by Randy Bennett
For the first time in decades, women and men of recognised religious groups in Barbados will be allowed to wear head coverings when taking photographs for Government documents.
During a press conference at his ministry’s headquarters this morning, Minister of Home Affairs Wilfred Abrahams said it was now lawful for Muslims, members of the Rastafarian community and other religious denominations which cover their heads as part of their religious practices, to do so when taking passport, national ID and driver’s licence photos.
Describing the old legislation which prevented the wearing of head coverings for such photographs as “discriminatory”, Abrahams said Government had listened to the cries of religious groups who were being affected.
He said they had also looked at other countries around the world, such as the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica, that allowed such photographs to be taken.
“Over the last 10 to 12 years, both the Muslim Association and ICAR [Ichirouganaim Council for the Advancement of Rastafari] have been, at different times and with different persons, pressing the issue that they considered was unfair to them – that it was disrespectful to their religious beliefs to force members of their religion to expose themselves in a way that their religion does not contemplate,” Abrahams explained.
“I am pleased to advise that effective last week Thursday, the Cabinet of Barbados approved the wearing of head coverings for religiously mandated purposes. Now understand that the standard is that you must not cover your head; that is the general standard and the general rule in Barbados.
“However, if you are a member of a recognised religion in Barbados and your religion mandates that you cover your head or cover your ears, then you are free to take your passport once you provide proof to the Chief Immigration Officer that you are a member of the religious organisation and that it does have these rules in place. Cabinet has approved this across the board so this will be in relation to all official photographs,” he added.
Abrahams said the change was not a “small issue”.
He maintained that while it affected a minority of Barbadians, it was a huge step in ending discrimination and stigma.
“It may seem like a small thing to us that we have changed one thing, but for a Muslim woman or a Rastafarian woman who has to suffer the indignity of having your religious beliefs sidelined or ignored or not treated as valid, it is a major, major thing,” he pointed out.
“This is a momentous occasion for us. It is the first time, I believe, in history that any Government has made such a practical, democratic decision that affects the rights of citizens of different religious faiths.”
Chairperson of ICAR Asheba Trotman thanked the Government for acknowledging the community as “a spiritual and cultural people”.
She said Rastafarian women especially, had gone through humiliating experiences of having to take off their headcovers in public.
Trotman, however, spoke of being forced to remove her head wrap while coming through the airport and asked Minister Abrahams to look into the matter.
Sakina Bakharia, President of the Association of Muslim Ladies, also lauded the Government for the move.
She said she had not renewed her Barbados passport in several years because she was not allowed to take a photo with her hijab on.
“It is a stepping stone; it is wholeheartedly appreciated by our entire community and we hope that this opens doors for us in terms of other issues of discrimination,” Bakharia said.
Also present was Secretary of the Barbados Muslim Association Suleiman Bulbulia, who said he had written to Government on the matter more than two decades ago.
“As you rightfully said, this goes back many years. When I went back to my file I found that we had a letter from 1996 requesting of the Government of Barbados then to allow for Muslim ladies to cover their hair for photographic purposes,” he recalled.
randybennett@barbadostoday.bb
