Headscarves Ordered for Female Muslim Inmates

(Orange, California) County officials agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by a Muslim woman, Jameelah Medina, who claimed that deputies violated her religious freedom by making her remove her hijab.

The settlement agreement signed by the county last week and released Monday specifies that Muslim women must be provided a private area to remove their headscarves after arrest and must be provided with county-issued headscarves to cover themselves when they are in the presence of men.

The county, which did not admit wrongdoing, will also pay US$45,000 in damages. Plaintiff Jameelah Medina will get US$10,000 after subtracting attorney fees, said Hector Villagra, director of the Orange County office of the American Civil Liberties Union. [...]

Medina, 30, was arrested in December 2005 in Pomona for having an invalid train pass. She spent 12 hours in jail but was never prosecuted.

Medina, a business trainer who lives in Rialto, said that during processing she was forced to remove her headscarf in the presence of a male deputy even though she explained that to do so violated her religious beliefs.

Medina said she felt exposed and naked without her headscarf. Attorneys said it's important to respect Muslims' religious beliefs.

I'd say the county got hosed for a cool $45,000 for arguably nonexistent damages.