New York City has agreed to pay $17.5 million in damages to settle a lawsuit by two Muslim Americans who said police violated their rights after arresting them and forcing them to remove their hijabs — the religious garment they wear over the head — before being photographed. The preliminary collective agreement covers men and women who are required to remove their religious attire before being photographed.
The decision was filed in Manhattan federal court this Friday (5), and depends on the approval of district judge Analisa Torres. The payments will total $13.1 million after litigation costs are deducted, and could rise if more than 3,600 people eligible for compensation file their claims. Each person will receive between 7,800 and 13,100 dollars.
The agreement ends a lawsuit filed in 2018 by Jamilla Clark and Arwa Aziz, who said they felt shame and suffered trauma when they had to remove their hijabs to be booked the previous year in Manhattan and Brooklyn, respectively.
They were arrested for violating protection orders that, according to both, were false. For their lawyers, removing the fabrics was as if they had been strip searched. “When they forced me to take off my hijab, I felt like I was naked,” Clark said in a statement issued by her lawyers. “I don’t know if words can explain how exposed I felt.”
In 2020, and in response to the lawsuit, the New York police agreed that men and women could use the devices when being booked, as long as their faces were visible.
Source: CNN Brasil
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