The Citadel, a military college in South Carolina, has rejected a female Muslim student’s request that she be allowed to wear a hijab while engaging in school activities.
Citing a need for “uniformity” among its students, Citadel President Lt. Gen. John Ros, said that after “considerable review,” the college determined the uniform exception could not be granted.
“Uniformity is the cornerstone of this four-year leader development model,” Rosa said in his statement. “The standardization of cadets in apparel, overall appearance, actions and privileges is essential to the learning goals and objectives of the college. This process reflects an initial relinquishing of self during which cadets learn the value of teamwork to function as a single unit.”
It is unclear as to whether the unidentified female cadet will remain a student at The Citadel following the rejection of her request.
The female student requested the religious accommodation to wear a hijab with the standard cadet uniform in April. Following her request, the ACLU quickly came to her aide, imploring the schooll to approve an exemption.
“For some Muslim women, wearing hijab is a core tenet of their religious practice,” the ACLU wrote in a letter to the school. “Being forced to remove it is humiliating, and for many Muslim women, no different than being compelled to strip in front of others. Thus, denying an accommodation here would effectively preclude many Muslim women from enrolling in The Citadel.”
The Hijab is a veil worn by Muslim women that covers the head and in order to conform with a standard of modesty required by the Islamic faith.