I'm not a gent but I guess I'm included.
I'll reiterate: IF wearing a hijab is a rule of her religion, and the Citadel tells her she cannot wear a hijab, they are violating her rights.
Ridiculousness? Seriously?
Not at all violating her right to worship. BTW, you might be interested in this:
"There is a verse in the Quran that says that God doesn't want Muslims to experience hardship (in any matter). Therefore, we can conclude that it may be permissible (God knows best) for Muslim women not to fulfill the full requirements of hijab if they live in circumstances under which wearing such hijab would make their lives very difficult, such as being subject to the possibility of physical harm, discrimination in the job market, inability to attend public schools/universities, etc. This can apply for Muslim women who live in countries where the majority of people are non-muslims as well as in countries where the majority of people are Muslims, but there is some hostility or discrimination against women who wear hijab. However, we should emphasize that even in such circumstances, Muslim women should dress modestly."
Hijab
There's plenty of bitching, crying, wailing, moaning, and hand-wringing when people here see a sign that says they can't carry their gun into a mall becasue the sign violates their 2nd Amendment right to carry a gun.
Now, people are going to post here and say that the Citadel should be allowed to tell the student she is not allowed to do something that may be required by her religion?
Hypocritical, no?
No.
The Citadel offers an education to those who are qualified and who are willing to accept the rules of the school. It was her choice not to accept the rules of the school. Therefore, she's not eligible to attend the school.
The Citadel didn't establish their uniform rules to keep out Muslims. There are Muslim cadets and graduates.
Put a different spin on it: Star quarterback for your favorite team gets the boot because his religion doesn't allow him to practice on a Sunday.
Do you support the team, or do you support the QB whose rights are being violated?
If the quarterback practiced a religion that didn't allow practice on Sundays he wouldn't join the team in the first place, so he wouldn't be getting the boot from it. (In the case of the Citadel, the young woman was not booted out either--she had intended to start this coming fall semester.)
There are lots of people who don't participate in sports on their days of worship. Perhaps you weren't aware of that because they don't make public stinks about it.
And it's funny you should mention a special menu for a Muslim.
Imagine if the Citadel required the Catholic students to eat red meat on a Friday during Lent.
"The Citadel recognizes the importance of a cadet’s spiritual and religious beliefs, providing services for specific needs whenever possible. For example, during the first week of school faith-based organizations on campus and from the community meet with freshmen cadets. Cadet religious officers arrange transportation to churches, mosques, synagogues and other places of worship for those without cars. Accommodations for prayer and dietary needs are common at the college."
Link Removed
So, Catholic cadets aren't required to eat meat during Lent, and Muslim and Jewish cadets aren't required to eat pork.
But that would be a proper outcry because Catholicism is a real religion with real rules and Muslim is just "ridiculous", right?
Wrong. See the above paragraph.
