Police officers in England’s Bedfordshire county have been told to take off their shoes and not interrupt anyone praying during raids of Muslim homes, according to leaked guidelines.
The 18-point guide, under development before the recent London bombing attacks, says “the Muslim community feels victimized and suspicious of counter terrorist police operations and in the current climate a search at a British Muslim household has the potential to become a critical incident and come under intense scrutiny.”
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The guidelines for police offers, according to the paper, include:
Rapid entry needs to be the last resort and raids into Muslim houses are discouraged for a number of religious dignity reasons. Police should seek to avoid looking at unclad Muslim women and allow them an opportunity to dress and cover their heads. For reasons of dignity officers should seek to avoid entering occupied bedrooms and bathrooms even before dawn. Use of police dogs will be considered serious desecration of the premises and may necessitate extensive cleaning of the house and disposal of household items. Advice should be sought before considering the use of cameras and camcorders due to the risk of capturing individuals, especially women, in inappropriate dress. Muslim prisoners should be allowed to take additional clothing to the station. If people are praying at home officers should stand aside and not disrupt the prayer. They should be allowed the opportunity to finish. Officers should not take shoes into the houses, especially in areas that might be kept pure for prayer purposes. In the current climate the justification for pre-dawn raids on Muslim houses needs to be clear and transparent. Non-Muslims are not allowed to touch holy books, Qurans or religious artifacts without permission. Where possible, Muslim officers in a state of ‘Wudhu’ (preparation before prayer) should be used for this purpose.{snip}