The student’s request was in the news in early April – i.e. she asked before May 1. It seems that The Citadel only gave her an answer after May 1, so that she did not know what the answer would be before the usual deadline to decide which college to attend.
They wear military uniforms. Are females allowed to wear the hijab in the U.S. Army? No. She could have easily googled it as I just did. It has been verified by Muslim members on this board in the recent past that the hijab is a preference and not a religious requirement.
Regardless of the actual answer (or what you think the answer should be), it would have been better for the school to answer the question before May 1.
“the hijab is a preference and not a religious requirement.”
That’s completely subjective. If your sect requires it, it’s a requirement. Members of other sects will differ about that. I don’t get to say, as a secular Jew, that Judaism doesn’t require Hasidic clothing for anybody. For me, it doesn’t. If you’re a Hasid, it does.
Seems to me if the applicant had researched the school at all, she wouldn’t have had to ask the question. Questionable motives IMO .
The Citadel posts the dress code on their website for people to see. I think she knew it wasn’t going to be allowed but wanted to start a controversy over it, using the current political climate to her advantage.
I’m just not buying it…
So it’s not like this was a yes or no question that she could have simply looked up, it was a formal request to allow her to wear the hijab, which at one point the Citadel was considering before ultimately denying. I don’t see why it should have taken them that long to deny her request, if it was that simple.
Unfortunately, people would have issue if they ruled quickly without considering it as well as taking too long to rule on the request. No easy out as far as I can see.
Still, given the importance of May 1 in college decisions, it would have been better for the school to have given the answer by then (which was a few weeks after the question).
The Citadel has never once in its history allowed an excemption to the uniform. She knew that getting a yes from the school was a very, very long shot. And who ‘leaked’ her request to the school? My vote is that this student was looking to create a stir and make the school look bad.
They had one exception. They allowed a student to wear long pants during all of basic training.
If it was important why would she not investigate this prior to application? She wasted $70. I agree she’s just trying to create a stir.
The school just should have decided before May 1 when deposits were due.
Our branch people used to call and ask questions during the lunch hour, hoping to get a more lenient answer from the attorney on call. Sometimes it worked, but not with me. My answer was always “The answer from me is no change to the status quo, but if you’d like to call back when your assigned attorney is here, and he knows more about the situation, you are free to do so and I won’t be insulted.”
She should have assumed on May 1 that her request to an exception was denied, and they were willing to grant it, also would have granted her an exception to the May 1 response date.
That was just hearsay. The school has no record of it.
I liked this quote from the [Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2016/05/10/the-citadel-will-not-allow-an-exception-to-the-uniform-to-let-a-muslim-student-wear-her-hijab/):
These people clearly do not understand the purpose of conformity and compliance in the military… “Diversity” is not what keeps soldiers safe. It’s about unity and working together as a team. You are not a Muslim, you are an Army solider, just like the guy next to you. It’s not just about you, you, you…
Considering the Citadel is a state supported institution and not an official part of the US armed forces, could she have a case in overturning this denial?
Also, recently a US Army officer who is Sikh wins the right to wear a beard and turban in uniform:
A case which may help her case.
With respect to the actual United States Army…
“The Army places a high value on the rights of its Soldiers to observe tenets of their respective religions or to observe no religion at all” according to http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/r600_20.pdf section 5-6 on page 44). Subsection h(4)(g) of this section gives the US Army’s policy on religious headgear.
The Pentagon also accommodates religious requirements on hair, for example:
http://www.stripes.com/news/pentagon-eases-rules-on-waivers-for-religious-grooming-1.263435
It seems there is far more flexibility to accommodate diverse appearance in the armed forces than many posters on this thread believe.
Sometimes it is a safety issue. Can the Citadel show that wearing the hijab might be dangerous, that the required activities would not be able to be completed safely? Athletics, using equipment, fulfilling a duty assignment? Often the requests of athlete to wear hair in a certain way or uniforms that don’t match the team aren’t allowed because it is dangerous. The players can’t have all kinds of hair clips and ribbons that might fall out, jewelry (even religious), watches, fitbits, earrings. Safety or even an unfair advantage as the players should be dressed as alike as possible, as uniform as possible.
The Citadel is a public school. I think they would have to accommodate the request if someone takes them to court over it, especially if it is allowed in the military. The burden would be on them to explain why they need a more strict rule than the actual military.