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Woman ordered to remove hijab files lawsuit against police


Morphine Prince

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Morphine Prince

DETROIT  A Muslim woman has filed a lawsuit accusing police of violating her constitutional rights by making her remove her headscarf after they arrested her for driving on a suspended license.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in federal court here, asks for the Dearborn Heights, Mich., Police Department to modify its present policy so a Muslim woman can wear her hijab during booking procedures.

In July, police pulled over Malak Kazan, now 27, of Dearborn Heights on a traffic violation. She then was taken into custody on a traffic misdemeanor because of her suspended license, according to the lawsuit.

The male police officer asked Kazan to remove her headscarf to take her booking photo, which usually requires no head coverings or hats. Kazan objected, saying her faith requires her to cover her hair and neck in the presence of men who are not part of her immediate family, the lawsuit said.

For Kazan, "wearing a headscarf is a reminder of her faith, the importance of modesty in her religion ... as well as a symbol of her own control over who may see the more intimate parts of her body," the suit said. "To have her hair and neck uncovered in public ... is ... deeply humiliating, violating, and defiling experience."

Kazan said she asked to have a female officer take her photo, which the male officer refused to do, the lawsuit said. The officer talked to a supervisor, who told him to proceed as usual.

"It was such an uncomfortable feeling," Kazan told The Arab American News, a national newspaper based in Dearborn, Mich. "I've worn my scarf for 12 years and my religion says that I can't take it off. It's not just a religious issue; this is a part of me. It's my culture, my life and my identity."

The lawsuit maintains that wearing hijab is rooted in Islam, "based on ... the Koran, the primary holy book of the Muslim religion; the hadith, oral traditions coming from the era of the Prophet Mohamed. ... The word hijab comes from the Arabic word hajaba, which means to hide or screen from view or to cover."

A hijab, which covers the head and neck but leaves the face clear, is one of several types of headscarves that Muslim women can employ if they wish to use a veil.

The lawsuit was filed against the city of Dearborn Heights, its police department and police chief, saying that Kazan's constitutional rights to free expression of religion were violated. It claims that her rights under the 1st, 4th, and 14th amendments were violated.

Dearborn Heights Mayor Dan Paletko and Dearborn Heights Police Chief Lee Gavin did not return calls and messages seeking comment.

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/01/23/federal-headscarf-lawsuit/22228743/

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The Professor

When it comes to security protocols like showing your face for cameras in stores or police work like this, i have pretty much no sympathy

 

Its for the safety of others, sorry, that comes before your faith

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RainingOnMe

she was wrong yes, but it's even more wrong that women have to cover their beauty in those countries.

 

thats why women should be free in these type of countries. it's not fair to them because in the end they end up believing it's their faith and not the saying of misogynistic men.

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Morphine Prince

When it comes to security protocols like showing your face for cameras in stores or police work like this, i have pretty much no sympathy

 

Its for the safety of others, sorry, that comes before your faith

The hijab shows the face though. And she could have taken it off if it was a woman police doing it. She asked if this could be done and was denied. 

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Her driver's licence should be suspended for life and her vehicle confiscated for starters.

Mars..........or bust!
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The Professor

The hijab shows the face though. And she could have taken it off if it was a woman police doing it. She asked if this could be done and was denied. 

 

If there was a woman police officer there i agree she should have done it. But he did ask his supervisor so its likely a police woman wasn't available or at the station at the time

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Morphine Prince

If there was a woman police officer there i agree she should have done it. But he did ask his supervisor so its likely a police woman wasn't available or at the station at the time

Well, we should hope that was the case for the sake of this police department.

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Really disgusts me when I come into these Muslim threads and as usual ya'll are up to your usual gif and 1-liners for a laughing quote. I don't find stories like that funny. She was wrong for driving with a suspended license but they should have just gotten her a female officer when she asked. He had no reason to disrespect her faith and belief and deny her that.

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geopang

When it comes to security protocols like showing your face for cameras in stores or police work like this, i have pretty much no sympathy

 

Its for the safety of others, sorry, that comes before your faith

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RAMROD

Must be tough for her not to follow security protocols in her new country.

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Everyone who hates a dress code should be able to declare their opposition to it "religious" and opt out.

If you don't respect my sacred duty to avoid wearing a tie, you're a bigot.

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UC PiXELVISION

Wtf is wrong with some of you?

Really disgusts me when I come into these Muslim threads and as usual ya'll are up to your usual gif and 1-liners for a laughing quote. I don't find stories like that funny. She was wrong for driving with a suspended license but they should have just gotten her a female officer when she asked. He had no reason to disrespect her faith and belief and deny her that.
Exactly!
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socotra

I sympathize with her, but at the same time, if it's for a booking photograph... 

 

Some of the responses in this thread are incredibly insensitive.

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