Oceana Co. responds to hijab removal lawsuit

The Oceana County Sheriff’s Department says it didn’t violate a Muslim woman’s rights when they forced her to remove her hijab at the county jail following an arrest in May.

Fatme Dakroub, who is a U.S. citizen currently living in the United Arab Emirates, filed the federal lawsuit, claiming Oceana County Sheriff’s Department deputies forced her to remove her hijab despite her objections.

She claims she was in Oceana County visiting family on May 15, 2015 and rented a Jeep at the dunes. She says she was stopped for speeding by an Oceana County Sheriff’s deputy and arrested.

Dakroub says she wears a hijab in accordance with her religious beliefs that are based on the understanding of the Quran. Her religious beliefs also require her to be covered in front of men who are not family.

In a response filed to the federal lawsuit, the county admits that deputies required Dakroub to remove her head scarf for her mug shot, and would not let her put it back on in the cell.

The county says the photograph was like Dakroub’s driver’s license photo, in which she is not wearing a head covering either.

As for the head scarf, the county considers lengthy scarfs to be security concerns, and instead allowed her to wear a hooded sweatshirt while in the cell.

The county claims the policy is in place for the safety of the jail and those inside, and is not discriminatory.

A similar lawsuit in eastern Michigan was recently settled, with the jail agreeing to change its policy and allow Muslims to wear head coverings as part of their religious beliefs.

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