On March 7, 2025, ECBAWM filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of New York and individual New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers on behalf of the Council on American-Islamic Relations New York (CAIR-NY), as well as Zarmeen Azam and Shajnin Howlader—two individuals who were brutally assaulted, including being strangled, and had their hijabs forcefully removed by NYPD officers while peacefully protesting.

Being forced to remove a hijab—a headscarf that covers one’s hair, ears, neck, and parts of one’s chest—in public, particularly in the presence of men who are not immediate family, is a profound violation of the wearer’s sincerely held religious beliefs and practices.

However, these incidents are not anomalies. “They reflect a disturbing and growing pattern of the NYPD using force and intimidation to suppress peaceful protest and the religious rights of Muslim women. The removal of a hijab is not just an act of aggression—it’s an assault on deeply held religious beliefs. This outrageous practice undermines the critical mission and core activities of CAIR-NY to empower Muslim New Yorkers,” said ECBAWM Partner, Andrew Wilson.

This lawsuit seeks compensation for Ms. Howlader and Ms. Azam for severe physical and emotional harm, as well as for CAIR-NY for the impairment of its mission and core activities. The suit also seeks policy change, asking the court to declare that the NYPD is never permitted to forcibly and publicly remove women’s hijabs and enjoin such conduct in the future.

CAIR-NY, Ms. Azam, and Ms. Howlander are represented by ECBAWM attorneys Andrew Wilson and Hafsa Mansoor.

Read the full press release here.

Press:
“Two Muslim women sue NYC alleging hijabs dislodged by NYPD during chaotic 2024 Gaza protest,” NY Daily News
“NYPD Allegedly Removed Hijabs, Assaulted Two Women at Protest”
“2 Muslim women sue NYC alleging hijabs dislodged by NYPD during chaotic 2024 Gaza protest”