Judge Allows Muslim Woman's Veiled License Challenge
Case Pits Civil Liberties Against Post-Sept. 11 Security
POSTED: Thursday, June 27, 2002
UPDATED: 9:39 am EDT July 1,
2002
ORLANDO, Fla. -- An Orange County, Fla., circuit judge ruled Thursday that a Muslim woman can pursue her legal fight to wear a veil for a driver's license photo, despite objections from the state that it jeopardizes public safety, according to Local 6 News. 
Sultaana Freeman, 34, is a former evangelist preacher who converted to Islam about five years ago.Her husband, Abdul-Maalik Freeman, appeared in Orange County Court Thursday to speak on her behalf. He promised not to compromise the couple's religious beliefs for a driver's license, according to Local 6 News."Taking her veil off is like taking her shirt or pants off," Abdul-Maalik Freeman said.Sultaana Freeman was allowed to wear her niqab, which only reveals her eyes, to obtain her original Florida driver's license. However, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles discovered her veiled face in a post-Sept. 11 check of its driver's licenses database.When officials requested that Freeman take a driver's license photo without the veil, she refused. She said her religious beliefs dictated that she should not show her face to strangers or men outside her family. She also said that her constitutional rights have been violated."I don't show my face to strangers or unrelated males," Freeman said.Freeman's lawyer, Howard Marks, said that the cancellation of her license violated her religious freedom, right to privacy and freedom of speech, according to a report.Marks, who is backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, said that the law concerning this case is vague and that the state acted too hastily when it canceled Freeman's license, according to a Local 6 News report.Freeman's case has been divided into two civil suits but both seek the reinstatement of her license using the photo with the veil.Orange County Circuit Judge Ted Coleman ruled not to dismiss the case, according to Local 6 News. The next step will reportedly be a fact-finding process to determine whether the case can go to trial.The state must prove there is a safety concern while Marks must prove that Freeman's religious and privacy rights are being violated, Local 6 News reported.Florida law states that license applicants be issued "a color photographic or digital imaged driver's license bearing a full-face photograph."Robert Sanchez, a spokesman for the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, said earlier this year that his agency had no choice but to enforce that law.At least three other Muslim women have been refused Florida driver's licenses because of their veils, said Altaf Ali, executive director of the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Sultaana Freeman, 34, is a former evangelist preacher who converted to Islam about five years ago.Her husband, Abdul-Maalik Freeman, appeared in Orange County Court Thursday to speak on her behalf. He promised not to compromise the couple's religious beliefs for a driver's license, according to Local 6 News."Taking her veil off is like taking her shirt or pants off," Abdul-Maalik Freeman said.Sultaana Freeman was allowed to wear her niqab, which only reveals her eyes, to obtain her original Florida driver's license. However, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles discovered her veiled face in a post-Sept. 11 check of its driver's licenses database.When officials requested that Freeman take a driver's license photo without the veil, she refused. She said her religious beliefs dictated that she should not show her face to strangers or men outside her family. She also said that her constitutional rights have been violated."I don't show my face to strangers or unrelated males," Freeman said.Freeman's lawyer, Howard Marks, said that the cancellation of her license violated her religious freedom, right to privacy and freedom of speech, according to a report.Marks, who is backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, said that the law concerning this case is vague and that the state acted too hastily when it canceled Freeman's license, according to a Local 6 News report.Freeman's case has been divided into two civil suits but both seek the reinstatement of her license using the photo with the veil.Orange County Circuit Judge Ted Coleman ruled not to dismiss the case, according to Local 6 News. The next step will reportedly be a fact-finding process to determine whether the case can go to trial.The state must prove there is a safety concern while Marks must prove that Freeman's religious and privacy rights are being violated, Local 6 News reported.Florida law states that license applicants be issued "a color photographic or digital imaged driver's license bearing a full-face photograph."Robert Sanchez, a spokesman for the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, said earlier this year that his agency had no choice but to enforce that law.At least three other Muslim women have been refused Florida driver's licenses because of their veils, said Altaf Ali, executive director of the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Previous Stories:
- June 27, 2002: Muslim Woman Sues Over Driver's License Photo
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