Religious Administration of Muslims of Ukraine - photo for passport

“Many Muslimahs Already Seized the Opportunity to Get Their ID Photo in Their Headscarves” — Mufti Said Ismagilov

admin — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 07:59:12 +0000

23.11.2019

On 22 November, Ministry of Interior of Ukraine held a coordinative meeting where the institution presented renewed requirements for taking ID pictures regulating, in particular,taking ID pictures in religion-motivated headwear not concealing face or it’s contours.

Mufti of RAMU “Umma” Said Ismagilov and Head of Ukrainian Muslimahs League Olha Fryndak were present at the evert. Still, Muslims weren’t the only religious group interested in the cause: representatives of Jewish and Christian communities were there as well.

The State officials presented new amended regulations for taking ID pictures, with visuals of acceptable and unacceptable photoshots. They reminded that the previous coordinative meeting had been held almost exactly a year earlier, on the Dignity Day (Den’ Hidnosty), and said it was symbolic to present the solution one year later.

Deputy Minister of Interior Ms.Tetiana Kovalchuk explained that it took a Government Decree of July-2019 and a Presidential Decree of August-2019 to complete the task.

— Adoption of these two Acts allowed us to unify the requirements for depicting a person for ID purposes. On 18 October this year, a new Decree of the Ministry of Interior “On Requirements for Digitized Photos of Persons Faces Taken for Issuing or Renewal of Documents Identifying a Person or Confirming Their Special Status or Ukrainian Nationality” was adopted. Ukraine is a multi-religion country, so it is very important for the Ministry to have a productive dialogue with every community and implement the best reforms best for all our citizens.

Another Deputy Minister, Mr.Serhii Honcharov stressed that it was a matter of respect for human rights and freedom guaranteed by the Constitution:

— The requirements are clear and acceptable for both the religious communities and us, for we, with respect for their rights, have to have visual means of identifying those persons. Those regulations correspond with ICAO standards, so there will be no conflict between our national and international regulations.

Mufti Said Ismagilov, on behalf of Ukrainian Muslims, thanked everyone involved for their prompt reaction, and told that some Muslimahs already contacted him to happily inform that they were finally able to file for renewal of their expired ID documents. They were overjoyed with the fact.

Noteworthy, a year ago Ministry of Interior and State Migration Service announced at a roundtable their eagerness to develop new regulation of ID photographs, and RAMU “Umma” volunteered to finance grafting the updated State Standard regulating the matter. The Government later adopted the new rules as Ministry of Interior direct order that was drafted using the provisions of that updated State Standard.

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photo in hijab, Ukrainian Muslimahs, photo for passport, ID photo in hijab, ICAO

Muslimahs Are Allowed to Keep Their Headscarves on While Taking ID Pictures Starting 20 November

admin — Sat, 23 Nov 2019 09:27:16 +0000

15.11.2019

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Deputy Minister of Interior Ms.Tetiana Kovalchuk reassured Mufti of Religious Administration of Muslims of Ukraine “Umma” Said Ismagilov that a new Decree of the Ministry of Interior “On Requirements for Digitized Photos of Persons Faces Taken for Issuing or Renewal of Documents Identifying a Person or Confirming Their Special Status or Ukrainian Nationality” is to be carried into effect since 20 November. Thus, the Muslimahs can take their ID photos without having to compromise with their religious views as early as next week.

The state officials have been manipulating the issue for many years: while in some regions having you picture taken with your headscarf on wasn’t an issue, in other places people got refusal after refusal, which made impossible for them to live religious prescription for clothing.

Then the denials became almost universal, with State Migration Service referring to current legislation, in particular to the acts regulating issuing documents. The Ministry of Interior, on their part, referred to some internal regulation of what photoshoots were suitable for IDs, despite the fact that the mentioned document, on its part, referred to a repealed Ministry of Interior Decree and repealed 1994 State Standard for Capturing Black-and-White and Coloured Images for ID Purposes.

Answering numerous applications from Muslim women who could not get their IDs, RAMU “Umma”, Ukrainian Muslimahs League and soma other organisations initiated amendments to the acts or legislation regulating the matter of issuing IDs. It appeared that a new State Standard for Capturing Black-and-White and Coloured Images for ID Purposes had to be drafted and adopted, for which the State had no money. And while there was a simpler solution, namely adopting a Government Decree on implementing the ICAO standards, the State officials insisted on the necessity of drafting a new State Standard for Capturing Black-and-White and Coloured Images for ID Purposes. So RAMU “Umma” managed to raise the necessary funds to kickstart the process, and the work was at its close when the Government suddenly changed their mind and adopted a Decree on specific matters of issuing documents identifying persons or confirming their nationality or their special status.

The Decree No.683-2019 was brought into effect on 6 October 2019, and in it the Government refers to ICAO standards when it comes to the matters of taking photoshots for ID purposes. The act formally removed all the barriers for people wearing headdress due to religious or medical reasons. Yet still the State Migration Service refused to issue documents, illustrated with headscarf-clad photos. Like, the Decree still needed internal explanation documents, and they still needed to get an updated State Standard.

Despite the fact that the new State Standard for Capturing Black-and-White and Coloured Images for ID Purposes was successfully drafted and officially approved, the problem still remained. Twisted schemes of cross liability and complicated bureaucracy seemed to have brought the issue to the stand, once again. Still, the persistence of Ukrainian Muslimahs’ Activists and RAMU “Umma”s) consistent stand (namely Mufti Said Ismagilov personally monitoring the situation) finally took effect.

The Ministry of Interior developed an internal instruction for the State Migration Service, containing detailed specifications on acceptable photos taken for ID purposes. Based on that instruction, a person can have their picture taken with their headdress on if the latter is worn for religious or medical reasons.

After the document’s official publication, the officials will have no further legal reasons to deny issuing documents with headdress-clad photoshots.

Our heartfelt gratitude for Deputy minister Tetiana Kovalchuk, Head of Crimean Tatar Mejlis Refat Chubarov, Ms.Emine Dzhepparova, Mufti of RAMC Ayder Rustamov, and dignitaries of both Grek Catholic and Roman Catholic Churches, and everyone who in any way promoted the salvation of that important issue.

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ID photo in hijab, photo for passport, Ukrainian Muslimahs, passport in hijab, ICAO

No More Bans for ID Photos in Headscarves: New Decree Finally in Effect

admin — Sat, 23 Nov 2019 09:19:18 +0000

20.11.2019

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As of today, we are happy to inform you that the case is finally closed, as the bureaucrats now have no formal reason for refusal. On 19 November, a new Decree of the Ministry of Interior “On Requirements for Digitized Photos of Persons Faces Taken for Issuing or Renewal of Documents Identifying a Person or Confirming Their Special Status or Ukrainian Nationality” is finally in effect.

Paragraph 12 of Chapter II clearly states that a person wearing some headwear in everyday life due to their religious beliefs doesn’t have to take it off for taking a photo for any type of documents: “Taking pictures wearing headwear, cape and other accessories contributing to one’s personal style is not allowed, unless a person is constantly wearing the headdress in everyday life due to their religious beliefs”.

The Decree also allows taking ID pictures in medical bands, as well as with artificial objects on their head, neck, shoulders or torso if they have a medical condition when those bands and objects are a necessity (which is certified by a respective medical institution).

Annex 2 contains visual examples of ID photographs, both acceptable and not acceptable for being on Documents identifying a person or confirming their special status or Ukrainian nationality, where a Muslim headscarf is depicted among other religious headdresses as an example of acceptable ID photo.

At that, Paragraph 7 indicates that “the face must be pictured in a mug shot, with full face and shoulders in frontal position. The person depicted must look straight into the camera, with their eyes open (i.e. the irises and pupils clearly visible), with a neutral expression, mouth closed, head and neck neither bent nor turned. Both sides of the face must be clearly visible, with the face being in focus top to chin, and nose to ears”.

Those provisions is also reflected in Annex 2, where pictures of a woman whose headscarf shadows her face and covers her cheekbones, as well as a woman whose lower face is covered, are marked as unacceptable.

We congratulate our fellow Muslims as well as people of other religious views for whom the demand to remove their headdress is a violation of their freedom to practice their religion and culture!

According to Mufti Said Ismagilov, Ukraine finally not only ratified, but also implemented the international standard, long awaited by many people of different faiths whose religious beliefs demand wearing their headdress in their everyday life:

— Last year, the Ministry of Interior held a round table, where Christians, Jews and Muslims unanimously pleaded for implementing those regulations. On behalf of Ukrainian Muslims, I’d like to thank every state official who invested their time and effort in completing that important task!

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ICAO, photo in hijab, photo for passport, Ukrainian Muslimahs, passport in hijab

Religious Administration of Muslims of Ukraine - photo for passport

“Many Muslimahs Already Seized the Opportunity to Get Their ID Photo in Their Headscarves” — Mufti Said Ismagilov

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Muslimahs Are Allowed to Keep Their Headscarves on While Taking ID Pictures Starting 20 November

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No More Bans for ID Photos in Headscarves: New Decree Finally in Effect

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