A federal judge ruled that a prison must destroy a Muslim woman’s uncovered mug shots, citing a violation of her religious rights under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
A federal judge has ruled that a federal prison in Minnesota violated the religious rights of Muna Jama, a Muslim woman forced to take booking photographs without her hijab, and has ordered the destruction of all such images. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Bryan found that the prison’s policy substantially burdened Jama’s religious exercise under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, noting that “any policy that requires Jama to remove her hijab and be photographed requires her to choose between disciplinary action and the violation of her religious beliefs.”
Rejecting the government’s argument that uncovered photos are necessary for identification in the event of an escape, the judge noted that the prison failed to prove such a need and that the mere existence of the photos posed a risk of exposure to unrelated males. Following the ruling, which the Council on American-Islamic Relations hailed as a “significant victory,” lawyer Aya Beydoun stated, “It sends a clear message that carceral institutions cannot disregard the dignity and religious practice of those in their custody without compelling justification.”