Algerian passport photo changes trouble Islamic groups
2010-04-13
Islamic groups are protesting new documents which require women to remove their hijabs for official passport photographs.
By Fidet Mansour for Magharebia in Algiers – 13/04/10
 [Fidet Mansour] Algeria is phasing in new biometric passports in addition to the old ones, pictured – and new requirements for passport pictures. |
Any woman seeking a new biometric passport in Algeria must remove her hijab for the official photograph, Algeria's interior ministry confirmed last week.
"The government will not back down on its decision; veiled women are expected to observe this law," Interior Minister Noureddine Yazid Zerhouni announced at a press conference on Thursday (April 8th).
"Any woman who does not submit to the rules imposed by the International Aviation Organisation must take full responsibility for her actions when she travels."
Algeria introduced the new biometric passports, designed to heighten security and close the security loopholes of traditional passports, on April 6th.
Islamic groups are mobilising protests against the requirement. Four groups – the Council of Algerian Ulemas, Al-Nahda, the Society Movement of Peace (MSP) and El Islah – gathered in Algiers on April 7th to plan protest activities.
"This campaign will rely on the support of political figures and associations and religious leaders to distance itself from the interior ministry's stance and repeal the law," said Al-Nahda general-secretary Fateh Rebaié.
"We're calling on the government to respect the Muslim religion, the appeal of 1 November and the Constitution, which clearly stipulates that Islam is the state religion," said MSP president Bouguerra Soltani. He expressed "surprise" at statements "from certain officials on the subject of the need to remove one's veil or shave off one's beard in order to obtain biometric passports and identity cards".
El Islah leaders released a statement the same day denouncing the minister's attitude, saying that he had tried "to defend the indefensible". The statement called on the Religious Affairs minister to "defend the Muslim woman's Khimar (headscarf) rather than putting down all those who are devoted to their religion".
Religious Affairs Minister Bouabdellah Ghlamallah stood behind the government ruling.
"If the law obliges a woman to have a photograph taken in which her features must be visible for the biometric passport, then she must comply," he told journalists at an April 4th press conference. "But the law gives her the choice, and so she's free to decide for herself."
Women must respect the law "or go without a passport," Ghlamallah said.
Religious affairs ministry advisor Adda Fellahi said that his department had nothing to do with the ruling and is not in a position to "contradict a state institution".
"Veiled women can seek advice from muftis or imams on the issue in a personal manner," he said, adding: "Algeria is obliged to comply with international security standards, which require the top of the head, chin and ears to be clearly visible."
The Islamic High Council has abstained from the debate. Chairman Cheikh Bouamrane said it is not the institution's place to weigh in on a purely administrative matter which, furthermore, was imposed by international rules.
The new regulation does not represent the government's position on religion, Interior Minister Zerhouni said.
"The aim of the authorities is not to ban people from wearing the hijab – far from it," Interior Minister Zerhouni said on April 6th. "We are a Muslim country, but any woman who wears the veil will be asked to allow herself to be photographed without it so that the photo will meet international standard requirements."
Female photographers will be available in every daira to photograph women who wear the veil, Zerhouni said.
Magharebia visited the biometric passport department at the Daira of Hussein Dey in Algiers on April 6th and found that the majority of women do not take issue with removing their veils for official documents.
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britncanada Posted 2010-04-13
Yes the veil must be removed..and beards shaven for a passport...if you dont like it...then....don,t get a passport...very simple...
kamel benceradj II Posted 2010-04-13
“[T]he majority of women do not take issue with removing their veils for official documents.” In fact, the shady politicians are the ones who are trying to make it look like they are the destroyers of evil. I tell you, the politicians, directly that you are the evil, the shame of the country and of Muslim confession because you are sterile, your intellectual production is zero and you are just parrots. As for you, Mr Bouguerra, are you not proud enough for having urged thousands of young people to take up arms against the state? Several hundred of them died thanks to your enlightened opinions, only to have you exchange your beard and gandoura for a suit and tie to play puppet to the republic as a minister. It would be more honourable for you to retire from political life, devote yourself fully to your spiritual life and work on asking pardon from all the families who lost close ones – either terrorists or security agents – because of you. I recognise in you a certain genius of propaganda like that of a Mr Goebbels.
zaki Posted 2010-04-14
Ou là là! We Algerians love controversy over nothing. No one – absolutely no one – in Algeria’s streets is talking about this. It is completely normal to show your face for a biometric passport. Moreover, in no case did Zerhouni say that it was necessary to take the veil off. On the contrary, he told religious women to keep their veil on but arrange it in a way that your facial features are visible. As for bearded men, they represent only a minority in Algeria. So, they need to follow the law. As for the women wearing a full veil, first of all, that never had anything to do with Islam and, second of all, they are rare in Algeria. It is absurd to have a photo that shows something black and unidentifiable.
Saharya Posted 2010-04-14
I am sorry, but everyone doesn’t respect Maghreb people. For example, I have been trying for two minutes to register with an Arab site. I found almost all countries except Tunisia. I would like to know why? I am a Tunisian woman and I adore the Maghreb from Libya to Morocco!
kadri Posted 2010-04-14
It is a shame to degrade ourselves like this in the name of respecting international regulations imposed upon us by the US. Of course, Albania permits its citizens to be photographed with the veil. Meanwhile, they do not even allow us to have a small flowe. The minister of religious affairs has proven his cowardice by renouncing his defence of Islam. Where is your honour? Where is your religion? How far will your go, gentlemen? How base and how dishonourable will you be? Where are the Algerians who are proud of their religion and their roots, without the slightest reservations? Enemies of Islam, may you be damned!
Ammaar ibn Walid Posted 2010-04-15
It seems Algeria is following France's footsteps, or even its neighbor Tunisia's footsteps. How sad...
hanafi Posted 2010-04-20
Peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you. Oh Muslims, if you have pride and are concerned about your religion and country, and support Islam, I speak out in all sites, especially in Algeria, I will write flyers and stick them everywhere, we reject this law that forces us to put a picture on the passport and identity card without hijab. We refuse to show the ear, remove, trim down or touch a single hair of the beard. This offends our honour and personality! Where is the Algerian popular democracy? We refuse dictates from America, France or any other country, especially infidels who follow foreign decrees. They are all the enemies of God and the Messenger. Is Islam mandatory or voluntary? Will women in America and Europe uncover their ears in the photo of the biometric passport? Time will show that those who oppose hijab and bearded men oppose Islam and Muslims. This is not for the technological development to benefit the whole world - do something for Islam! Don’t be passive. God loves the strong Muslim more than the weak Muslim. The “Biometric” Algerian Islam?! The biometric is an American who invades the world, especially Algeria and Algerian Muslims. It offends their honour, religion and national laws. Technology is at the service of the Algerian and his development. We should not be dependent on others and globalisation. Oh Lord, thwart those who thwarted Islam and Muslims and don’t want their good in life! Oh Lord thwart those who thwarted Islam, fought Hijab and the beard especially the minister of the interior and those who are with him!
س Posted 2010-04-25
Peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you. Anyone who observes the situation in Algeria these days will notice braying and wailing in order to satisfy a foreign country. But whenever the Algerian feels some stability, some people come to spoil his life. Some officials in dear Algeria are happy only when Algeria is immersed in blood. Or how else can we describe laws issued by the Ministry of the Interior about passports in Algeria?
abouraouf Posted 2010-04-28
Removing the veil for a short time in order to take a picture by women who were appointed specifically for that purpose in the districts of the republic. By the way, I am very astonished at this idea, as if the prohibited is associated with time, not the act; as if you are committing adultery for a minute or one hour. Which is more important, the time or act? As far as I'm concerned, if this is the way of things, I’d rather commit adultery than take a picture, because committing adultery is for a determined period and you might repent and God will forgive you. But the picture will be uncovered until the end of the world! What do you think?
احمد عيسى Posted 2010-05-04
Salam. Every society has its special features. We are a Muslim society; our religion is Islam. Islam banned removing the veil or beard. This issue is contrary to democracy because in a democracy, every person is free to remove or keep the beard for men. Wearing the veil is also the right of every woman; she can wear or remove it. As President Abdelaziz said, if you wish, my lady, you can wear the veil or not. Every goat will be judged on its own. Anyone who carries out a good act will be rewarded for it and for everyone who does it. Anyone who carries out a bad act will be punished for it and will bear the sins of everyone who does it, to the Day of Judgment. Finally, let there be freedom for citizens. Enough interference in personal freedoms. Let's boost the economy of the country, society and restore the dignity of the country which was wasted by some brokers. Return to origins is virtue.
mohamed algerie Posted 2010-05-12
Those people who protest against laws prohibiting veils and beards in passport photos have strangely not reacted to the installation of scanners that ‘unveil’ the entire human body. Altogether, it boils down to: "Cover up that bosom, which I can't Endure to look at." Oh, these Tartuffian hypocrites! They hide their ears and hair, but when they pass through the scanners at Roissy or Brussels their entire anatomy is laid bare. What should be done? Decidedly, these people still are stuck on anything to do with sex. Take a walk in Algeria’s big cities and you will notice that the stores selling women’s undergarments are all owned by bearded men.
Mohamed Nail Algerie Posted 2010-05-28
Stop making a controversy out of something so little. Shaving your beard for a photo or taking of your veil for the same reason is not going to make you a bad Muslim. And, do not say that this is about copying the USA’s or France’s policies. And this goes all the more so for those who preach hatred and discord like the Hanafis do. Our imam, God Bless him, does not have a beard, and not having a beard does not make you an infidel in the mosque. Only your faith and practice of Islam in your everyday life will bear witness before God of your respect for the Muslim religion. I need a passport to travel. I indeed respect the state decisions. And, as for this Abouraouf, who compared two different things, I think that he does not know to distinguish great sins from insignificant things. Go study your Islam, brother, because what you have said is unforgivable and unacceptable. This is a photo in the passport, not a photo to be published in the newspapers. You alone will be using this photo.
نبيلة Posted 2010-05-29
I agree with you, brother Zaki. There is no problem at all. The Ministry of the Interior implemented this law for peace, reducing terrorist acts, and not to harm religion. We are a Muslim country to the core. There is no doubt about this. The problem, guys, is with scanners which detect the body. Its objective is to distort the Muslim and damage the Islamic religion. So where is the stance of authorities to stop this farce?
مازن Posted 2010-06-12
I don't know why we Muslims simply yield to the conditions of the West and infidels. We implement what is required of us in the best way. Where is our independent Islamic personality? For example, is the photo on the passport of the spouse of the Turkish president Erdogan and the spouse of the president of the Turkish republic without a veil? Fear God, Arabs! Why has the Islam of the Turks become stronger than our Islam, that of we Arabs?
Didi Posted 10 days ago
It might be interesting for the people who believe that this regulation is somehow being imposed by the United States to know that in the US a person may be photographed for identification purposes wearing a hijab as long as the face is visible from the eyes to the chin. This has been affirmed by multiple court decisions based on the freedom to practice one's religion without government interference, which is the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights.
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