Maine sheriff investigating whether Muslim protesters’ rights were violated with release of booking photos
A Maine sheriff’s office is investigating allegations that the rights of Muslim women arrested at protest were violated when booking photos were inappropriately released showing the women without their hijabs, The Portland Press Herald reports.
The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office opened the internal investigation Tuesday after a speaker at a recent Portland City Council meeting told officials four women were intimidated into removing their religious headscarves while being booked at the county jail following their July arrest, according to the Herald. The booking photos released to the press of the 17 arrested protesters showed two women wearing hijabs.
Sheriff Kevin Joyce told the Herald he hoped the investigation would determine exactly what happened. Mayor Ethan Strimling released a statement backing the jail’s policy of not releasing photos of Muslim women who wear a hijab without the religious head covering, according to the Herald.
“Showing respect for our community and ensuring that law enforcement can perform their duties must not be mutually exclusive,” Strimling said in the statement. “Sheriff Joyce’s swift decision to get to the bottom of this issue shows that he understands its gravity and the effect it can have on not only those involved, but also on the immigrant community as a whole.”
Read the full report at the Herald.
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