Lexington, Kentucky TV news broadcaster WLEX gave almost three minutes to claims by the Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) that the Fayette County Detention Center forced a woman to remove her hijab.
Another Lexington TV station, WKYT, also covered this unsubstantiated story. The police say they know nothing about CAIR’s claims, and the Detention Center has issued a non-statement saying only that they will look into it.
In a phone conversation with me, WKYT justified covering this story by pointing out that other news organizations have also covered it. And that is true. For example, the Lexington Herald-Leader also covered this story, and got all of its information about it from CAIR.
At this point, the whole story is just a rumor. Because of that fact, the news outlets that covered it should be more circumspect. After all, we have the example of a CAIR client claiming that the Pepsi Arena in Colorado discriminated against her. However, when security camera video showed that she was lying, there were no news follow-ups or apologies from CAIR.
Of course, there is also the case of Tamar Herman, the New Jersey elementary school teacher who became the subject of a rumor on social media. CAIR was on TV seven times spreading this rumor, and calling for the teacher’s removal.
There are many other examples of CAIR spreading rumors and misinformation on TV, including stories involving Whole Foods, the Minneapolis Police, a Missouri prison, the terror watchlist, Oak Lawn, Illinois police officers, and many others over period of almost six years.
This is not news reporting. This is rumor-mongering. And it’s a scandal.
“Muslim woman says she was forced to remove hijab when UK police took her to Lexington jail,” by Karla Ward, Lexington Herald-Leader, July 21, 2023:
A Muslim woman has alleged she was forced to take off her hijab after being arrested by a University of Kentucky police officer and taken to the Fayette County Detention Center. Now a national civil rights organization is calling for an investigation.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations said in a news release Friday that the woman said she was stopped Monday night for driving without headlights on and was arrested “because of an issue related to a late registration from a couple years ago.” But she told the organization no one told her she was being arrested, and she doesn’t remember being read her rights. The woman was not named in CAIR’s news release.
The organization said she told them she was “asked several times what her religion is” during the incident and was “handcuffed and held for hours and forced to take her hijab off for the booking photo.”
CAIR says the woman told them that while handcuffed and “in a public hall where everyone could see me,” she was asked to remove her headscarf. She said she refused and asked to be taken to a private area.
“I was then brought to another room which had a window door and put on a toilet were [sic] there was a half wall which would still not cover my head,” said a statement from the woman, released by CAIR. “I was forced to sit bent over for a long time which I couldn’t hold very long. Then I used my dress as a headscarf to be able to sit straight and without back pain. … I truly feel terrorized, terrified and abused by those officers.”
“Ultimately, she was released on $100 bond, which she says was taken out of her purse,” the news release stated.
CAIR said Edward Ahmed Mitchell, its national deputy director, sent a letter to Col. Scott Colvin, executive director of the Fayette County Detention Center, and UK police Chief Joseph Monroe asking that they investigate the incident “and establish clear policies permitting people of faith to keep their hijabs and other religiously required hair coverings on while in detention.”
Colvin said in a statement he had not gotten a letter from CAIR, but he said he “will certainly commit to a transparent review of the incident once the allegations are made known to me.”…
The University of Kentucky said in a statement that a review of the body camera footage showed the UK police officer did not ask the woman to remove her hijab or take it from her after stopping her for a possible traffic violation [driving without headlights – Ed].
UK said the officer ran the woman’s license and registration and discovered that she had an outstanding bench warrant because of an unpaid fine from 2021 and then arrested her and took her to the jail “as required under the law.”…
somehistory says
mozlums lie. A heck of a lot. Never trust them to tell the Truth. and never trust anything the unindicted co-conspirators of the guilty “holy-land foundation” funder of hamas at c.a.i.r. have to say or “report.’
Always the slavewear…always being told to remove it.
And having to sit bent over for a “long time” but she couldn’t sit that way for “long.”
And she risked uncovering something else to cover her head with her dress.
She felt “terrorized, terrified and abused.” Sure. buzz words and all lies.
Larry Estavan says
Here is an update on this story from WKYT who in turn is sourcing the Lexington-Herald Leader – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSaOjq60PlM
But then the TV station goes on to say that charges against the woman have been dropped, according to the Council on American Islamic Relations.
Isn’t that the sort of information that should come from the police?
Why do TV stations want to put CAIR on TV so much?
Michael Copeland says
Do the stations receive a “donation” from CAIR for their trouble?
Larry Estavan says
I have asked this question of TV stations many times, and they always assure me that it is totally out of the question. They receive no money from CAIR.
It still looks bad considering CAIR is on TV every day, nothing critical is ever reported about them and they are protected by TV stations when embarrassing news about the group emerges.
Here is CAIR discussing this latest hijab crisis incident where they strangely do not talk about their media contacts, and also will admit ZERO personal responsibility from this Muslim doctor driving around with no headlights, and a bench warrant. – https://www.facebook.com/CAIRNational/videos/307129145066052
somehistory says
It is not against the law to ask one what is his religion. Hospitals routinely ask that question. Furthermore, if she brought up something about her religious *rights,* it is important to ask “which” religion.
It must be a *recognized* religion and not something made up on the spot.
However, since mozlums lie in order to “strike terror” in LE, the public, etc., and also to gain support by claiming they are being discriminated against for their religious practices, I have an idea that the cops didn’t ask.
If she told everyone in the station her “religious rights” and they asked, that would be normal too. But, I still believe they didn’t ask,
Pray Hard says
Moslems should have to pay a whining tax.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
50% of their wealth+income
OLD GUY says
Awe poor me, i’am a muslim and islam over rules all other laws.
As a practicing islamic women what was she doing out at night without a male relative with her. And she was driving a car. Or is it spelled CAIR.
somehistory says
these molzum women break the law…usually traffic laws….don’t settle the issue, get arrested, and then yell fire….as in my hijab, no privacy. no women waiting on me, no special treatment….so they yanked it off and called me names and asked my religion….after i told them several times im mozlum….
it goes according to plan and then….the cops have video and it falls apart.