As part of a settlement with Muslim women who claimed that they were forced to remove their hijabs in booking photos, the New York Police Department has announced that it has decided to allow people to wear religious head coverings for said photos.
The change in the policy comes after lawsuits were filed back in 2018 by four Muslim women against the NYPD. The women claimed that they were forced by officers to remove their hijabs in front of male officers for the photos, violating their civil liberties.
Muslim women worldwide wear hijabs, a covering worn on the head and neck, and only showing the face. For women who choose to wear hijabs, their head and neck cannot be seen by men who are not their immediate family. Thus, they do not take them off.
It was noted that the new guideline by the NYPD does not only refer to hijabs, but to all religious headwear, including yarmulkes, turbans that are worn by Sikhs, and wigs that are Orthodox Jews wear.
In 2018, Laila Ibrahim was arrested and was asked to take off her hijab for the booking photo. Ibrahim was not a fluent English speaker but claimed that she tried to explain why she could not take off her hijab, but she was ignored.
Ibrahim is one of the four women who filed the lawsuit against the department.
Moreover, in an interview with CNN, Ibrahim stated that she requested a translator. Still, the NYPD has deemed it unnecessary and that the officers forcefully took off her hijab amid a room full of men.
She also stated that she felt humiliated since she considers the hijab as part of her identity, and having it taken off is like missing a part of her body.
Ibrahim expressed hope that the change in the policy would mean that the police department would respect the religious beliefs of others and not oppress or violate them.
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The NYPD explained that during searches for weapons and contrabands, the religious coverings would still be removed. However, they noted that the search would be done in a private and secured area by a police officer of the same gender so as not to violate the beliefs of others, USA Today reported via MSN.
Moreover, during booking photos, the person can still wear religious head coverings except in cases where there is reasonable suspicion that a distinguishing feature in the investigation would be concealed by the coverings, including hair color and birthmarks.
In addition, those arrested can also be asked to take off their head coverings in the booking photos if there is suspicion that the person was not wearing the covering at the crime scene, according to Detective Sophia Mason, spokesperson for the NYPD, NBC New York reported.
It was also emphasized that the uncovered photos would also be taken in private by an officer of the same gender.
Many government agencies in New York and other states have generally allowed people to wear the said religious coverings in photos for legal documents, including passports.
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