(BALTIMORE, MD, 2/1/2022) – The Maryland office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed steps taken by the Maryland Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) to reaffirm and protect the religious rights of customers who wear articles of faith for photo ID’s, including drivers’ licenses.
Recently, CAIR held a cultural competency training on Islam and Muslims for top level officials and trainers in the administration’s Office of Civil Rights and Fair Practices for the purposes of educating front-facing employees who work with the public. The session focused on challenges American Muslims face in exercising religious freedom, and what the law says about the rights of Muslim women who wear hijab, or Islamic headscarf.
The administration has also shared other pending steps they are taking including updating the MVA website with graphics, including of visibly Muslim women, affirming that articles of faith that do not cover the face do not need to be removed during photos for identification cards including drivers’ licenses.
These and other measures are being implemented after CAIR received a complaint from a resident in Howard County, Md., who reported she’d been 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 last year of a similar experience by a community member at the Anne Arundel County branch.
“We thank EEO Director Hargrove and the MVA’s Office of Civil Rights and Fair Practices staff for their partnership with us to protect our community’s rights,” said CAIR’s Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry. “The steps they’re taking demonstrate a commitment to defending religious freedom and preventing these kinds of incidents from happening in the future.”
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 THE 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’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR Office in Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry, [email protected], 410-971-6062