A Pastafarian in rural Queensland is refusing to surrender his driver's licence after it was issued with a photo of him wearing a colander on his head, arguing it is a matter of religious freedom. Syaban Shadikillah, 28, who moved to Mareeba from Indonesia in late 2024, insists the licence is valid and says he will not retake the photo.
The Queensland government has told him the licence was issued in error and must be replaced. A spokesperson for the Department of Customer Services said operational guidelines were not followed, resulting in a non-compliant photo. They stated that a new photograph must be taken to ensure compliance.
Shadikillah converted to Pastafarianism, also known as the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, in 2021 while a university student in Indonesia. He said he grew doubtful of Islam, the religion he was raised in. Pastafarianism began in 2005 as a protest against the teaching of intelligent design in US schools, with followers often wearing colanders as religious headgear.
Shadikillah said he was photographed with the colander at a government customer service office in Mareeba in February. After his Facebook post about the licence went viral, he was contacted by an official who told him the colander was not legitimate religious headgear. He called this absurd, stating that the government does not have the authority to decide what religious headwear is appropriate.
Shadikillah said he moved to Australia for greater freedom of expression, claiming he faces arrest in Indonesia for blasphemy against Islam. He argued that Pastafarianism should be recognised and respected like any other religion, and that the law should apply equally. Queensland's website states that headgear is only permitted for licence photos if worn for religious purposes, and the state has ruled that Pastafarianism does not qualify.
