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Controversial transportation legislation is worrying some Missouri Muslims

April 14, 2004
By: Rachel Schaff
State Capital Bureau

For many, the hassle of getting a drivers' license ends after waiting in line at the DMV.

However, for some, the issue could turn into a conflict between public safety and freedom of religion.

Rachel Schaff tells us why some controversial transportation legislation is worrying some Missouri Muslims.

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Nabila Khaleel is a Muslim woman who lives in Columbia, Missouri.

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Contents: I have a drivers' license, I got it when I was sixteen. I'm twenty right now. So my driver's license is my photo with my hijab or veil on.

Four years ago, Khaleel was able to get a Missouri drivers' license without any problems.

In the future, though, Missouri Musims might be roadblocked by legislation that prohibits licenses with obscured or veiled photographs.

Before the Missouri legislature are multiple bills and amendments to require drivers' licenses to have full - face photos.

Representative Joe Smith, a co - sponsor of one of the bills, says the legislation is a reaction to homeland security concerns.

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Contents: After September eleventh, the world has changed. You need to have a picture on the IDs.

Smith also says the post nine-eleven changes affect Missouri just as much as the rest of the country.

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Contents: A lot of people say we have plenty of time, we're in the Midweset. I'm on homeland security and veteran's affairs, I meet with a lot of people regarding these issues. And the typical answer is, we live in Missouri. It's the center of the United States, we have nothing to worry about. And that is a bad attitude.

Agreeing with the St. Louis representative, Captain Chris Ricks of the Missouri State Highway Patrol says drivers' licenses without full-face pictures are not as useful when it comes to protecting Missourians.

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Contents: Any date of birth is shared by thousands of people in the state of Missouri. Height is shared by thousands of people. Weight is shared by thousands of people. Individuals from certain races will share the exact same eye color and the exact same hair color.

Some Muslims in Columbia are concerned that these restrictions could infringe on their right to freely practice their religion.

Abdul Syed takes his relgion very seriously, and thinks lawmakers should do the same.

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Contents: It is kind of disappointing that they would be doing a bill like this and trying to tell people that are pretty strict in their beliefs that they have to show their face. And I kind of disagree with that.

Syed's opinion resonates with Saba Ikram, a Muslim student at Rock Bridge High School in Columbi.

Ikram wears a hijab, or veil, every day.

She says the decision to wear veils is rooted in Islam's heavy emphasis on modesty.

However, she says covering the entire face or just the hair is a very personal decision for each Muslim woman.

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Contents: Okay, Islamically you are required usualy to cover your hair. Some women prefer to do the veil as well over their face. But usually, standard, women will cover their hair. It's just that some women feel a little more comfortable if they cover their face as well, with the veil.

Religious concerns are not being ignored by the legislature.

Senator Jon Dolan, the chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, says he understands that the policy could conflict with some religious beliefs.

In response, Dolan included a religious exemption when the matter was amended onto a transportation bill.

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Contents: Certain Mennonites or Amish people are allowed to come down and in a discreet environment have their photo taken, held only by the state and not on the drivers' license.

Ikram says, as long as a female photographer takes the pictures, Dolan's exemption could be an alternate route that Muslim women could take to get their licenses.

From the state capital, I'm Rachel Schaff.