(BALTIMORE, MD, 12/16/2021) – The Maryland office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, America’s leading Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, is calling on the Maryland Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) Motor Vehicle Association (MVA) to update public notices informing customers of their rights to wear religious head coverings in photo ID’s and drivers’ licenses, and to offer vetted diversity training to all of its employees in its branches across Maryland.
The call comes after CAIR received a complaint from a resident of Howard County, Maryland who reports she was instructed by a MVA employee to remove her scarf, that she wears due to her sincerely held religious beliefs, before she could proceed to take her photo for her drivers’ license. The community member told CAIR that she was eventually allowed to retake her photo with her hijab. CAIR learned earlier this year of a similar experience by a community member at the Anne Arundel County branch as well.
“No one should be denied the right to wear articles of faith including hijabs, skullcaps, turbans, kippahs and yarmulkes in photo ID’s,” said CAIR’s Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry. “Maryland has a religious accommodation policy that prevents Muslim women who wear hijab from being told they must remove their hijab in these situations. Our goal and priority is to make sure these kind of avoidable incidents do not occur again.”
In a letter last month to Administrator Christine Nizer, CAIR formally requested:
1) The MVA ensure its staff are properly and periodically trained on religious accommodation rights especially when taking a photo for state identification
2) The MVA to post easy to read public notices within eyesight of where photos are taken at the MVA to remind staff and Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, and other citizens of faith, of their right to wear hijab, kufis, turbans, kippah, or other religious head garments
READ LETTER: https://www.cair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/MVALetter.pdf
CAIR noted that Title VII prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin. The currently displayed public notice provided to CAIR by the MVA only references race, color, national origin, sex, age, low-income status, and disability, with no mention of religion.
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR Office in Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry, zchaudry@cair.com, 410-971-6062