Decision to modify discriminatory driver’s license photo policy is applauded
Feb. 1, 2004
MONTGOMERY — Today the Department of Public Safety announced the adoption of a new policy that allows the citizens of Alabama to wear religious head coverings or head coverings resulting from illness in their driver’s license photographs.
The old policy, which provided that no head coverings of any kind could be worn in a driver’s license photograph, made no exception for religious garb like the head scarves (known as hijab) worn by many Muslim women, turbans worn by practitioners of the Sikh faith, and Catholic nuns who wear habits, even though none of these articles of clothing obscure facial features. The policy violated the Religious Freedom Amendment to the Alabama Constitution, which mandates that government may only restrict religious expression when it has a compelling reason to do so, which was absent in this instance.
Ensuring that the driver’s license photograph is an accurate representation of the individual photographed is a legitimate goal. In this instance, that goal can be achieved without resorting to discrimination against members of any religious group. We are pleased that DPS has adopted a revised policy that complies with state and federal law and is mindful of every citizen’s constitutional right to freely exercise his or her religion.
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