Belarus bans headscarved photos for IDs and passports

Rasa - All ID cards and passport photos in Belarus that show women with a headscarf are banned.

News ID: 1771

Date: 06 December 2014 - 18:19

RNA - Muslim women’s in Belarus are now banned from having any photos on ID cards showing them with the headscarf, World Bulletin reported.

In the capital city of Minsk, the Religious and National Interfaith Commissioner Council that is tied to the government in their annual general meeting came to some agreements. Amongst these was the decision that will affect Muslim women whereby the headscarf will be banned in all official photos.

Dmitry Levchenko, the President of the Domestic Residency Department said that no photographs of scarves or hats will be accepted on identification cards or passports. Levchenko also pointed that in 2008 a decision was made that photographs of women with their headscarves will no longer be accepted on passports.

The Mufti of Belarus Ali Varanovich who participated in the meeting stated that Muslim women must wear their headscarf and that this was something that all sects within the Islamic community agreed upon, that this issue of photographs would be a serious issue that cannot be resolved any other way and that this ban will effectively  give way to distrust between the Muslim community and the government.

This view was not supported by other members in the council. Council President Leonid Gulyako confirmed that they will comply with the decision of the Residency Department.

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