On July 20, 2026, U.S. District Court Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald for the Southern District of New York denied the City’s motion to dismiss key claims in ECBAWM’s lawsuit against the City of New York and individual New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the Council on American-Islamic Relations New York (CAIR-NY), Zarmeen Azam, and Shajnin Howlader, who allege that they were brutally assaulted, strangled, and had their hijabs forcibly removed by NYPD officers while peacefully protesting for Palestine.

In an important ruling on organizational standing, the Court held CAIR-NY had adequately alleged a direct organizational injury sufficient to establish standing. Relying on ECBAWM’s Amended Complaint, the Court noted that the NYPD’s alleged practice of forcibly removing Muslim women’s hijabs during protests “has left CAIR-NY less well able to carry out several of its established, preexisting core activities, including empowering Muslims to exercise their First Amendment rights, defending religious liberty, and amplifying speech about Islam and Muslims.” The Court found that these claims demonstrated that NYPD’s conduct impaired CAIR-NY’s ability to carry out its mission and core activities on behalf of New York’s Muslim community.

CAIR-NY, Ms. Azam, and Ms. Howlander are represented by ECBAWM attorneys Andrew Wilson and Hafsa S. Mansoor and paralegal, Carlos Martinez Montes.