Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Jewel · 06-06-2003, 11:48 AM

Muslim Woman Must Drop Veil for Florida License

Quote:

MIAMI (Reuters) - A Muslim woman who cited religious reasons in refusing to remove her veil for a driver's license photo must show her face for the camera if she wants her license reinstated, a Florida judge ruled on Friday.

In a case that pitted claims of religious freedom against security concerns, Circuit Judge Janet Thorpe ruled that Florida has a compelling interest in identifying drivers during traffic stops and that photo images are essential to promote that interest.

Autonemesis · 06-06-2003, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Cathy Kopasek
How and why was this law suit allowed to be disputed in a court of law?

The First Amendment from the Bill of Rights forbids Congress (and through the 14th amendment, the states) from passing any laws "...abridging... the right of the people ... to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

What kind of justice would be obtained if any case could be arbitrarily tossed out before any court hears it, just because a court clerk thinks it's silly?

Toto · 06-14-2003, 10:00 AM

The wrap up:

Islam and the Unveiled Photograph

Quote:

. . .

But what still puzzled Khaled Abou El Fadl, a professor of Islamic law at the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law who had been a witness for the government, was why it had been so difficult to get any other Muslims to admit that the government had a plausible case.

Although the evidence wasn't permitted in court, the woman, Sultaana Freeman, was convicted of aggravated battery in Illinois, The Chicago Tribune reported, in the beating of her twin 3-year-old foster children. According to police reports, child welfare workers said she invoked religious modesty to hinder investigators from looking under the children's Muslim garb, where one daughter had a broken arm, and both were covered with bruises. The mother's mug shot was taken without a veil. At any rate, even religious pilgrims to Mecca have to have uncovered faces in their passport photographs.

So why, Mr. Fadl asked, was this case given such widespread support in the Muslim communities? And why was his cross-examination so "bizarre," he wondered, as it had focused solely on whether he was sufficiently orthodox in his own religious beliefs. What the American Muslim culture seemed to be demanding, as he described it, was absolute loyalty to an extreme position.

Nocturn · 06-14-2003, 05:57 PM

couldn't she just take a bus, isn't the government funding public transportation for a reason?

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06-14-2003, 05:57 PM	#24
Nocturn Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Austin and Loving it. Posts: 14	couldn't she just take a bus, isn't the government funding public transportation for a reason?

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