Bulgarian Mufti Demands Veiling Muslim Women for ID Photos

Society | June 29, 2010, Tuesday // 15:53
Bulgaria: Bulgarian Mufti Demands Veiling Muslim Women for ID Photos The Mufti from the Bulgarian city of Smolyan said that Muslim women call the Regional Mufti Office every day to ask whether they have broken the religious law when taking photos for the new biometric data. Photo by BGNES

The Mufti Office from the Bulgarian city of Smolyan has demanded that the regional police department allow Muslim women to take their new passport pictures with headscarves on. 

The Regional Mufti Nedzhmi Dabov has announced that the requirements for the pictures with biometric data are in conflict with the Islamic canon that the Muslim woman should not display other parts of her body except her face and her hands up to her wrists.

The director of the police department in Smolyan, Kiril Hadzhihristev, said that the demands of the Muslim spiritual leaders cannot be fulfilled because, according to the rules for issuing identity documents, the picture should display the face, ears, and at least 1 cm of the hair of the person.

Hadzhihristev explained that when photographic veiled women, the headscarves need to be pulled a little so that the required parts are visible.

The Regional Mufti Office in Smolyan said that Muslim women from the regional call the office every day to ask whether they break the religious law when taking pictures for the biometric data,

Representatives of the Mufti Office said they will approach the Parliament with a demand for changing the regulations.

“This is not in conflict with the Bulgarian law and it could be solved. A compromise could be done,” the Smolyan Mufti Nedzhmi Dabov said.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!

Society » Be a reporter: Write and send your article
Tags: mufti, Muslim

Advertisement
Advertisement
Bulgaria news Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) is unique with being a real time news provider in English that informs its readers about the latest Bulgarian news. The editorial staff also publishes a daily online newspaper "Sofia Morning News." Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) and Sofia Morning News publish the latest economic, political and cultural news that take place in Bulgaria. Foreign media analysis on Bulgaria and World News in Brief are also part of the web site and the online newspaper. News Bulgaria