He calls it a “religious head covering.” It looks oddly like a pasta strainer.
After a three-year effort, Austrian man Niko Alm has finally earned the right to wear the symbolic Ikea kitchen tool on his head in his driver's license photo, saying it is a requirement of his faith. The BBC has the full story.
Alm belongs to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, whose followers call themselves “Pastafarians.”
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A description:
Pastafarianism is a real religion.Most of us do not believe a religion – Christianity, Islam, Pastafarianiasm – requires literal belief in order to provide spiritual enlightenment. That is, we can be part of a community without becoming indoctrinated. There are many levels of belief.To outsiders it makes us hard to define, but here are some general things that can be said about our beliefs:We believe pirates, the original Pastafarians, were peaceful explorers and it was due to Christian misinformation that they have an image of outcast criminals todayWe are fond of beerEvery Friday is a Religious HolidayWe do not take ourselves too seriouslyWe embrace contradictions (though in that we are hardly unique)
Okaaaay.
According to Austrian law, wearing a head covering is not allowed in driver's license photos except for religious reasons.
However, this may not be a complete win for Pastafarianism–a police spokesman told the BBC that the photo was not approved on religious grounds, but rather because Alm's entire face is visible, a requirent for license photos. Alm's next step is to help make Pastafarianism an officially recognized faith in Austria.
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