The Council on American-Islamic Relations announced a settlement Friday with the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office, after a Muslim woman was forced to remove her hijab for a booking photo.
Laila El-Ali, 26, was taken into custody in February 2024 after speaking at a Charlotte City Council meeting in support of Palestinians and urging the city to divest from Israel.
She was charged with a noise violation and impeding traffic. El-Ali was then processed at Mecklenburg County Detention Center Central.
“I was looked at and I was told, 'your hijab is contraband, you're taking it off,'" El-Ali said. "So while I was cuffed, I tried to remove it, but the officer finished the job.”
As part of the settlement, the Sheriff’s Office adopted a new policy allowing religious head coverings in booking photos and throughout the jail. Attorney Ismaail Qaiyim of the Queen City Community Law Firm helped negotiate the settlement.
“This victory today, whereby the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office must change its policies, demonstrates that justice, even in small batches, is a real thing," Qaiyim said.
El-Ali's charges were later dropped and expunged. The Sheriff’s Office also removed her booking photo from its database.
