Elham Asaad Buaras
A Muslim woman has alleged that the Philadelphia Police Department forced her to remove her hijab following an incident at Temple University last month.
Johara Shama, who was among several people arrested while protesting the war in Gaza at Temple’s Howard Gittis Student Centre, claims she was detained for 20 hours by police without being allowed access to her religious headscarf.
Shama and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) are now demanding answers from the police department regarding the treatment she received.
According to Shama, after being detained by Philadelphia police, an officer removed her hijab and under cap. Both Shama and CAIR officials condemned this as a “serious defilement of her religious beliefs and practices.”
“This act of humiliation left me in a state of distress, feeling as though my fundamental rights had been stripped away from me,” Shama stated during a press conference on October 2.
Adam Attia, legal director of CAIR Philadelphia, added, “We do want to work toward a change in these policies so that going forward Muslim women don’t have to experience this. And we are more than willing to collaborate and work with whatever agency, police department, or university is willing to listen to us because this is something that deeply violates our religious beliefs.”
In the aftermath of the protest, Temple University placed its chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) under interim suspension.
Responding to the allegations Philadelphia police acknowledged that their current policy does not address the wearing of religious attire during the booking process.
They added that Shama had been allowed to wear her hijab in communal areas but that it had been removed for her booking photo and while she was in a holding cell with other women.
“We recognise that our policies need to evolve to better respect and accommodate religious practices,” the Philadelphia police said in a statement. They also confirmed that they are working to update policies to permit religious head coverings during booking and detention, as long as safety or security protocols are not compromised.
CAIR also criticised the way Temple University police handled the protest, describing their actions as “mistreatment.”
In a statement, Temple University denied that the protest was peaceful.
“It was a major disruption to an event intended to help students find jobs and internships,” the university stated. “As a result of the aggressive protesting, several visiting employers were escorted from the space for their safety, and students were denied an opportunity to engage with potential employers—some students left the event entirely.”
Temple further alleged that several protestors pushed and shoved officers as they attempted to “lawfully” detain the leader of the protest.
Temple Public Safety reviewed body camera and video surveillance footage from the event and said that they believe officers acted appropriately.
(Photo: Phil17 TV/CC)
