Just as there are many shapes of pasta, there are many forms of religious expression. In Surrey, British Columbia, a ‘Pastafarian’ is fighting a battle for the right to wear a colander on his head in his driver’s license photo. Obi Canuel, who is an ordained minister in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, says the Insurance Corporation of B.C. is denying him the right to be able to wear the spaghetti strainer on his head. The ICBC, whose religious head covering policy tries to strike a balance between respect for the driver’s religious beliefs and a need to preserve the integrity of the licensing system, will not allow him to wear the kitchen accessory, saying “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.”
Canuel responded by stating “the truth is sometimes I have the spiritual inkling to wear the colander and I don’t think ICBC should be making decisions about what kind of religious headgear is appropriate or not.” Oddly enough, a photo of Canuel wearing his colander was approved for use on his British Columbia Government Services card. Canuel has documented his battle with the Insurer on YouTube.
