MCSO settles with woman whose hijab was removed for booking photo

MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office has reached a settlement with a woman who was forced to remove her hijab for a booking photograph, she said during a news conference Friday.

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The woman, Laila El-Ali, was arrested by Charlotte-Mecklenburg police after participating in a protest last year. She was charged with a noise ordinance violation and impeding traffic, but the charges were later dismissed and expunged.

“They tried to strip me of my dignity, but my dignity is from my creator, not their institutions,” El-Ali said.

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