Muslim women arrested under law aimed at KKK

Jet, Oct 7, 1996

Two Muslim women filed complaints against Portsmouth, VA, police after they were arrested by an officer who misinterpreted a law meant to target the Ku Klux Klan.

They also charged that they were fondled by police during a search for weapons. Authorities have disputed the claim that the women were fondled, but apologized for the arrest.

The women said they were walking toward a grocery store in their traditional hijab, Muslim clothing that includes veils covering their faces, when an officer approached them and told them they could not wear masks.

One of the women said she told the officer the veil was part of her Islamic dress, and he said: "I don't care what you say. It's a mask and you can't wear it in the commonwealth of Virginia." They refused to remove their veils and said they were handcuffed and fondled during the weapons' search.

"There was a mistake in judgment, and all of us are sorry this happened," said Commonwealth's Attorney Martin Bullock.

The women were detained by an officer who thought they were violating a state law against wearing masks in public, a spokeswoman said.

The law is aimed at halting marches by the KKK, whose members often wear hoods, but people who wear masks for religious reasons are exempted.