NYC to pay out $17.5 million for making Muslim women remove their hijabs for mugshots

New York City has reportedly agreed to pay out $17.5 million after a class action lawsuit, spearheaded by two Muslim women, claimed that their religious rights were violated after police forced them to remove their hijabs to take a mugshot photo after they were arrested.

Fox News Digital reported that the initial settlement, which still needs to be finalized by a district court judge, was filed on Friday in Manhattan federal court. The report mentioned that more than 3,600 people are eligible for payouts under the deal.

The two women who spearheaded the effort, Jamilla Clark and Arwa Aziz, filed the suit in 2018 after they were arrested for violating orders of protection. However, the two women have claimed that the reason for their arrest was bogus, per the report. The two women were arrested twice, in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Clark and Aziz claimed that they felt shame and experienced trauma after being forced to remove their hijabs for a mugshot. Hijabs are generally worn by Muslim women in observance of the Islamic religion. The women compared removing their head coverings to being strip-searched.

Clark stated: "When they forced me to take off my hijab, I felt as if I were naked. I'm not sure if words can capture how exposed and violated I felt."

"I’m so proud today to have played a part in getting justice for thousands of New Yorkers."

CBS reported that Afaf Nasher — CAIR-NY Executive Director — said the following in a statement: "We send our appreciation to the Muslim women who bravely persisted with this litigation, prompting policy change that benefit many with similar religious garb requirement."

The NYPD reportedly changed its policy in 2020, which allowed those arrested to retain their religious head covering with limited exceptions, per court documents.

The total payout is estimated to be around $13.1 million after legal fees and costs are paid, per Fox News Digital. Each recipient is expected to receive between $7,824 and $13,125.

Albert Fox Cahn, who is a lawyer for Clark and Aziz, said that the settlement was a milestone achievement for the privacy and religious rights of those in New York.

"The NYPD should never have stripped these religious New Yorkers of their head coverings and dignity," Cahn said.

He went on to say that the success of the lawsuit "sends a powerful message that the NYPD can't violate New Yorkers' First Amendment rights without paying a price."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!