AFP, Los Angeles :
Two lawsuits filed in California on Monday claim that Muslim women were discriminated against in separate incidents because of their religion and for wearing the hijab.
One of the suits claims that police in Long Beach forcibly removed a suspect’s headscarf while another suit alleges that a group of women were kicked out of a Laguna Beach coffee house for being Muslim.
According to the complaint against the city of Long Beach and its police department, Kirsty Powell and her husband were pulled over by two officers while driving home in May of last year.
She was subsequently arrested on two outstanding warrants-one linked to her sister allegedly falsely using her identity and one in relation to a 2002 shoplifting incident at a grocery store.
Powell, who is African American, alleges that while being booked at the police station, one of the officers forcibly removed her headscarf in view of other male officers and inmates, telling her she was “not allowed to wear her hijab” and that policemen were “allowed to touch women.”
The suit states that Powell “suffered and continues to suffer extreme shame, humiliation, mental anguish and emotional distress” as a result of her experience.
“The actions taken by the Long Beach police officers were unwarranted and a serious violation of Mrs Powell’s bodily integrity,” said Yalda Satar, attorney for the Los Angeles chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which filed the suit on behalf of Powell.
“The manner in which Mrs Powell was treated by LBPD officers was simply a show of authority over a woman of color who was unable to protect herself, and is another example of the type of discrimination faced by women who wear a hijab.”
The Long Beach Police Department said in a statement late Monday that Powell’s hijab was taken off in line with the department’s policy to remove certain items from inmates-including belts, shoe laces and head coverings-for their own protection.
“We respect the religious rights and beliefs of all people and understand the sensitivity of this matter,” police chief Robert Luna said.
