We, the American Coptic Community of Tennessee, approximately more than 30,000 persons of egyptian ancestry of Arabic speakers, 25,000 alone in the Nashville area and Middle Tennessee, respectfully petition to you to enact a law or to propose a resolution that the State of Tennessee offers the driver's license written examination in Arabic.

Currently, the Tennessee Driver Service Centers only offer the written driver license examination in English, Spanish, Korean, and Japanese. With that said, it prohibits new Arabic speaker immigrants from their simple right to have a driver’s license needed to earn an honest living and to support their families.

As Tennesseans, we have a right to equal treatment. Tennessee’s constitution guarantee equal treatment under the law in two different clauses. The first is found in Article I, Section 8. The second is found in Article XI, Section 8.

The American Coptic Community of Tennessee has been making a vital contribution to Tennessee’s economy and to the community.

Additionally, Arabic is the fourth most spoken language in Tennessee according to the Migration Policy Institute, ahead of both Korean and Japanese.

We urge you to support our petition for equal treatment to offer the driver's license examination in Arabic same as the examinations that are being offered in other languages such as Spanish, Korean, and Japanese.

We appreciate all that you do for our state, and look forward for your support for a resolution to this matter for the welfare of Tennesseans. Thank you for hearing us.