A Muslim woman is suing the City of Yonkers after local police allegedly forced her to remove her hijab.

According to the civil lawsuit obtained by the Huffington Post, 42-year-old Ihsan Malkawi has accused the police department of violating her religious rights after she was taken into custody last year. The complaint states Malkawi and her husband were arrested in August 2019 on "false allegations of abuse." During the booking process, officers allegedly told the woman to remove her head covering for the booking photo. Malkawi pleaded with the officers to allow her to retain the hijab, as it was "not a fashion accessory, but an essential component of her religion."