According to rahyafte (the missionaries and converts website):The settlement requires the Rutherford County government, which is funded by taxpayers, to pay Sophia Johnston $100,000. The county also had to change its booking and jail policies to allow religious clothing and delete Johnston’s mugshots and any video footage where she was not wearing her hijab, the Horwitz Law Firm said, WSMV4 reported on Thursday.
According to new policies, religious head coverings do not have to be removed for booking photos as long as the face and profile are visible and not blocked by religious attire.
Johnston was arrested in September for driving with a suspended license, but the charge was later dropped.
Daniel A. Horwitz, Johnston’s main lawyer, said in a press release: “This is a historic win for Ms. Johnston and her entire religious community. Citizens have the right to practice their religion without unreasonable governmental interference, and we are proud to have vindicated Ms. Johnston’s rights and secured permanent policy changes that will prevent violations like this from recurring. Every government agency in Tennessee should take notice.”
Johnston told WSMV4 when she started the legal case: “I was confused. I felt like I was in a strange place. I was scared, I felt very naked because as a Muslim woman, our hijab is our protection.” She also said that only the men in her family had seen her without her hijab.
She said she felt scared and naked when the deputies at Rutherford County Jail told her to remove her head covering. She refused for religious reasons, but they threatened to keep her in jail longer.
The hijab is a religious duty for Muslims. It is worn by women to be modest around men who are not their “mahram” (male relatives who they cannot marry). The lawsuit said that forcing Johnston to take off her hijab violated her civil and religious rights.
Different states in the US have different policies about religious clothing during arrests and mugshots. In some cases, police departments, like in New York City, have changed their policies to let women keep their head coverings as long as their faces are not hidden. Also, some lawsuits have led to large settlements.
