DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - OHIO: DRIVER LICENSE PHOTOS ALLOWED WHILE WEARING HEAD TO TOE BAGS

CAIR Helps OH Muslims Obtain Driver Photos with Hijab

CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Ohio chapter (CAIR-Ohio) announced today that two Muslim women in that city were able to have driver’s license photographs retaken with their Islamic headscarves, or hijab, after initially being asked to remove the scarves.

CAIR says Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) employees had insisted that the women remove their headscarves for their driver’s license photographs despite regulations requiring an exemption for religious head coverings.

According to a 2004 CAIR study of such policies nationwide, Ohio grants exemptions for 1) wigs or hairpieces if customarily worn by the applicant, 2) a head covering worn for recognized religious purposes, or 3) a head covering worn in conjunction with recognized medical treatments.

CAIR-Ohio’s Cincinnati office contacted the BMV and arranged for the photographs of the two women to be retaken free of charge. BMV authorities also sent a reminder to all deputy registrar offices about the exemption for religious head coverings.

“We thank BMV officials for handling this issue in a timely and professional manner,” said Karen Dabdoub, executive director of CAIR-Ohio’s Cincinnati office.

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Pertinent Links:

1) CAIR Helps OH Muslims Obtain Driver Photos with Hijab