Footage going viral on social media has shown police forcibly removing a Muslim woman’s hijab while being detained at the USA’s Arizona State University, amid almost two weeks of protests against Israel’s war on Gaza that have swept through higher education institutions from coast to coast, reports ABC News.
At least four women have gone through the same harassment, sources told ABC on Monday that the sources originally blurred the woman’s face in the video to protect her privacy.
The Arizona chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-AZ) condemned the actions of the police, calling for an investigation into the incident.
“The First Amendment guarantees the free practice of religion. Police cannot suspend this right. We condemn the reported actions of ASU police and call for a full investigation into this incident,” CAIR-AZ Executive Director Azza Abuseif said in a statement.
The footage has gone viral on X, formerly known as Twitter, and has drawn severe backlash against the officers, with accusations of Islamophobia.
