This just doesn't work.

Muslim Woman Sues to Wear Veil for License

A Muslim woman suing to keep her veil on for her driver's license photo took the stand Tuesday, saying Florida's insistence on photographing her face violates her religious rights.

"I don't unveil ... because it would be disobeying my Lord," said Sultaana Freeman, 35.

Both sides planned to call experts in Islamic law at the nonjury trial, which was to continue Wednesday. A copy of the Quran was entered into evidence.

Freeman, a convert to Islam previously known as Sandra Kellar, wore her veil for the photo on the Florida driver's license she obtained after moving to the state in 2001.

Nine months later, she received a letter from the state warning that it would revoke her license unless she returned for a photo with her face uncovered.

Freeman claims her religious beliefs require her to keep her head and face covered out of modesty and that her faith prohibits her face from being photographed.

Her attorneys argued that state officials didn't care that she wore a veil in the photo until after the Sept. 11 attacks, an allegation the state denies.

"This is about religious liberty. It's about whether this country is going to have religious diversity," said Howard Marks, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.

Assistant Attorney General Jason Vail argued that having an easily identifiable photo on a driver's license is a matter of public safety.

"It's the primary method of identification in Florida and the nation," Vail said. "I don't think there can be any doubt there is a public safety interest."

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I'm a fan of the ACLU, but this case is ridiculous. A license is a form of picture ID. How is anyone supposed to be identified behind a veil? What if I went to the Secretary of State with a paper bag over my head with eyes cut out? Sure I wouldn't have any religious authority to back me up, but the net result would be the same. A covered face nixes the whole point of the verification of identity.

I mean, really.

Dutch Coffeeshops in Danger

Dutch Marijuana Joints Take a Hit from Smoking Ban

Dutch "coffee shops" famous for selling marijuana could see business go up in smoke, as it seems the drug will be included in an upcoming ban on workplace smoking.

The 2002 Tobacco Law requires all employers in the Netherlands next year to provide a smoke-free work environment for their staff.

Due to get government approval soon, the law aims to protect employees of all companies from second-hand smoke.

Although cannabis is formally illegal in the Netherlands, its use and sale are tolerated under strict government conditions. Coffee shops, where customers can buy a small amount of cannabis without fear of arrest, are a major tourist draw.

The bar and restaurant industry (Horeca) has been granted a one-year exception from the new law, but coffee shops do not fall within the definition of that industry.

"Coffee shops are not a part of Horeca," Health Ministry spokesman Bas Kuik said in an interview with Reuters Health. "They are an employer like anybody else, and they must provide a smoke-free environment."

Coffee shop owners were aghast.

"The whole point of going to a coffee shop is to smoke," said Arjan Roskam, chairman of the Union for Cannabis Retailers.

"I'm really surprised by this -- it's just not logical," said Mohammad Ijounen, co-owner of the 1st Aid Coffeeshop in Amsterdam. "I mean, come on, people come here to meet and smoke, right. So now where are they going to go -- smoking in their cars?"

He said that the ban would be particularly harmful to his business, as, like most coffee shops, he doesn't sell alcohol.

"I'm going to lose a lot of customers," he added.

The Netherlands boasts around 800 cannabis cafes. Smoking a joint in an Amsterdam coffee shop vies with canal boat tours and trips to the flower market for a place on tourists' itineraries.

One patron, named Deena, said that although she had sympathy for the workers, she didn't trust the government's motives.

"It's this religious government, man," she said, as she exhaled a large cloud of smoke. "Why don't they just outlaw pleasure and at least be honest about it?"