Minnesota – Steve Gottwalt of St. Cloud is trying to pass a bill that would ban any kind of headwear worn on a driver’s license pictures.
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Gottwalt said it is a matter of safety to help law enforcement identify people easier. However, people in the Muslim community said covering their heads is their religious right.
“We cover our hair for that reason. We follow our religion — what God told us to do,” said Suban Khalif.
Khalif and Hindia Ali are Muslim women. As part of their faith, they wear a head scarf nearly 24 hours a day. To take it off, for even a few minutes, is a big deal. That is why the women are so opposed to Gottwalt’s bill. They think their faces are enough to identify them.
“Daily, I cover my hair. And I don’t think I need to show my hair on a driver’s license. It just doesn’t make sense to me at all,” said Khalif.
“My facial expressions, my face, my nose, my eyes should be clearly enough for any person to tell us apart,” Ali agreed.
The Muslim community points out that Jews, Christians and other religions would also be affected if the bill passed.
“There’s no logic behind the bill, so we want to know really what is the motivation behind the bill,” said Aman Obsiye of the United Somali Movement.
“It’s really not about religion at all. It’s about public safety,” said Gottwalt.
Gottwalt said the motivation for this bill came from law enforcement. He said it is not about singling anyone out, it is about keeping headwear off everyone’s driver’s license picture in order to make it fair, and to make it easier for police.
“We’ve heard law enforcement people tell us about gangbangers wearing their hats differently and those kinds of things that kind of get in the way of quickly identifying who this person is,” said Gottwalt.
His supporters agree.
“People identify individuals more than just the eyes, and the nose, and the mouth and the front face. They look at the hair, and the ears, and the sideburns and other features of the head,” said Sgt. Jason Burke of the St. Cloud Police Department.
Gottwalt’s bill allows for some exceptions. If a person has a deformity or a medial condition that requires headwear, then they can wear it for their driver’s license picture. Gottwalt said he is hoping to get a committee hearing for the bill soon. The state of Alabama is considering similar legislation.
Airline security entrances have seen changes regarding headwear. Just a couple of years ago the Transportation Security Administration changed its rules. It used to be anyone wearing a head covering had to go through security twice. Now, it is up to the screener if they think more than one pass is necessary.
its pethetic that in the year 2009 were still identifying by pictures. we should start using technology to our advantage finger scan and or eye scan
this is bad
But muslim countries, like Saudia Arabia, ladies are not allowed to drive?
What was wrong with how it was done for the last seventy years?
“Gottwalt’s bill allows for some exceptions.” He will quickly find that if he allows ANY exceptions then he MUST also allow one for religion.
hello if a person a with a deformation can wear a hat why dont we tell them to take it off as well it will make identifiying them easier too
thay drive plains not cars. dont need a pic.
If you went chol hamoid to DMV woi\uld you insist on wearing your streimel ? Of course they should have to take a picture without a towel on their head. Accomadations can be made, they can go into a private area with only women. If they don’t like how we do it in America let them go back where they come from. There are enough Muslim countries to choose from if they don’t like the one they came from.
Jewish women who don’t wear wigs have to reveal their hair? I think Jewish women should not be forced to wear wigs if they don’t have to. They should keep their snoods/scarves/tichels on. American Jews, it’s time to go home!!!
This is a naked anti-Muslim initiative and it is bad for Jews as well. My wife does not wear a sheitel — should she be forced to uncover her head to take a driver’s license photo?
a frum woman who wears a sheitel would not be asked to remove it because they’d think it’s her real hair, but, a frum woman who wears a different hair covering shouldn’t have to remove it, even in a private room, because her picture would be on the license with her hair uncovered and that would be a breech of tsnius. I hope that this law will not be passed because it would go against our religious freedom. Wearing a hat for a man is different. a man could take his picture with a yarmulka. As long as a muslim woman doesn’t insist on her face also being covered, I don’t see why they can’t wear their heads covered either.
What about a toupee? Should a man reveal his baldness because Big Brother wants to know?
You will never see a frum Jewish woman or a Muslim woman with her hair uncovered, therefore the grounds for passing such a law are ludicrous. How can going uncovered help law enforcement recognize an individual if those individuals NEVER go uncovered. Freedom of Religion is a constitutional right and should not be infringed upon.
It is only men on this sie that think us women shhould expose our hair. And for that I feel sorry for your wifes and daughters.
I would refuse to take my hair covering. That is a part of our modesty. How would you like if they said shave your beard so we couldidentify you?
When I first moved to FL, I wore only snoods and berets. I was told that I could not register to vote unless I would agree to be photographed without the headcovering. I had to go all the way up to the governor’s office to get my voter registration card.
And don’t think that no one can tell it is a wig. What about that woman in Monsey who was forced to remove her sheital???