Complains about the dress code
Her family is now suing the citadel for religious discrimination
>The 174-year-old school hasn't ever allowed a uniform deviation "to our knowledge,"
>The school doesn't currently have any students who have a special religious accommodation for uniforms, according to Col. Brett Ashworth, vice president of communications and marketing.
>The student cried after the commandant told her, said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations who spoke with the family Tuesday morning. “She told the commandant it wasn’t fair that she has to choose between practicing her faith and going to the Citadel,” he said.
>She had worked very hard and had been focused on going to the Citadel for a long time, Hooper said. “That’s why she was so heartbroken,” he said.
>She will not attend, he said.
>“A complete denial was very shocking,” he said. They had expected their request to be granted. “The father said, ‘We live in a land of laws. These outdated traditions violate that law’ ” that protects religious freedom, Hooper said.
>“As far as legal action [is considered], all options are on the table,” he said.
>Speaking for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Hooper said not granting religious accommodation was a bar to any practicing Muslim and was not acceptable at a public institution.
>“Obviously from CAIR’s perspective, as a civil-rights organization, we’re not going to drop this issue,” he said. “We’re going to view it as a continuation of the civil-rights struggles that allowed African Americans and women to have free entry and participation in these types of institutions nationwide.
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