The Hijab Is Not Wanted In Passport Photos

World News Rudolph Rodriquez
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A Swiss politician mentioned that it should not be allowed for women to wear the hijab in their passport photographs.

A member of the populist Swiss People’s Party, Walter Wobmann, declared that it is unfair that headscarves are allowed in photos for the passport while other things for hair such as hair caps or bands are not.

Wobmann, who made campaigns against minarets and the wear of burka in the past in Switzerland, is claiming that the policy is an act of ‘unequal treatment’, says Blick, the Swiss daily newspaper.

‘It is unacceptable that you can wear a hijab in a photo but not a cap. This is not a question of religious freedom but of equal treatment,’ Mr. Wobmann said,

The guidelines for identity cards and passport photos in Switzerland, backed up by the Swiss federal police (FedPol), say that the headscarves are allowed in a passport and driving license pictures because of faith, only if the face is easy to identify.

The rules are stating that ‘Head coverings are in principle unacceptable […] exceptions are only made for medical or religious reasons. In those cases the face must be visible […] and there should not be shadows on the face.”

When he was asked whether he had intentions to campaign for the ban of headscarves in passport pictures, Mr. Wobmann replied that he is waiting for an answer from the Federal Council before he decides on further steps.

In the United Kingdom, it is allowed to cover your head in passports and identity cards if it is for a religious purpose. The same thing applies in the US, where an additional letter is needed, which states that the person is doing so for religious purposes.