This young lady will have her day in court as is her right. I get it that the experience was extremely unpleasant, but I feel CAIR and her lawyer are overplaying the Islamophobia card.
It is important to look at
1.
whether the officers acted in good faith by tackling her during the 4th July holiday period, a day that ISIL etc would love to hit the U.S.
In an age of lone-wolf attackers, it is even rarer to be able to intercept any communication that would tell law enforcement who -- of the thousands of people who toy with ISIS online -- is going to attack and when.
And so the United States, like other countries, is left with a bit of a dilemma: the government has to try to prepare the public for potential terror threats that are inherently random.
What isn't random, however, are days that matter to the United States -- anniversaries of other terror attacks, national and religious holidays, and large gatherings such as the Super Bowl. Those we can control. And we have to, because the impact of terror strikes on those days -- whether a large or small attack -- will be much greater psychologically, because the public views those days as more meaningful than days that are normal.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/06/opinions/kayyem-terror-threats/2.
Could they ignore the possibility that this woman carried some explosive?A police report filed the night of the incident says officers had been "on high alert of terrorist activity" on the Fourth of July holiday when they spotted Al-Matar exhibiting what they believed was "suspicious behavior," including walking at "a brisk pace, in a determined manner." It also says officers saw what they thought could be "incendiary devices" around her ankles and were also suspicious of her backpack, which was clutched to her chest.
"(Officers) believed that subject might be a lone wolf suicide bomber and decided to attempt to take subject into custody," it says.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/muslim-woman-mistaken-for-terrorist-itemid-al-mata-sues-chicago-police/ It turned out she was wearing ankle weights.
3.
Did the officers follow proper procedure while taking her in custody?Her lawyer says
"If they felt that there was some concern, the initial approach would be like every one of us on the street: 'Excuse me, sir, excuse me, ma'am, can I just ask you a question — what's your name and where are you going?'"
As if they were approaching a person suspected of shoplifting instead of one possibly carrying explosives.
4.
Was proper procedure followed during the time she was held in custody. This is the really unpleasant part of her experience. Detainees are subjected to intrusive searches, etc even for an overnight stay. There have been many cases filed in this regard, so while she may have grounds, this is a systemic problem and she has a lot of company.
JMO. Of course the judge will hear more evidence than available to us.
Topic: Muslim woman mistaken for terrorist sues Chicago officers