Protest held outside Shaw Library after woman ordered to remove hijab

A couple of dozen protesters gathered outside Shaw Library in protest of what they called a rise of Islamophobia

A couple of dozen protesters gathered outside Shaw Library in protest of what they called a rise of Islamophobia, after a woman on Wednesday was ordered by a library police officer to remove her hijab.

“It was a blatant act of discrimination and abuse of power on the part of this police officer,” says Jessica Raven, who was in the library when the incident unfolded. “And now we need the library to do more than apologize, do more than just discipline a single officer, and make changes to address Islamophobia.”

She added, the D.C. library system is minimizing what happened by calling it an “isolated incident,” adding that she wants to see more public institutions make an effort to combat Islamophobia head-on and make Muslims feel more welcome.

The organizers of the rally say they hope to raise the issue during a D.C. Council budget hearing April 13 that focuses on the library.