Alabama Driver's Photo Rule Overturned

Though news stemming from Europe about the hijab (head scarf) may be gloomy, there is light radiating from an unlikely place: Alabama.



Soon after France proposed its Hijab ban, news came out that two Alabama women were not allowed to renew their driver's licenses because they refused to take off their religiously-mandated hijab. But in January, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, a Washington-based civil rights and advocacy group, called for a review, and on Feb. 20, the Department of Public Saftey changed its recently adopted policy to permit the hijab. The policy is now expanded to include all head coverings or headgear that are worn due to certain religious beliefs and medical conditions.



The policy change is great news, but it didn't come easy. Hundreds of concerned Muslims called in from all around the country to protest the policy. Members of other faiths also protested the policy, saying it was an infringement on their religious right to freely practice their faith.



The policy change really speaks of an adherence to the fundemental values of religious freedom based on the First Amendment in this country. The hope is that the adamence of adhering to this value is never compromised, even under stressful or strenuous circumstances