23 September 2016

Swiss politician argues against hijab in ID photos

Should the Islamic headscarf be banned in photographs for official Swiss documents? One politician is suggesting so.

At the moment a person may wear a headscarf in an official photograph – for example for a passport or driving licence – for reasons of faith, as long as the face is identifiable.

However headbands and baseball caps are forbidden.

The official guidelines for passport and identity card photos set out by Swiss federal police (FedPol) say “headcoverings are in principle unacceptable... exceptions are only made for medical or religious reasons.

"In those cases the face must be visible... and there should not be shadows on the face”.

Walter Wobmann of the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) thinks that’s unfair, reported Blick on Thursday. [The Local] Read more