Muslim woman suing police over headscarf

ANAHEIM, Calif., Sept. 5 (UPI) -- A Muslim California woman is suing the Orange County Sheriff's Department, alleging being forced to remove her traditional headscarf while in jail defiled her.

Souhair Khatib, 33, filed a lawsuit against the sheriff's department this week, alleging her religious rights were violated when deputies made her remove her traditional hijab, The Orange County Register reported Wednesday.

In her lawsuit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union Tuesday, Souhair alleged her numerous requests to keep the scarf were ignored by on-duty officers.

"It was so, so hard because the scarf is part of me. The scarf is like an obligation in our religion," she said. "So you take it off, it's like you're walking naked for Muslim women. They humiliated me."

A spokesman for the county sheriff countered that argument by saying all prisoners are forced to remove any potential dangerous items for safety reasons.

The Register said Khatib is not only seeking a change in the sheriff department's policy in such matters, but also unspecified damages.