#BTColumn – A decision long overdue

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by this author are their own and do not represent the official position of the Barbados Today.

by Suleiman Bulbulia

“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. So this is a momentous thing for us.”

The words of Minister of Home Affairs, Information and Public Affairs, Wilfred Abrahams as he spoke at the media briefing last Friday to announce Government’s decision to amend the policy for official photographs to allow for head coverings for religious reasons.

Minister Abrahams couldn’t have said it better. For those who don’t fully understand the significance of this allowance you should speak to a woman who chooses to cover her hair in compliance with her faith teachings and get a sense of how truly ecstatic she is now.

You will also understand from her the mental anguish, emotional distress and anxiety of having to remove her headdress to stand for a photograph and to have that photograph paraded before several persons in order to achieve official documents.

It is not surprising that some women chose not to have a passport or driver’s licence so as not to suffer that indignity. I recall several calls from anxious Muslims who wanted to get their passports or national identification cards and were pleading what could be done to avoid having to take off their headdress.

For years Muslims and I know the Rastafarians as well have been reaching out and crying out to successive Governments to implement a policy that allows for the head-covering for religious reasons.

My records go back as far as 1996 when a letter was written by the late Dr. Mohammed Nagdee (former President of Jama Mosque) and co-signed by two others on behalf of the Muslim community requesting the same of the Government then.

A few years ago this matter came to national attention when a media organization reported that a Muslim female had threatened to sue the Government over this issue. We were not aware of this intended lawsuit nor who the lady was but it suggested to us that Muslim women were prepared to stand up for what they saw as their rights.

It did propel Muslims and Rastafarians to meet and discuss working together on this issue. And just prior to the General Elections of 2018 it was put forward that this was one of the issues the Muslim community would like a new administration to address. Unfortunately that sparked a robust discussion on social media

with many negative comments and misrepresentation of what Muslims were asking for. Sadly, some persons still hold on to such misinformed opinions today as witnessed by some of the comments that have accompanied the news reports on the allowances granted.

One glaring misrepresentation is that Muslim women want photographs with their faces covered. Other misplaced comments include affecting national security by granting such allowances. I have in the past addressed that and other similar false notions.

Essentially what Muslims, Rastafarians and by extension other faith groups were asking for and were granted is nothing more than what is acceptable under international standards and have been that way for many years.

The allowance to wear a head covering that covers the hair and ears (for some) due to religious reasons.  Our request was not unreasonable in view of what our research found was acceptable in several jurisdictions across the world. We were simply asking for reasonable accommodation.

Minister Abrahams, the Cabinet and the Government of Barbados must truly be commended for finally making the bold move to enact such policies that safeguard the rights of those who wanted to adhere to their religious beliefs and practices. As Minister Abrahams pointed out that upon assumption of the Home Affairs Ministry he was given the request to look at the issue and immediately set about the task of addressing it. And upon his review he could not understand why it took this length of time to make such a decision which was in keeping with internationally acceptable standards.

And what has impressed me even more is that while we have all along been focusing on females and their head coverings Minister Abrahams has ensured that the policy is gender neutral. This means that if a man for religious reasons wears a head covering then he should be able to continue to do so for official photographs.

Immediately my mind goes to Sikhs, not that we have here that I am aware of but such a policy would allow their men who generally would wear a turban. Or perhaps an orthodox Jewish man wearing a skullcap known in Hebrew as a kippah or in Yiddish as a yarmulke.

This makes absolute sense and allows the further reinforcement of the reality that Barbados is a place of multi-faith acceptance and accommodation. It certainly helps as we navigate this COVID-19 pandemic and look at attracting new markets and persons to our shores through various experiences and initiatives like the Welcome Stamp programme.

It has been a long journey in reaching our destination. As I listened to the Rastafarian sisters who spoke at the media conference I could sense from them a feeling of relief of finally arriving at a place they wanted to be for so long. And the same was for the Muslim sisters.

Minister Abrahams did right by them and by the many women who will now feel at ease and without fear in going to get their official photographs.

Over the 20+ years it was a daunting task with no successful end in sight but it was a struggle worth fighting and standing up for.

I agree with him when he said: “It is the first time I believe in history that any Government has made such a practical, democratic decision that affects the rights and citizens of different religious faiths.”

Thank you Minister Abrahams and thanks to all those who were involved in bringing this to a successful conclusion. The Muslim community of Barbados is extremely appreciative.

Suleiman Bulbulia is a Justice of the Peace; Secretary of the Barbados Muslim Association; Muslim Chaplain at the U.W.I, Cave Hill Campus and Chair, Barbados Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition. Email: suleimanbulbulia@hotmail.com