Political correctness has come to the Citadel, the 174-year-old public military college of Charleston, S.C.
An admitted female student is requesting that she be allowed to wear the hijab in keeping with her Muslim faith.
To quote a Washington Post article of April 14, “A spokeswoman said that to her knowledge, in its nearly 175-year history, the school has never granted a religious, or other, accommodation that resulted in a change to the uniform.”
The Citadel has strict rules that all cadets are required to wear at nearly all times, on and off campus. At beaches, college rules stipulate that, “Cadets will change into appropriate swimwear upon arrival and change back into uniform when departing.”
The Post article tells of “social media, students, alumni and others responding strongly to the idea of an exception being made at an institution where uniformity, discipline and adherence to rules are defining values, where loyalty to the corps is paramount and individual preferences are trivial.”
Add to that that the first exception might be for a Muslim student does not sit well with many.
By the time you read this, a decision may have been handed down. At this institution, and anywhere in the U.S.A., we want Muslims who come to America to assimilate into our society and be like us, not try to change us to conform to their ways.
DAVID SANDOE
Bow