New York City Settles $17.5 Million Lawsuit Over Forced Hijab Removal

Watan-The city of New York has agreed to pay $17.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by two Muslim women who said that the police violated their rights after their arrest by forcing them to remove their hijabs before being photographed.

Details of the story were reported by the British newspaper The Guardian, which stated that Jamilla Clark and Arwa Aziz, both Muslim women, filed a lawsuit against the city in 2018 after police officers forced them to remove their hijabs in front of dozens of men to take pictures of them in 2017, in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

The settlement also includes a class-action lawsuit involving men and women who were compelled to remove religious attire they were wearing before being photographed.

The settlement was presented on Friday, April 5th, to the Federal Court in Manhattan and requires approval from the U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres.

The total settlement amount is estimated to be around $13.1 million after deducting fees and legal costs, and could increase if a sufficient number of eligible claimants, numbering over 3,600 lawsuits, come forward. Each person will receive an amount ranging from $7,824 to $13,125.

“I felt like I was naked,” said Clark after agreeing to the settlement. “When they forced me to remove my hijab, I felt exposed, and I’m not sure if words can express how violated I felt.”

Muslims in the United States

This is not the first time a settlement has been paid to Muslim women forced to remove their hijabs in the United States. “I am very proud today because I played a role in achieving justice for thousands of New York residents,” she added.

Clark cried and pleaded to have her hijab restored when asked to remove it after her arrest for violating a protective order in Manhattan in 2017, according to the complaint.

Following this lawsuit, the New York Police Department agreed in 2020 to allow both men and women to wear head coverings during photographs, as long as their faces are visible.

Speaking about “reform within the New York Police Department,” Nicholas Paolucci, a spokesman for the city’s Law Department, said, “This settlement has led to positive reform within the New York Police Department, balancing the department’s respect for deeply held religious beliefs with the need to enforce the law by taking arrest photos.”

Hijab Removal Guidelines

Police can temporarily remove head coverings for weapons or contraband searches but in private and by officers of the same gender.

Those forced to remove head coverings between March 16, 2014, and August 23, 2021, are eligible for this settlement.