her image be once again publicly released,” said CAIR-MI Staff Attorney, Amy V. Doukoure. “We are going to hold Kent County responsible to the fullest extent possible for not only their violation of Ms. Hague’s rights, but their continued disregard for the harm that it caused her when her photo was released, as well as for their insistence on a policy that so clearly threatens to violate the rights of any religiously-observant woman that the Sheriff’s Office may encounter and detain.”
She 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.
“Ms. Hague did not lose her rights to religious observance simply because she was arrested and detained by Kent County Sheriff’s Office,” said, CAIR-MI Executive Director, Dawud Walid. “The Bill of Rights was enacted specifically to protect individuals from the overreach of our government especially at times when they are involved with law enforcement and are at their most vulnerable to the types of violations that Ms. Hague endured when she was arrested by Kent County Sheriff’s Office.”
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.
END
CONTACT: CAIR-MI Executive Director, Dawud Walid (248) 842-1418, dwalid@cair.com; CAIR-MI Staff Attorney, Amy V. Doukoure, (586) 943-8823, adoukoure@cair.com