ABSTRACT
In the autumn of 1996, two women strolled down the street in Portsmouth, Virginia. They walked from their mosque toward a nearby convenience store to buy some candy for their children. Just before they reached the store's entrance, some police officers stopped them. One of the officers told the women that the veils covering most of their faces were illegal masks that could not be worn in public (American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee [ADC] 1996, 17). The women tried to explain that they always wear niqab veils, in keeping with their Muslim faith. The officer replied, “I don't care what you say. It's a mask and you can't wear it in the Commonwealth of Virginia” (Ferris 1996, D.02). The women refused to remove their niqabs, and the police officers promptly placed them under arrest, handcuffed them, and took the women to the police station. The police eventually released the women without filing any criminal charges. Later, the women complained that when an officer frisked them to check for weapons, he also fondled their breasts and buttocks (ADC 1996, 17).
