In Theory: Military college says no to potential student’s hijab

The school president of the Citadel military college has said that after a “considerable review,” a prospective Muslim student will not be allowed to wear a hijab with her uniform should she enroll.

“Uniformity is the cornerstone of this four-year leader development model,” Lt. Gen. John Rosa said in a statement. “This process reflects an initial relinquishing of self during which cadets learn the value of teamwork to function as a single unit.”

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Some students and alumni of the Charleston college spoke out against allowing the student to wear the headscarf, citing the need for cadets to learn uniformity in all senses.

School officials said religious accomodations are handled on a case-by-case basis.

Q: What do you think of the college’s decision?

I like the college’s decision. I am usually not a big fan of “enforced uniformity” and I purposely was not in the military. However, I did play sports in my youth, and in order to have winning teams, there does in my opinion need to be uniformity in the approach.

How much more so in a military situation! Male cadets, regardless of their religious faith, were required to have their heads shaved. I see nothing wrong with such a requirement. It also seems to me that if one chooses to go into the military, and especially if one chooses to go to a military college, one must be prepared for the military’s way of looking at things. And that way is uniformity.

Think of it: what if Orthodox Jewish men went into the American military and tried to keep those strands of hair that fall from the temples? The military would not allow such hair, nor should it. There is nothing wrong with Muslims, Jews, and Christians serving in the American military — in fact, they should.

But when you enter the military, you sibmit to the military’s way of doing things. If you have a problem with that, choose another career and another school.

The Rev. Skip Lindeman
La Cañada Congregational Church
La Cañada

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I agree with the college’s decision. The Citadel believes that a standardized uniform is essential to its learning goals. Due to its nature as a military college this is a reasonable position. All students are required to abide by the uniform requirements without bias and exception, but still all are afforded freedom to worship as they choose. Students are even allowed time off from duty to attend religious services of their choice.

This raises the question of what the essence of religious practice really is. Is it what one wears? What one eats? When one prays and the words one says? Can it really be prevented by another person? Different faiths answer that in different ways, of course. Christianity teaches that faith is primarily a matter of having a heart that loves God. The Samaritan woman at the well raised this issue when she met Jesus Christ:

“Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father … true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be his worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:20-24). Possessions can be taken and practices can be prevented, but true faith can never be stopped.

In America we are blessed with freedom of religion. In Christ we are blessed with freedom from ritual and legalism.

Pastor Jon Barta
Burbank

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In a health class in my youth I heard about an experiment in which hundreds of Army draftees were sprayed with water, then put into a cold room in their wet uniforms, while an equal number stayed warm and dry for the same period of time as a control group to test whether or not exposure to cold made you more likely to catch a cold. What it told me was don’t join the Army.

Accepting that your life is not your own is a fact of military life, for right or for wrong. A hijab is not part of the uniform.

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While I have no problem with a woman’s choice to manifest her religious beliefs with a veil or headscarf, I do question a sect making that a requirement. To me it symbolizes oppression.

I do not think that external tokens are necessary to be faithful to one’s beliefs. I support an economy that works for the 99% whether I have on my Bernie button or not.

Roberta Medford
Atheist
Montrose

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I think the Citadel’s decision is correct for the Citadel.

A university which has as one of its main ideas the preparation of men and women for the military has the right to look at the military uniform and its inherent uniformity.

When one salutes an officer, one is reminded he or she is saluting the rank not the person. The hijab, while a small article of clothing, is conspicuous lending one perhaps to salute, or at least take note of, the person and not the rank. Jewish soldiers, especially chaplains, who wear skullcaps are reminded, the skullcaps are to remain inconspicuous, or even not worn, except in times of prayer.

The Citadel’s comments about the hijab, I am certain, do not pertain to the young lady wearing it at prayer services.

Rabbi Mark Sobel
Temple Beth Emet
Burbank

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When someone contemplates joining a uniformed military organization, you would think that part of the draw for them would be the uniformity, but perhaps it isn’t always the case.

I recall in high school when I made the mistake of answering an ad for free Army armbands. I used such when I played tennis, so I took the bait. Weeks later, a recruiter appeared wondering if I had received my freebies, and wanting to discuss my future Army service. I listened, but wasn’t keen on the idea of cutting my hair. He spent much time convincing me that in the new Army, longer hair wasn’t a problem. Oh brother! No matter what he said, they would have shaved my head the minute I got into boot camp.

I didn’t join, and not just because of my hair, but because I wasn’t into having my identity bound up in the uniformity thing — and I didn’t want a worse authority figure than my parents bossing me around for the next several years. So I weathered the hard sell and stayed out of whatever immediate conflicts came post Nam.

Not much has changed in recent years, but reflecting on military history, we can see that there wasn’t always the strict uniformity rules of today. Men used to have beards (which are natural and masculine) and their hair was often long (generals Grant, Burnside and Custer come to mind). Today everyone’s baby-faced and butched, except women. Women don’t have to buzz-cut their heads in the military, so uniformity is apparently gender-biased.

But I do get the rationale for not adding or subtracting from the uniform clothing, at least in training camps and schools. Are the young soldiers all in the same unit and equal members, or are some special, requiring special handling and exceptions? Isn’t the point to undo individualism and instill group think and cohesion?

After graduation, I think there probably should be concessions. Why? Because they’re already in place for Sikh soldiers who wear turbans over their unpruned locks. It’s a religious concession, and if for them, why not for Muslim women with hijabs or Jewish soldiers with yarmulkes, and Christian men with Jesus beardage?

Some of that’s already in place, it’s just not in school. But the Citadel is a school, rendering the Muslim girl’s outward religious identity temporarily suspended while freely leaving her inner convictions to herself. I think the decision is best left to those whose seasoned training she desires.

Rev. Bryan A. Griem
Tujunga