LONDON The British government has been forced to issue new guidelines to officially allow the acceptance of passport photographs of women wearing the hijab (Muslim head scarf).
The clarification follows the case of a Muslim woman having an application to renew her passport rejected at the British High Commission in Singapore because she was wearing hijab.
The refusal led Fareena Alam to campaign for her right under Britain's 1976 racial equality act, which allows Muslim women to be exempt from removing their head scarf as it would be judged as indirect racial discrimination.
She also took the issue up with the UK passport agency in London, which helped to resolve the dispute after confirming that she could submit a photo wearing a hijab as long as the entire face was seen.
According to this month's Muslim News, to be published next Friday, the home office has since sent instructions to all British embassies, saying "photographs should not be rejected where a religious head covering is worn" provided the full face is shown.
After investigating the matter, a Home Office spokesman suggested that the High Commission in Singapore may have followed the previous guidelines that indicate photographs have to be "full face without a hat." (IRNA)