AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): A probe should be launched into an incident where a Muslim woman was forced by the police in Philadelphia, the US state of Pennsylvania to remove her Hijab, the Muslim community is demanding.
The Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Philadelphia), in collaboration with community leaders and civil rights advocates, will hold a press conference later today calling on Temple University, the Temple University Police Department (TUPD), Philadelphia Police Department (PPD), and the Philadelphia Office of the Mayor to immediately launch a comprehensive investigation into reports that a Muslim woman was forced to remove her hijab while being detained by the Philadelphia Police Department.
CAIR-Philadelphia said this alleged violation of fundamental religious freedoms and personal dignity has sparked widespread concern within the Muslim community.
In a statement, CAIR-Philadelphia Legal Director Adam Alaa Attia said:
“No person should ever be forced to choose between their dignity, religious beliefs, and compliance with law enforcement. This is a clear violation of constitutional rights and religious freedoms, and we will not rest until justice is served. We urge all members of the community, regardless of faith, to stand in solidarity with the Muslim women who have endured this unlawful and degrading treatment.”
Following an arrest that took place at Temple University on Friday, September 27, multiple reports have surfaced indicating that a Muslim woman, while in PPD custody, was compelled to remove her hijab, an act that infringes upon their deeply held religious beliefs, in addition to other inappropriate measures taken against women protesters. The hijab is not only a symbol of faith but also a core component of their personal and religious identity. Forcing a woman to remove her hijab without her consent violates her constitutional right to freedom of religion, as guaranteed under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, as well as her right to freedom of expression.
A young Muslim woman arrested for protesting in a public space at Temple University was forced to remove her hijab and was photographed by the PPD while detained. Not only was the woman forced to remove her hijab for her mugshot, the PPD denied her right to wear the hijab for the 20 plus hours she remained detained. Numerous PPD officers, as well as TUPD officers, witnessed the denial of her religious rights and did nothing to rectify the situation.
Temple University and TUPD have released statements indicating that there was not any wrongdoing on their part, but this is another incident in the University’s increasingly hostile campaign to suppress any criticism of Israel and to criminalize Muslim students and community members. The protesters were released by PPD after the egregious violation of their religious rights, yet Temple University and TUPD have stated they will do everything in their power to pursue additional charges. Temple University has even gone so far as to suspend the Students for Justice in Palestine organization on-campus. As a public university, as well as a university that prides itself on diversity, the Muslim community expects and demands that Temple University uphold constitutional rights for all of its students—not just the students the institution agrees with.
The most recent escalation by Temple University, TUPD, and PPD is a blatant violation of religious rights and freedoms. As the leading civil rights organization for Muslims in America, CAIR and CAIR-Philadelphia demands Temple University, TUPD, and PPD conduct a comprehensive investigation into these alarming allegations, undertake a comprehensive review of their policies and their impacts against and directed towards Muslim students and community members, provide sensitivity training for employees and officers, issue a public apology to the students and community members impacted, and take all necessary efforts to rectify the gross violations that occurred.
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