Should headscarves be allowed at Citadel?

Change once again is knocking at the gates of The Citadel.

Two decades ago, the question was whether to admit women to the all-male military institution. This year, the issue is whether an incoming freshman will be allowed to wear a traditional Muslim headscarf when she begins classes in the fall.

The question of whether the free exercise of one’s religious rights impinges on the rights of others or, in some rare cases, threatens the security of the nation, has been a part of American life since the birth of the Constitution. And the dilemma facing The Citadel regarding a student’s hijab indicates that the potential for conflict is always likely to be with us in this pluralistic society.

The official Citadel policy regarding religious accommodations states that requests will be approved unless they “will have an adverse impact on a competing institutional interest including, but not limited to, cohesion, morale, good order and discipline, cadet welfare, safety and/or health.” That would seem to give the college considerable wiggle room regarding traditional Muslim headgear.

We can understand the inclination to deny this young woman’s request. A significant part of The Citadel’s educational and disciplinary regimen involves establishing universal, common routines, standards and appearance for all students, especially freshmen. The system mirrors that of the U.S. military itself.

So, allowing one student to express her individuality, whether it is a matter of religious belief or not, runs against the grain of the school’s traditions. It also creates the “slippery slope” in which other students could begin requesting exceptions to the dress code or other rules and practices because of their religious beliefs.

But the other side of the coin also is compelling. It is hard to see where a student wearing a headscarf would have a significant adverse impact on any vital institutional interest. As with admitting women, it might even have a positive impact, expanding the school’s pool of talent.

After all, the U.S. Army, recently facing a similar dilemma, decided that a captain and three enlistees who are Sikh would be allowed to wear turbans and beards as required by their religious beliefs after the men filed lawsuits.

The U.S. State Department allows women to wear head coverings for passport photos as long as the headscarves are worn daily for a religious purpose and do not obscure the face in any way. However, face veils are not allowed in U.S. passport photos even when they are worn for religious purposes.

The ruling makes obvious sense. A headscarf that ends at the hairline still allows the full face to be visible while a veil – or niqab – does not. Covering one’s face on a photo ID would completely defeat the purpose of issuing the ID.

For institutions such as The Citadel, where students are expected to strictly conform to rules and dress codes, allowing exceptions will be a balancing act. And simply saying that tradition allows no change isn’t always a good enough answer.

The Citadel learned that when confronted with the prospect of admitting women.

In this case, if the Muslim student can perform up to standards while wearing a headscarf, the most sensible response might be to accommodate her religious beliefs. One of America’s great strengths is its ability to integrate a large variety of people with different ethnic and religious backgrounds into the mainstream of our society.

Tradition is vital to the unique identity of The Citadel. But even a tradition as rigid as The Citadel’s can bend now and then.

And the school might be better off for it.

This story was originally published April 23, 2016 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Should headscarves be allowed at Citadel?."