Santa Clara Sheriff Office denies Muslim woman forced to remove hijab

SANTA CLARA, California – The Santa Clara Police Department in California has denied claims that it forced a Muslim woman to remove her hijab.

Asia Aden, a Muslim woman, was arrested by the Sheriff’s Office following a domestic violence incident.

“The Sheriff’s Office received the complaint and reviewed the surveillance footage. Force was not used to remove the Hijab and in fact the complainant was asked to remove it herself,” the office said in a public statement. 

The woman claimed that when she was taken to jail, she was asked to remove her hijab so she could be photographed.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) claims that her headscarf was “ripped off her head.”

Aden was not allowed to wear her hijab while she spent three days in jail.

CAIR is demanding that Santa Clara County officials release Aden’s booking photo, compensate her for her emotional distress, and retrain their staff.

“Ms. Aden explained to deputies that she wore a hijab for religious purposes and that it was against her religious beliefs to remove her hijab in front of men who were not related to her — to no avail,” the council said. 

“Her hijab was still forcibly removed — yanked off her head — and Ms. Aden was not provided with an alternative jail-issued head covering, despite repeated requests.”

The sheriff’s office said it has updated its policies to “ensure that anyone wearing a hijab, kufi, turban or yarmulke is appropriately accommodated.

However, they are subject to the compelling interest of facility security or the prevention of self-injury.