OC deputies forcibly removed 2 Muslim women's hijabs during protest at UC Irvine, lawsuit claims

ANAHEIM, Calif. (KABC) -- Two Muslim women have filed a lawsuit against Orange County and its sheriff's department, claiming deputies forcibly removed their hijabs at a peaceful protest at UC Irvine last year.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) and the Asian Law Caucus (ALC) filed the lawsuit on behalf of Salma Nasoordeen and Shenai Aini.

The incident allegedly happened on May 15, 2024, when students were protesting the Israel-Gaza conflict. Nasoordeen and Aini were arrested that day.

Nasoordeen said her hijab was ripped off her head and stomped on by an Orange County deputy while being arrested. She said her exposed hair was broadcasted by the media who was there covering the protests.

Attorneys for Nasoordeen and Aini claim that at the intake release center in Santa Ana, the two women were at the mercy of sheriff's deputies, who ordered them to remove their hijabs in front of men for booking photos that are now public.

Both women said their religious rights have been violated.

"I've never in my life had to remove my hijab for any government identification photos," said Nasoordeen. "My ID, my passport, none of that. I kept thinking to myself, 'Is this really happening? Is this allowed? Is this different because I'm in jail? Do I really not have the right to keep it on here?'"

The lawsuit aims for better training for deputies and new policies to ensure no one else is subjected to this kind of treatment.

"I want to make it clear that my hijab is the ultimate sign of my faith," said Aini. "It serves as my identity, my protection, and my faith. A year later, I'm still deeply affected. I still hear my pleas to be covered."

The Orange County Sheriff's Department said in a statement that booking photos are not publicly released under California law, and the agency has not released any of the booking photos of the women involved. The department calls CAIR-LA's claims misleading and inaccurate.

The statement from Carrie Braun, the Orange County Sheriff's Department's director of public affairs and community engagement, also said no women were required to remove their hijabs in front of men.

"Women were asked to privately remove their hijabs only once while inside the jail facility for a booking photo, and this occurred with only female deputies present," the statement said in part. "No force was used during this process; the women voluntarily removed their hijabs for the photo and immediately put them back on before leaving the private area.

"Jail security video from the Orange County Sheriff's Department documented the booking process."

The county released a statement saying they don't comment on pending or current litigation.