A man from Surrey, British Columbia, who is also an ordained minister at the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, is infuriated with ICBC after they objected to him wearing a spaghetti strainer, his religious headgear, in his driving license photograph. 36-year-old Obi Canuel made many heads turn when he walked into the ICBC office wearing a colander on his head in November 2013. He was visiting the office to get his driving license photo updated.
Canuel did not think wearing his headgear would be a problem because the ICBC website reads, “ICBC affirms your rights to religious expression. You will not be asked to remove any headgear that does not interfere with facial recognition technology as long as it is worn in conjunction with religious practice.”
Pastafarians, followers of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, have won the right to wear colanders publicly in the United States, New Zealand, Czech Republic and Austria. In fact, Christopher Schaeffer wore it even while being sworn into the New York Town Council earlier this year. However, ICBC does not seem as supportive of the Pastafarian cause, and refused him. Canuel has waited for nine months and has not received his driving license as yet.
“I kept being told it was under review. Each time I was put on hold for at least 20 minutes. It was very difficult to get a clear answer as to what was going on,” said Canuel, who says he made dozens of calls to ICBC since last November.
In July, ICBC sent a letter to Canuel telling him that his license would not be approved because he is wearing a colander on his head in the photograph.
“Based on the information you have provided, we understand there is no religious requirement that prohibits you from removing the colander for the purpose of taking the photo to appear on your driver's license. However, you may attend the nearest ICBC Driver Licensing Office and have a free duplicate photo captured without head coverings and we will then issue you a Driver's License with the new photo,” read the letter.
When the media approached ICBC with questions, the office provided reporters with a copy of the letter but refused to entertain them beyond that.
The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster was formed in 2005 and has a large number of followers, even though Pastafarianism is not yet considered a full-fledged religion. Adherents of the satirical religion claim to worship a gigantic spaghetti monster that apparently made the universe while in a drunken state, 4,000 years ago. The church was registered officially as a non-profit organization in British Columbia last year.
“I don't think ICBC should be deciding which religions are appropriate or not,” said Canuel, one of five church directors listed with the BC Registry Services.
The photo that ICBC has refused to accept is the same as the ones used in Canuel’s other identification documents. Refusing to give up against ICBC, Canuel uploaded a video on Youtube, explaining his struggles with the office.
“I have tried to go through the proper channels and have gotten nowhere. For that reason I've taken this private little dispute public. If you care about religious freedom and you think people should be free from discrimination based on religion, if you don't think that the government should be asking me questions about my religious beliefs, then please share my story,” Canuel said at the end of the five-minute video.
Photo Credit: Glacier Media
