THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 20, 1996 TAG: 9609190012
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A18 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: 58 lines
If Portsmouth had been suffering under a reign of terror, as women in veils repeatedly held up grocery stores, we might begin to understand why police officers were suspicious of two Muslim women wearing veils outside a Rack & Sack on Victory Boulevard.
There's been no such reign of terror.
In fact, a list of people least likely to rob anybody surely would include Muslim women wearing traditional Muslim garb, called hijab.
Still, two Portsmouth police officers arrested, handcuffed and searched two Muslim women Sunday night because they were wearing such garb, including veils.
One of the arresting officers called their veils masks and said they were illegal in Virginia. One of the women told staff writer Angelita Plemmer that she tried to explain that the veil was part of her Islamic dress and that she was forbidden to remove it except for her husband. The officers either didn't believe her or didn't know that Virginia case law specifically makes allowances for religious veils.
A sorry situation was made worse when the women were body-searched by a male officer, despite their pleas to have a woman search them. The women said Islamic holy law is violated when a woman is touched by a man other than her husband, father or son. Both women said they were fondled by the male officer during the search.
After the women were taken to headquarters, they were released without being charged.
They later contacted the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington, an Islamic advocacy group. A spokesman for that group discussed the case with the Police Department and the commonwealth's attorney's office.
On Tuesday, the two women filed a formal complaint against the Police Department.
``There was a mistake in judgment,'' said Commonwealth's Attorney Martin Bullock, ``and all of us are sorry this happened. We respect the religious freedoms of all people. This was a misunderstanding.''
Amber Whittaker, a spokeswoman for the Police Department, said the search of the two women is under review to see if department guidelines were followed.
She added, ``It is and has been the position of the Police Department to treat all cultures and religions with respect and fairness, and that's something we wish to maintain.''
But the department didn't ``maintain'' that position last Sunday. The two women's religious right to wear veils was ignored, and they were wrongly arrested.
The violation of their religious rights was serious. Imagine the embarrassment you would feel if officers handcuffed you outside the supermarket you regularly use and took you away.
To state the obvious, police officers should be trained to recognize religious garb and taught that religious veils are legal. If women request that they be searched by women, or if men request that they be searched by men, the request should be honored if possible.
In calling the arrest of the two women a ``misunderstanding,'' Commonwealth's Attorney Bullock used far too weak a word. It was an outrage. by CNB