North Carolina Jail Settles Hijab Removal Case With Policy Change
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced Friday that it reached a settlement with the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office following the arrest of Laila El-Ali, 26, WFAE reported.
El-Ali was taken into custody in February 2024 after addressing the Charlotte City Council in support of Palestinians and urging divestment from the Israeli regime.
She faced minor charges of noise violation and impeding traffic before being booked at Mecklenburg County Detention Center Central.
According to El-Ali, officers told her, “your hijab is contraband, you’re taking it off,” and removed it while she was handcuffed.
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As part of the settlement, the Sheriff’s Office has adopted a new policy allowing detainees to wear religious head coverings during booking photos and while in custody. Her mugshot has been deleted, and her charges were later dropped and expunged.
Attorney Ismaail Qaiyim, who helped negotiate the agreement, said the outcome proved that “justice, even in small batches, is a real thing.”
Similar cases of forced hijab removal have surfaced elsewhere in the United States. In April, New York City agreed to a $17.5 million settlement with women who had been made to remove their hijabs for mugshots, leading to reforms in police procedures.
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Civil rights groups say such incidents reflect a broader tension between law enforcement procedures and religious freedom.
Source: Agencies
