On April 19, I wrote about a Muslim woman, Sana Hamze, who was challenging The Citadel’s historic military uniform tradition by insisting she be permitted to wear a hijab. To its credit, The Citadel stood its ground, and turned down her request.
Proud women of The Citadel cadet corps. (external affairs.citadel.edu)
“I knew it would be an uproar, just because of how Muslims are portrayed in the media now,” she said in testing the mettle of the institution’s leadership. Like so many other efforts by individuals seeking to promote their cause through political correctness, Hamze wanted to see if The Citadel would cave.
It isn’t surprising that her father, working with a lawyer at the Council on American-Islamic Relations, advocates for Muslims, is considering legal options against The Citadel.
Meanwhile, Hamze has been accepted at Norwich University, a private military college in Vermont, where she will be permitted to cover her head with a hijab and her arms and legs during physical training with the Corps of Cadets.
Norwich takes pride in being one of the first military schools to admit women in 1974. The Citadel did so in 1996. Now its Cadet Uniform Store, offering “everything cadets need to keep their uniforms sharp and in line with regulations … to make the Corps of Cadets stand proud,” will, I assume, be stocking hijabs. Perhaps one in camouflage.
Vermont, long considered one of the most liberal states, has been in the news lately because of its socialist candidate for president, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and Sen. Patrick Leahy who is known for his efforts supporting left-leaning judges for court nominations.
Vermont is in the forefront of the green energy movement, and also became the first state to introduce civil unions, which led to the legalization of same sex marriages.
Hamze may soon find out what it’s like to be a minority in Vermont. Since Muslims have been designated as a race, with those who are anti-Muslim often called racist, she may not be aware that Vermont’s demographics are 95.5 percent white, leading to what is referred to as the “tyranny of the majority.”
I salute The Citadel for its courage, though I didn’t doubt the outcome. I hope Hamze has learned something about military leadership, and she finds comfort in her new surroundings.
(If you would like a free subscription to kramerontheright, simply scroll to the bottom of the column at right.)
