Video taken over the weekend at Arizona State University shows a campus police officer removing a hijab from a female protester's head during her arrest.
The blurry video, obtained by Mass Liberation AZ and provided to CNN by attorney Zayed Al-Sayyed, who represents the women, shows several ASU Police Department officers surrounding a woman whose hands are behind her back while one one of the officers removes her hijab.
People nearby can be heard shouting: “You're violating their privacy” and “Give it back to me.”
The officers then put the hoodie on the woman and a bystander shouts: “So you can wear a hoodie but not your hijab?” At one point, one of the officers blocks the woman from the view of those recording the video, while one person yells, “Let her go!”
An attorney representing her and three other women who said it also happened to them is demanding accountability.
Al-Sayyed, who said the arrests took place early Saturday, did not identify the women, but said three of them are students at the university and all four are residents of the Phoenix area. They face criminal charges for trespassing.
Upon being detained, Al-Sayyed said, the women explained the meaning of a hijab and “begged” to keep it, but she said they were told they had to take it off for safety reasons.
“They never expected that an officer… who is sworn to protect and serve would violate their most basic right protected under the United States Constitution, which is the right to practice their religion. That is why they are injured,” Al-Sayyed said.
After being detained and taken by bus to jail, the women were not given their hijabs back, Al-Sayyed said.
About 15 hours later, when she was finally able to access her clients, Al-Sayyed said she was able to bring them new hijabs.
The Arizona chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-AZ) condemned university police for the reported incident and others like it and called for a full investigation.
“This act represents a flagrant violation of the religious freedoms of peaceful protesters. “It is deeply distressing for the women affected and ASU Police must conduct a thorough investigation into this matter,” Azza Abuseif, executive director of CAIR-AZ, said in an email to CNN.
In a statement to CNN, the university said: “This matter is under review.” CNN has reached out to the Maricopa County Prosecutor's Office for comment.
