After Citing The Law, Iowa DOT Grants Religious Exemption To Reverend Jason Karimi For Head Covering After Initial Denial

Hats are usually not allowed in DOT pictures, but after a Pastafarian case in Indiana allowed members of a unique church the right to wear pasta colanders on their head, the Iowa DOT has likewise granted a religious exemption to Reverend Jason Karimi of the Iowa State University House of Rastafari the right to retain a religious head covering in DOT photos, after initially denying the demand.

Here’s the Iowa DOT photo granting the head covering to Reverend Karimi:

Karimi cited this Iowa DOT memo to get the initial denial from an employee overturned. Supervisors had promised to look up whether a head covering exemption was warranted, and the memo explicitly stated it already was, so there wasn’t much struggle to get this burden lifted from Karimi’s private religious requirements.

See also: Minor Free Speech Victory At Iowa State University As Marijuana Bandana Exemption Granted For Religious Purposes To Student Attendee

Karimi has also been granted the right to wear his head covering during ongoing court proceedings, the next one of which is against members of NORML ISU, who allege  Karimi threatened assault against club members Lillie Smith and former club member Alex Anthony, who resigned from the club for lack of interest after being a do-nothing President for a full year. Anthony, the former NORML ISU President and son of a judge in the NSA, told WeedPress in spring 2018 that he opposes marijuana legalization due to his father’s substance abuse issues, which may explain why he left NORML.

See also: Rastafarian Head Covering Granted To Me In Courtroom Last Week

Karimi plans to countersue.

Here’s a memo from the Iowa DOT specifically citing Pastafari exemption head coverings being cause for expanded allowance of religious head requirement exemptions in Iowa:

PM 17-04-religious head coverings-DLorIDphotos