What does “uniform” mean?
I’ve been getting emails about this ditz since yesterday, so I guess all y’all want to talk about it. But a JUNIOR ROTC student thinks she should be able to wear her hijab with her uniform in a parade, and the Army put it’s foot down and said “No”. The poor little ditz consequently quit JROTC, so the CAIR perpetually outraged are….well, outraged;
But Demin’s family feels she is being discriminated against, and has reached out to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which is calling on the school district and the Department of Defense to change a policy that it says “effectively bars a Muslim student from participating in the class.”
“It’s an unwise policy,” CAIR staff attorney Gadeir Abbas said. “It’s acceptable for a Jewish student to wear his yarmulke under his uniform hat. The regulations already reflect that there are religious obligations among members.”
See, a lot of you supported the Shks growint their beards and wearing their turbans in uniform and look what it’s done….now everyone who doesn’t understand what “uniform” means wants exceptions for their own multi-forms. If she quit because she couldn’t wear her hijab, she didn’t want to be in uniform anyway. But that makes no difference, because you can just feel that the Army is going to cave to this shit.
Category: Military issues
When you’re allowed to have beards, long hair, some of your own headgear (for religious reasons), and are unionized; what kind of military have you become? Belgian?
The Army opened this particular can of worms and now they are going to have to deal with it. Isn’t social experimentation in the military fun?
Dude, easy fix, ACU Burka, and lots and lots of ridicule and jokes about TNA, Toes N Ankles!!!!!!!!
IIRC, the one Sikh guy had some skill the Army wanted. If you have something they want rules get bent/broken. When I applied to USNA they spelled it out that they’d waive the medical rules if you had something they really wanted.
Since there’s no value added here, she should get denied.
At issue is the nuance of religious rule. If a muslim woman is required to wear something to cover her head, then a PC, beret or helmet perform that function. In fact, for the many muslim women already in military service, there is zero issue.
So this snit is about breaking the boundary completely – it has nothing to do with observing a religious rule. Death by a thousand paper cuts, tragic and painful as any Training NCO will tell you.
Our military is considered monolithic, and one reason is the uniform. And yet – put a unit in formation, whether on the parade deck at Sill, or doing PCI prior to patrol – and when does any soldier perfectly resemble the one next to him/her?
As for the Sihks: the beard, the turban, and the dagger are requirements that can’t be gotten around.
Lastly, and not to put too fine a point on this: CAIR actively supports organizations and people who are terrorists.
This is a prime example. Join an organization, knowing full well the regulations and policies. Then when you violate them, scream discrimination. DADT was another example.
You also have to realize that this happened in the Nashville suburb of Brentwood, which is code for “Rich Northeastern or California Liberal Transplant”. The Nashville area used to be rather conservative, however the relative lack of minorities (as opposed to Memphis) coupled with the lack of a state income tax, favorable business climate, and the allure of the music industry (it ain’t country music no more, it’s bubblegum pop crap) has attracted a large number of morons trying to escape liberal hell. The only problem is they don’t like that things aren’t like things where they came from, so now they are trying to impose the same conditions that they fled.
I really doubt that she’d even be allowed to join ROTC in a predominantly Muslim country. There is also a bit in DADT (which I’m sure everyone forgot to read) that serving your country is not a “right”. its a privilege. Something far too many SMs forget(Shamar Tomas, Matthis, Adam Kokesh, John Kerry, Gunny dick munch to name a few).
I might even agree that sometimes westerners show too much skin, but really, the Hijab actually makes NO sense at all. Its one of those Islamic traditions that kind of make you scratch your had and ask “really, they want to go along with this?”. I mean really what woman doesn’t love being the center of attention? And really what woman doesn’t make it absolutely clear that she’s right and you’re wrong?
Fuck her. The hijab isn’t required to be Muslim, so she should take that shit off or admit that the only reason she joined JROTC is that she wanted to try and try and “bring about change”.
@ 8, John:
“admit that the only reason she joined JROTC is that she wanted to try and try and “bring about change”.”
I suspect you’re right. She knew that JROTC had uniform standards when she joined. In fact, that’s exactly why she joined. That way, she could flaunt their rules, get kicked out, run to CAIR and the media, and be the victim.
She can have her headscarf and she can join JROTC, but she can’t do both at the same time. It’s one or the other, and it’s really her choice.
It works every time.
Now, if they were telling her that she had to remove the thing just to attend school, I would be completely against it. Parents are compelled to enroll their children in school. It would be a serious breach of religious freedom to make her take it off in school.
I noticed that the anchors for the television station started off the segment by saying that the poor girl was forced to choose between her religious freedom and school. Huh? They aren’t allowing her to go to school? Well, no. That’s just reporters talking out their asses again. She can attend school. She just can’t participate in an extracurricular activity, not unless she wants to conform to the uniform regulations. Which she doesn’t.
This really reminds me of the illegal immigrants who cry and moan that the government is “tearing their families apart” when they get deported and leave their anchor babies behind.
Which is complete bullshit. The family can be together. They can be together in their nation of origin, usually Mexico.
They can keep their family intact or they one of them can choose to stay here, but they want it BOTH WAYS.
The Jewish head covering is acceptable because it is hidden by military cover. That is the rule regarding military uniforms and religious stuff: It’s okay if it cannot be seen. The rule applies equally to all religious garb and is therefore not discriminatory. If the Army caves ( and I do not believe that it will), then it will do so for ploitically correct, not legal, reasons.
The Army has had very visible religious exemptions within the past ten years. I remember the Army Times story on the New York Army Guard Rabbi. I can’t find it via google but there is this.
http://discardedlies.com/entry/?55453_rabbi-with-beard-a-rare-breed-in-reserve-brigade
There was also an Army Times story on a soldier in basic training that wore her hijab from day one to graduation. I also can’t find it.
What pissed me off is all the times I had to tuck my St. Christopher or my cross back under my t-shirt, but these folks get to display their religion every minute they are in uniform.
CAIR is a front. They’re forcing the DOJ to drop references to muslims in terrorist training materials and they’ll push the DOD to do the same here. I hope 2-17 is right.
Religion is a hard taskmaster. If your religion is that intrusive to something you want to do; then YOU need to make a choice.
I really don’t understand the military. They have no problem telling religious people to get with the program or get out when confronted with the DADT repeal, but they may waiver on this?
Trent- Just a quick note, Chaplain Goldstein was at Grenada, Panama, Bosnia, GW1, Haiti, Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan. I first met him in 1996 while doing a MOUT LFX at Ft. Drum. next time I saw him was 9-11-01 down at the World trade center helping pull people out of the rubble and giving the prayers for the dead.
As for Sikhs, In 1982 a I was straight out of AIT and assigned to the 2nd Armored Division, Ft. Hood, TX. My PSG. was a Sikh named Paramjit Sibia. He in 82 was wearing a beard and turban. He had them in Summer Khaki, Class A green, OG fatigue and ERDL camoflage. Eventually he retired as a CSM.
He rode a Harley, and was an expert shot with the pistol, rifle and machineguns M-60 and M2HB. He had no problems with Masking during training, was a PT stud for someone in their 40’s in 1980’s America. His field craft was impressive and he was able to teach effectively. He even was used as a PNCOC instructor by III Corps. His beard was kept as neat as someone with a Shaving Profiles was.
The beard thing, it was my understanding the reason that beards were a no-go had everything to do with the Gas mask and the (unfortunately realistic) expectation that in the near future US forces would become subject to NBC (CBRN now) attack.
Now personally I know for a fact that a lot of Sikhs are good at kicking ass and taking names. But so are(and were) Jews, and Kurds, and any number of other ethnic groups that happen to reside in conflicted regions. But you don’t see them (in combat) making rules that have no common sense to them. Ever see a Kurdish woman wear a hijab? me neither. I HAVE seen one field strip and clean an AK-47 better than a Turkmon ICDC counter-part. Turkey is another great example. They have some BEAUTIFUL women (great mixing of East and West if you ask me) and MOST do not wear the Hijab. They’re fine with it. So why act the fool here?
As for CHAIR. They have so many shady ties, that they ought to be rolled up in a “Jack Bauer” style anti-terror investigation. Its actually rather like the Neo-Nazis telling people to be respectful of Germany in the 30′ and 40’s
I might be stating the obvious here, but…Multiculturalism doesn’t work.
I’ve been reading thisblog for awhile and love the work. This is the first time I’ve posted though. I had a similar situation when I was a chaplain assistant at Fort Stewart, GA in 1996. A female 88m was denied wearing the hijab and in defiance wore it anyway. She was later chaptered out for other reasons and I remember she had talked with Army Times. I found a story in a paper online and will post it here when I find it again.
http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl/1996_1346535/national-briefs.html
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1996-06-07/news/9606060990_1_black-scarf-muslim-woman-soldier
Here are two articles I found.
hahahahahahaha..about 10sec into it I about threw-up into my mouth laughing. hahahahahahahahaha
Yeah, well, my girlfriends daughter just graduated from AIT and told us that females can get free rack-jobs to “bolster their self-esteem so they feel good about themselves”. I fear for my nation when its military has been turned into a social experiment.
Once again, the misuse of a word. Discrimination is when someone is singled out for a requiremnet that no one else must meet. It’s NOT discrimination when an individual is expected to meet the same requirement that all other indivuduals must meet.
But then, everyone already knows this. Too many just don’t seem to want to admit it. And since it’s all about, you know, what they want, then it must be like OK.
I saw how the hijab looks in uniform and it takes away from the presence. It shouldn’t be worn while in uniform. If worn during a worship service is one thing, but in formation, motor pool, etc it shouldn’t be used. Just my opinion and I can find a few Muslim chaplains who would say the same as I do.
Dear CAIR,
Go eat shit and fuck yourself.
Sincerely,
Everyone.
Succinctly put, David, and I agree, totally.
Yes, there are times when discussion plays into the enemy’s hands. In recognition of this, the best approach is to make yourself clear to the enemy without discussion. (e.g. To the German commander from the American commander: “Nuts!”) David’s comment is another perfection illustration of this approach. I like it!
A bunch of SeaBees (and many other sailors) had beards until 1982. Went home that night with beards and we all appeared next morning at muster beardless, bits of all-purpose paper stuck on razor cuts. It reminded me of boot camp. I was a Second Class at the time and had a beard for years. Many of our SeaBee Chiefs and officers had beards as well. I retired 15 years ago and have had a beard most of that time except when working contract security. I say no way on the hijab, but the Army will cave on this one.
IMO, this isn’t about religion at all. The worst thing about this entire story is that one spoiled, self entitled teenager has now put that entire schools JROTC program at risk. How long before the school district decides to drop the program (or cut it back)to avoid getting sued by CAIR or some other whiney group? JROTC is one of the best things most modern high school students can participate in. A large number of my classmates went on to make something of themselves becuase of our instructer there (and I still keep in touch 17 years later). The mission of JROTC is to ‘Motivate young people to be better Americans’ Part of that is to learn some maturity. My JROTC instructer was my only teacher that made me take full responsibility for everything I did and to act like an adult and treated me like one. How many students at that high school are now at risk of losing a great program becuase of one idiot teenager that wanted her name in the news? The ironic part is that had she been in a organization like JROTC earlier in her life, she probably wouldn’t be such self centered spoiled child now.
Here’s some more explaination of what’s going on in the Nashville area:
http://counterjihadreport.com/2011/10/24/breaking-hutton-hotel-cancels-preserving-freedom-conference-in-nashville-caves-to-islamic-supremacist-demands/
What makes things even more dicey in that area is the fact there is a large Chaldean and Coptic population, too.