Macedonia: Rights group wins victory for Muslim women

Less than a month after the Islamic Science Association called on the Macedonian government to change the rules on passports and visas and allow Muslim women to take their passport photos while wearing the headscarf, the government has responded positively.

The Islamic Science Association praised the changes in the Rules on Passports and Visas for Citizens of the Republic of Macedonia that eliminates the right of the competent administrative body to arbitrarily define the circumstances in which a woman can be photographed with the headscarf. It will suffice now for the person who wants to be photographed with the headscarf, to note in the application that they wear the scarf for religious reasons.

The new Rules, adopted on December 26, 2007, changes Article 2b, paragraph 3 from ?referring to special circumstances as determined by the competent body (religious, medical or cultural) to ?for religious, medical or cultural reasons?.

The Islamic Science Association is especially satisfied with the fact that the changes were introduces less than a month after they submitted their initiative of November 2007, demanding changes in the Rules, claiming Article 2 is a violation of free expression of faith and religious creed