Muslim woman who was erroneously told to remove her headscarf for a driver’s license photo will be allowed to retake her photo with the head covering on.
Dina Rabie said she was told to remove her hijab, a Moslem religious head covering, when she went to get a California license at the Oceanside Department of Motor Vehicles in February. She said a DMV employee told her she had to take of her headscarf for her driver’s license photograph because “it was the rules.”
“It’s a religious thing for Muslim women. You have to wear it,” said Rabie. “It’s more than covering your hair.”
Rabie had just moved to San Diego from New Jersey. Her New Jersey driver’s license photo shows her wearing the hijab.
"(The DMV employee) said, ‘This is not New Jersey or New York. This is California,’” she said.
Although she was shocked and embarrassed, she complied and took the picture. She said she was in tears when she walked outside to meet up with her mother and brother.
“Everybody was looking at me, and I was very embarrassed actually,” she said. “I have my New Jersey driver’s license. I have my green card. I never had a problem with that, and I never had to take off my scarf in public.”
Now, with the help of the San Diego chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, she wants her message public and doesn’t want anybody to go through her situation regardless of their religion.
“I just don’t want to see anybody in my situation,” said Rabie. “Everybody was looking at me like I’m from a different planet or something.”
The DMV said it regretted the incident and Rabie will be allowed to retake the photo with her head covering. In a written statement, the DMV said, “This isolated incident is a very unfortunate misunderstanding/communication between the customer and the employee who was taking the photo. It is a long standing policy that customers may keep their head coverings on if they are needed for religious reasons. The only stipulation is that the face has to be totally visible (eyes, nose, mouth) with no shadows.”
The DMV also said the field office manager has reviewed the policy with the employee and steps have been taken to stop misunderstandings in the future. The DMV field office manager also apologized to Rabie and arranged for her to come in next Monday to retake the photo.
The DMV said it will also hold a refresher course on its religious head coverings policy at field offices around the state next Wednesday.