USA : A Muslim woman receives $ 85,000 dollars for being forced by the police to remove her scarf

A Muslim woman who had been forced to remove her veil by the police while in police custody will receive $ 85,000 from the City of Long Beach, a suburb in Los Angeles, as part of an amicable settlement, According to AFP.

Arrested at a roadside checkpoint in May 2015 on a set of charges that are still under investigation, «Kirsty Powell, a Muslim African-American, had filed a complaint after police officers forcibly removed her veil in front of Other male police officers and dozens of detainees,» said the Council of American-Islamic Relations (Cair) in a statement issued on Thursday.

«Ms. Powell wears the veil as part of her religious beliefs and was forced to spend the night bareheaded while in custody. She described the experience as deeply traumatic,» the statement said.

Long Beach and other localities in Orange County and San Bernardino, in Los Angeles, have since amended their regulations to protect the right to the Islamic headscarf in custody.

It is now female police officers who are supposed to remove the veil of a prisoner «when it is necessary for the safety of the agent», and besides the presence of police or male prisoners, said Monte Machit, assistant prosecutor of The city of Long Beach, quoted in the Los Angeles Times.