Mohila Anjuman leader Sharmin argued that there are instances of issuing identity cards without a photo even in the western world. They were convinced this would not be used for any purpose other than government works,” Hossain said. “They were then assured that in Islam there was no bar on giving photos for official purposes. He said that when the card was being introduced in Bangladesh, many women had initially refused to be photographed citing religious reasons. You won’t see it anywhere in the world, including Saudi Arabia,” former election commissioner M Sakhawat Hossain told EFE.

“An id card without a photo is not practical. The group’s demand has been rejected by some experts, who have said that the face is key to identifying a person. Since 2010, it has been made mandatory for every adult Bangladeshi citizen to carry the card. The NID, launched in 2008, is prepared on a plastic chip and is required for services such as obtaining a driving license, passport, buying and selling land and property, opening bank accounts, accessing government financial aid or support, vehicle registration and marriage registration.

The group has suggested providing a proof of identity with the help of digital biometric fingerprints and iris recognition.īangladesh is a Muslim majority country with a traditionally moderate image, and therefore such campaigns based on a conservative interpretation of Islam are rare and draw special attention.

Yasmin acknowledged that the identity card was required for official work such as registering property and managing bank accounts but insisted that “we cannot compromise purdah for this.” “We raised two demands to the government: first, give us the National Identity Card without a photo so that we can maintain purdah,” and second, “appoint enough female officials at all offices so that women, who want to maintain purdah, can communicate,” Sharmin Yasmin, leader and spokesperson of the group Mohila Anjuman, told EFE. The initiative was launched in late March, when dozens of women covered in black burqas from head to toe held an unusual press conference at the National Press Club in Dhaka and voiced their demands. (Correction: corrects dateline, fixes errors)ĭhaka, April 25 (EFE)- A group of Muslim women in Bangladesh have launched a campaign demanding the authorities issue them the National Identity Card (NID) without a photo, thus allowing them to maintain the Islamic custom of purdah (veil), which mandates that women should not be seen by men not related to them.

Bangladesh national id card