Muslim woman sues judge in headscarf incident

A 32-year-old Muslim woman from Dearborn Heights filed a federal lawsuit today against a Wayne County judge, claiming he forced her to take off her hijab, an Islamic headscarf, during a court appearance in June.

“I felt very discriminated and humiliated,� Raneen Albaghdady said at a press conference in Southfield at the Michigan Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a co-plaintiff in the lawsuit. “I was hurt…I was really, really scared and terrified."

Albaghdady said she is a native of Iraq who works as a fashion designer and is part Shi’ite and part Sunni.

She was in court before Wayne County Circuit Judge William Callahan in Detroit on June 16 to change her name. She said she had previously changed her name because her family had fled oppressive rule under Saddam Hussein and was scared of retaliation.

Her attorney, Nabih Ayad, said at the press conference that it “is very demeaning� for a Muslim woman to be asked to remove her hijab in public.

Muslim women who wear hijab don’t usually reveal their hair to men outside their family.

A woman who answered the phone today at Callahan’s office referred calls about the lawsuit to Elizabeth Kocab, general counsel for Wayne County Circuit Court. Kocab did not comment.

An assistant to Callahan said the video clip released by the Muslim group stopped short and didn't include the part where Albaghdady removed the headscarf and apparently said: "It's OK, it doesn't matter."

The assistant said the judge wouldn't ask someone to remove a hijab if it was worn for religious purposes.

Albaghdady said she sued in part to help other Muslim women.

She said she was disappointed by the judge because America is a "land of...freedom."

The lawsuit charges that Callahan violated the First Amendment right to freely practice religion. Ayad said the group wants an apology and a ruling that forbids judges from asking women to take off their hijabs in court.

Today's lawsuit comes after the Michigan Supreme Court adopted a new court rule on Tuesday that gives judges “reasonable control over parties’ and witnesses’ appearance.� That decision stems from a case involving a Hamtramck woman, Ginnah Muhammad, who went to court wearing a niqab, an Islamic veil that covers the entire face, except for eyes.

The judge in that case, Paul Paruk, asked her to remove her niqab so he could see her face while she testified, which Muhammad refused to do.

BY NIRAJ WARIKOO
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER