NYC agrees to pay $17.5 million after cops force Muslim women to take off their hijabs for mugshots

On Friday, New York City agreed to a settlement of $17.5 million for a class action lawsuit after the city forced Muslim women to remove their hijabs to take mugshot photos when they were arrested.

According to Fox News, the lawsuit was filed by Jamilla Clark and Arwa Aziz in 2018, who claimed their religious rights were violated when had to remove the head coverings after being arrested for violating orders of protection.



Clark said in a statement that she suffered trauma when forced to remove her hijab, which is worn by Muslim women in accordance with Islamic tradition. "When they forced me to take off my hijab, I felt as if I were naked," she said.

"I'm not sure if words can capture how exposed and violated I felt," Clark added. "I’m so proud today to have played a part in getting justice for thousands of New Yorkers."

Lawyer for the ladies, Albert Fox Cahn praised the ruling as a win for privacy and religious rights. He told the New York Times, "The NYPD should never have stripped these religious New Yorkers of their head coverings and dignity."

The lawsuit "sends a powerful message that the NYPD can't violate New Yorkers' First Amendment rights without paying a price," Cahn added.

The money for the settlement needs to be approved by a district court judge before being sent to more than 3,600 affected recipients. Each could receive as much as $13,125 in payouts.

New York City law department spokesman Nicholas Paolucci told the outlet, "This settlement resulted in a positive reform for the NYPD" after the NYPD agreed to let people cover their heads in mugshots as long as their faces are seen. "The agreement carefully balances the department's respect for firmly held religious beliefs with the important law enforcement need to take arrest photos."