State says it was wrong ask Muslim women to remove head scarves

[The Straight Story]

State says it was wrong ask Muslim women to remove head scarves

CINCINNATI (AP) -- Two Muslim women had the right to continue wearing their head scarves when sitting for a driver's license photo, the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles said.

Clerks at separate bureau offices in southwest Ohio were wrong to insist that the women remove the scarves, also known as hijabs, which are expressions of faith and modesty, said Tom Hunter, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety, which oversees the motor vehicles bureau.

The bureau's offices in Loveland and Mason retook the photos for free.

"It was just a misunderstanding on the part of BMV employees as to what the policy was," Hunter said. "We want to be respectful to all people and all cultures."

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