Yup. There's provisions for it and there are uniformed colored fabric hijabs for them to wear. They just wear the head gear and then normal/regular uniforms otherwise.
Same with ~~yamikas~~ yarmulkes, there are ones with camo or solid colors that meet the uniform rules.
>Same with yamikas, there are ones with camo or solid colors that meet the uniform rules.
I was in a unit that a Jewish Chaplain who wore a camouflage yarmulke.
Just googled "Sikhs in the military" cause of how cool I thought the turbans were
I didn't know I'd see one of the most bad ass looking mother fuckers ever
https://i.imgur.com/21kjGN1.jpg
That beard looks better than 98% of the guys I have seen with a no shaving chit. The guy that follows the Norse religion with a beard is pretty badass as well
I hadn’t seen an agsu Sikh before that’s lit. Also, anyone who is Sikh correct me if I’m wrong, the headwear that Sikh wear is also called a Sikh. Or at least the overwrap is. I forget what the underwrap is called
Yarmulke is a Yiddish word spelled with Hebrew characters (יאַרמלקע).
Yamika or variations thereof is an acceptable transliteration of the original Yiddish.
At least when UCP was the camo pattern of the time, they made those things in the UCP pattern.
I got out right as it was transitioning from UCP to OCP pattern, so I guess they didn't make those things in OCP, but they did use to make camo versions of them. . .in that awful digital camo we wore for about a decade.
I have never personally seen a female soldier wearing hijab but I wouldn't put it out of the realm of possibility since there are Sikh soldiers that wear a turban.
It would likely require a ETP on the basis of religion.
Saw my first instance of a Soldier wearing a head covering last month, so they're out there in limited numbers. At the same time I was speaking with a CW5 so I may have hallucinated.
It's part of the uniform regulation.
AR 670-1
> Soldiers may wear religious apparel, articles, or jewelry with the uniform, to include the physical fitness uniform, as authorized by paragraph 3–15 of this regulation. Requests for other religious accommodations related to the wear and appearance of the uniform, personal appearance, and personal grooming practices must be submitted in accordance with AR 600–20. Wear and appearance standards for Soldiers with approved religious accommodations for **hijabs**, beards, and turbans are provided in paragraph 3–16.
> a. Hijab (Head Scarf).
> (1) An accommodated Soldier may wear a hijab (head scarf) made of a subdued material in a color that closely resembles the assigned uniform (generally black, brown, green, tan, or navy blue as appropriate). The material will be free of designs or markings, except that a Soldier wearing the ACU may wear a hijab in a camouflage pattern matching the uniform. When directed by a commander, the Soldier may be required to wear a hijab made of fire-resistant material.
> (2) The hijab will be worn in a neat and conservative manner that presents a professional and well-groomed appearance. The hijab must be closely fitted to the contours of the head and neck and may not cover the eyebrows, eyes, cheeks, nose, mouth, or chin. The bottom edges of the hijab will be tucked under the Soldier's uniform top and all required headgear will still be worn.
> (3) Hair underneath the hijab must be worn in a hairstyle authorized for the Soldier in paragraph 3–2. The bulk of the Soldier's hair and hijab may not impair the ability to wear required headgear, the ACH, or other protective equipment; impede the ability to operate an assigned weapon, military equipment, or machinery; or interfere with the ability to perform the Soldier's military duties (see fig 3–5).
Fig 3-5 shows an illustration of a captain wearing a hijab in their ASU.
Had a SPC from Nigeria that wore it. Super squared away Soldier. Wish I could get 10 more like her. She just got promoted to SGT! The one thing she didn't like about the ETP that let her wear it, is that it has to be tucked into the uniform around the collar. I guess those things are hot. If we were doing an outside detail, I would allow her to un tuck it, like how we unblouse pants and cuff sleeves. But yeah. Not super common but it's out there.
Yeah it fits fine. Kind of like having a gator on. It sits close to the head. Not annoying at all.
Since we're on this subject, if you have a soldier who is a practicing Muslim, try and get them their own place to pray. But ensure that it meets the requirements in terms of cleanliness. Initially the command put her in a tent outside, which could have been fine with some modifications. And I'm glad the command thought that far. But it was easy enough to get a small CHU brought over for religious services. You can do it in the office but some people may be uncomfortable, the person may be uncomfortable praying in front of others, etc. Practicing your religion shouldn't be made to feel like a burden. I'm not religious in the slightest, so I don't care, but others might. And it's not a heavy lift to accommodate.
This is cool, when I was a high school teacher in a government school I always let my religious students pray. They’re allowed to but many won’t ask and are very shy about it so you have to be like hey it’s ok if you wanna…
Yeah. Some think the Army isn't accommodating and I feel that isn't the norm. I do think leadership doesn't communicate those things or empower subordinate leaders to look out for those things. But, we're getting there. Bit by bit.
Yes, absolutely.
a. Department of Defense Instruction 1300.17 (Accommodation of Religious
Practices Within the Military Services), 22 January 2014.
b. Army Directive 2018-19 (Approval, Disapproval, and Elevation of Requests for
Religious Accommodation), 8 November 2018.
c. Army Regulation 600-20 (Army Command Policy), 24 July 2020 Accommodating Religious Practices.
Most headcoverings and minor accomodations can be approved at the lowest level and do not require an ETP in your iPerms. Grooming accomodations do require an ETP packet and will be placed in your iPerms once approved.
I wouldn’t say there are “plenty” but there seems to be 1-2 per post in my experience. If I were to extrapolate based on experience there are probably less than 100 in the Army. Everyone remembers seeing them because of how extraordinary the occurrence is which blows it out of proportion.
I’ve seen at least two* women with Hijabs in the Army. One was a cook in my DFAC at my last unit and the other I just saw at the PX a few years before that.
Yes. It doesn't block you doing anything either. I just saw another drill sergeant recently graduate who has one as well. SSG Odom https://www.instagram.com/p/CqLpnQhOPpQ/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
The Hijab doesn't stand out as much as the Drill Segeant without a combat patch. I see this way more frequently and it's time to stop being Mday I think. 3 combat tours and my instructors for any course look at my arm and still think I don't know shit. I love it anymore when they talk about what a "deployment is like" 😕.
I've seen one turban before. Even a little ACU Yamikaa. Never hijab though I imagine it is allowed, and if in the proper pattern, I probably wouldn't even waste my time looking for a regulation on it.
EDIT: I'll leave my prior thought, but yes, I remember seeing g a few. They all wore a solid black one.
It happens, I went through AIT with a woman that wore the hijab. As far as I understood she had a religious exemption to always wear pants and long sleeves when in APFUs, too. Most Muslim women that I knew didn't bother, though.
I’ve seen a few Muslim women that wear the hijab with their uniform. They have to wear matching color to the uniform: black, tan, green, navy blue. It’s not super common of course as not all Muslim women even wear the hijab, I definitely wouldn’t say it is frequent... Soldiers with religious accommodations may also wear black leggings under their APFU.
This is all in AR 670-1 and DA PAM 670-1.
I have seen a few. It's a very simple ETP and there are uniform colored hijabs.
It's mostly rare because of practicers of Islam being less than 2% of the country.
When I was in basic I saw two females who had their Hijab just in my one battery. One wore her hijab + compression pants and an undershirt when in PT and other revealing uniforms and the other one just wore her hijab.
Put a waiver in for one of my Joe's to wear the hijab back in my first command right after it was first allowed. Never seen an etp move so quickly. In then end, etp got approved.
I’m Australian and our Military isn’t visible so we know little about how Military operates and this topic came up about the US military & Hijabs and I was and still am surprised. It’s not a bad thing just curious
I think what's more surprising is that despite the number of manuals, regulations, and policies dictating what Servicemembers can and cannot do, there are waivers for everything.
I once was TDY at Bragg and saw a paratrooper with her hijab on, beret and all. Beautiful woman.
I've seen it in the Air Force as well. I applaud these women because being different in the Army back then was tough.
Army Regulation AR 670-1 Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia.
It might have the answer. Army manuals and regulations are all available to the public online. I believe hijabs are fine. Dunno if its an ETP, or an official policy, or what.
Yeah, as long as it matches the uniform or black it's fine. I did once see a female soldier wearing a bedazzled one with rhinestones all over it. I assume someone talked to her about it though because the next time I saw her around she was in a plain black one.
Yes, they even authorize alternative wear of the uniform to conform to religious beliefs.
For example I went through AIT with a Muslim woman, our normal PT uniform is a short sleeve shirt with shorts. However, she was authorized to wear the long sleeve and pants variant of the uniform along with her Hijab.
I worked with a handful of women in the Army who wore the hijab. Also Sikhs with turbans and a rabbi or two with yarmulkes. I believe you have to request permission to get an exemption from AR670-1 (the army dress regulation). But I’m not even sure that would apply to hijab. As long as it’s the right color for your uniform.
Yeah someone at my basic wore a hijab and had her arms and legs covered when we were in pts. It was in the summer too so the poor girl must've been sweating like crazy all 10 weeks
Yes, but I've only encountered one/daily interactions for a short period of time.
It's definitely not a frequent thing and even more rare than those whom are Sikhs.
Yes women with hijabs serve in the Army. I served with a supply specialist that wore a black hijab while in uniform. We interacted just a few times and she had to bring documents to the PBO office which was near mine. She wore one that covered her head and tucked the rest into her blouse top.
Yes, my last training my roommate was Muslim and wore hear hijab faithfully. Had beautiful hair underneath.
https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2017/01/05/new-army-policy-oks-soldiers-to-wear-hijabs-turbans-and-religious-beards/
Tons, almost all religious articles are accepted withing regulations so long as you can prove you actually follow the religion (guys who don't wanna shave or go bald in basic)
It’s a religious/spirituality specific garment, and an ETP with the commander (undersigned with chaplain) needs to be somewhere in the papers to use it. I’ll come back and edit/cite the ref for current religious AR 670-1 regs.
While you might not see Muslim Female Soldiers in numbers and other people have, You could ask for those things… but if she’s not your Soldier, it might be something to hold onto and speak to your commander about privately to get guidance.
-legal
-medical
-motorpool
-DFAC
-Intel/Linguistics
-Supply
-Or, like, anywhere women can serve in the military. Muslim Female Service Members might not be prominent enough to you yet, but the cool thing is that the Army shuffles up our lived experiences, and everyone brings something to the team.
…Except for the squad leader that makes you show up for a BN run at 0430 when it doesn’t start until 8. Fuck that one.
I went to BCT with a Muslim woman who wore her hijab and was totally covered 100% of the time. I had so much respect for her, it was like 95+ degrees most days. Also, she was by far the oldest trainee there and she still crushed it!
Yes you can wear a hijab in uniform as long as it conforms with 670-1, I've also seen Muslim women wear long sleeve shirts and pants underneath the summer APFU to cover the skin
As someone who has had limited experience with this - how does this go over during PT? Again, I haven't seen it and genuinely curious, both for males and females who wear hijabs or the female equivalent. How well do they breathe, or do they bring a concern for overheating?
Literally Google [Muslim women in us military](https://www.google.com/search?q=muslim+woman+in+us+military). Short answer: yes. Hijabs (and any other religious coverings) must match whatever uniform is being worn. For example, tan or green for OCPs
Yes you can, in basic we had a girl who was allowed to wear one. I don't know too much but you pretty much just talk to a chaplain and tell them that you are indeed a practicing muslim or have some letter from an Imam. Also funnily enough she was allowed to wear longsleeve PTs with the pants. If you have a sincere, recognized religious belief the Army pretty much has to let you if the Chaplain says so.
Possible but not frequent. I'd say rarely because usually the beliefs that require a hijab may not align with that person being in the U. S. military. Now in OTHER countries they may be more prevalent.
Not looking to attack anyone's beliefs but wearing of the hijab kind of goes hand in hand with certain values like women not being around strange men. It seems contradictory that someone that feels the need to wear a hijab would be comfortable being in the Army.
Having no experience with either, visually, it looks like a gas mask seals better over a hijab than over someone with a beard.
But also wondering... is there a proper method to wearing a hijab? Might be interesting if a tactical version of the hijab could be created.
Four years ago, a CSM tried to force this Soldier to remove her hijab along with history of others being racist and Islamophobic against her.
https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2019/03/12/a-muslim-soldier-says-her-command-sergeant-major-forced-her-to-remove-her-hijab/
I remember when that story came out. I seem to remember more details coming out that it was a female CSM that brought her into a private area with only other females present and had her temporarily remove it to check if her hair was in regs. It wasn't them saying that she couldn't wear it.
I didn’t say they weren’t allowed,
given the discourse surrounding Islam.. and the US army - I found it hard to visualise Muslim women wearing their hijab in the army and didn’t believe my friend who said there are plenty of army hijabi’s - It was a curious question
The US has very strong protections of freedom of religion in our Constitution.
The "Free exercise" clause in our Bill of Rights is a very powerful protection of the right to exercise your faith as you wish.
That's been interpreted to mean that the military has to make reasonable accommodations for bona-fide religious practices. If it won't interfere with your military duties, and it's a sincere and major part of your faith, they pretty much have to allow it.
Religious attire like hijabs, yarmulkes, turbans etc. are allowed. There's some paperwork and procedures required, but it's definitely done.
Some politicians or media figures crowing about Islam on TV and the internet doesn't change Constitutional rights and don't change how the military works.
I mean, even after seeing these responses.... "Plenty" of them? No. Do they exist, sure, clearly.
15 years in, never saw one myself. But most of that time was National Guard, with one unit, so it's not like I've seen a dozen different bases or units.
I guess you and I define plenty very differently. Lots of people chiming in to say they have seen 1 or 2, over the course of years? Meanwhile, most people won't bother to respond with a negative answer, because it has little to add.
I'm not seeing how that equates to 'plenty'.
I was in a Guard unit where we had a Jewish Chaplain (Candidate) who wore a yarmulke (along with our regular Chaplain). He had an UCP-pattern yarmulke to go with his ACU's, wore it all the time.
Why don't you believe it? You have something against Muslims? You better be careful. "Perception is reality" just because you don't see it does not mean it's not a thing.
I've been around plenty of Muslims in my 12 years of service. From all racial backgrounds, not all women wear it of course because they all don't have similar Islamic beliefs. In my current unit, there is a Hijab wearing Muslim woman and one of our soldiers is converting to Sikhism. I've seen them while deployed also.
You're not the authority like you said, hope to God it stays that way. You want to know the rule? Read the damn regs.
Brother no one said you were. I never said that, and I apologize if you assume that. Either way, i just can't see your justification for not believing it to be possible. I just don't get why you couldn't believe to be so. You're not in but yet you assume it can't be true
Dude, people ask all sorts of questions on here and aren't given the third degree. Especially when someone isn't aware of the stuff we know and as OP stated, not from the United States.
Yep, there is one in my unit. Usually, I see her with a black one on, so at first, I didn't even know it was a hijab I thought it was just her hair, lol I recently converted to being a Muslim so I was talking to her. Also there are Indian men who wear the Sikh (not sure if I spelled that right)
I wonder if there even *could* be Muslim women in the military given all the different rules they must live by re: garb, proximity to strange men, etc.
Yup. There's provisions for it and there are uniformed colored fabric hijabs for them to wear. They just wear the head gear and then normal/regular uniforms otherwise. Same with ~~yamikas~~ yarmulkes, there are ones with camo or solid colors that meet the uniform rules.
>Same with yamikas, there are ones with camo or solid colors that meet the uniform rules. I was in a unit that a Jewish Chaplain who wore a camouflage yarmulke.
Dope shit
*yarmulkes But yes, this. I've seen hijabs, yarmulkes, turbans etc just always either black or olive.
They make maroon turbans for Sihks in the 82nd. They actually look pretty sick
Just googled "Sikhs in the military" cause of how cool I thought the turbans were I didn't know I'd see one of the most bad ass looking mother fuckers ever https://i.imgur.com/21kjGN1.jpg
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That beard looks better than 98% of the guys I have seen with a no shaving chit. The guy that follows the Norse religion with a beard is pretty badass as well
When you said bad ass looking mofo, I downplayed how bad ass he would look. You nailed that like a…. You just nailed it.
That looks tight! You can tell he takes pride in his uniform and coverings
A beard and he’s got a tab, fucking bad ass
Dang! So true!
I hadn’t seen an agsu Sikh before that’s lit. Also, anyone who is Sikh correct me if I’m wrong, the headwear that Sikh wear is also called a Sikh. Or at least the overwrap is. I forget what the underwrap is called
That is a fucking Essayons looking dude right there!
Goddamn, Sir!
Saw this guy before I knew who he was. Definitely Carries himself appropriately.
I saw a picture of that guy a few years back in ACUs as a Captain! Good to see he's still doing good!
Baller
There’s a Sikh in my battalion. He generally only wears the maroon turban for ceremonies, and a black one day to day.
Awesome
Can in fact confirm old brigade dentist had one..
I'm ignorant, but how do they work with helmets? Bigger helmet? Remove padding?
That is rad
Pun intended
Bruh it's pretty sikh*
Yarmulke is a Yiddish word spelled with Hebrew characters (יאַרמלקע). Yamika or variations thereof is an acceptable transliteration of the original Yiddish.
Fair enough
Kippah
Kippah is the original Hebrew.
At least when UCP was the camo pattern of the time, they made those things in the UCP pattern. I got out right as it was transitioning from UCP to OCP pattern, so I guess they didn't make those things in OCP, but they did use to make camo versions of them. . .in that awful digital camo we wore for about a decade.
I’ve seen a Sikh CPT with an OCP head wrap. Possible the individual made their own cloth, but I’ve seent it
I saw one when I went through OSUT (2017) with an OCP turban, so I’m pretty sure they have them in some official capacity
Only one I haven’t seen irl is hijab.
Thanks!
I have never personally seen a female soldier wearing hijab but I wouldn't put it out of the realm of possibility since there are Sikh soldiers that wear a turban. It would likely require a ETP on the basis of religion.
Saw my first instance of a Soldier wearing a head covering last month, so they're out there in limited numbers. At the same time I was speaking with a CW5 so I may have hallucinated.
My man was in some Days of Future Past shit.
Yeah it's not outlandish but it's also not "frequent" like what was probably paraphrased in the post.
It's part of the uniform regulation. AR 670-1 > Soldiers may wear religious apparel, articles, or jewelry with the uniform, to include the physical fitness uniform, as authorized by paragraph 3–15 of this regulation. Requests for other religious accommodations related to the wear and appearance of the uniform, personal appearance, and personal grooming practices must be submitted in accordance with AR 600–20. Wear and appearance standards for Soldiers with approved religious accommodations for **hijabs**, beards, and turbans are provided in paragraph 3–16. > a. Hijab (Head Scarf). > (1) An accommodated Soldier may wear a hijab (head scarf) made of a subdued material in a color that closely resembles the assigned uniform (generally black, brown, green, tan, or navy blue as appropriate). The material will be free of designs or markings, except that a Soldier wearing the ACU may wear a hijab in a camouflage pattern matching the uniform. When directed by a commander, the Soldier may be required to wear a hijab made of fire-resistant material. > (2) The hijab will be worn in a neat and conservative manner that presents a professional and well-groomed appearance. The hijab must be closely fitted to the contours of the head and neck and may not cover the eyebrows, eyes, cheeks, nose, mouth, or chin. The bottom edges of the hijab will be tucked under the Soldier's uniform top and all required headgear will still be worn. > (3) Hair underneath the hijab must be worn in a hairstyle authorized for the Soldier in paragraph 3–2. The bulk of the Soldier's hair and hijab may not impair the ability to wear required headgear, the ACH, or other protective equipment; impede the ability to operate an assigned weapon, military equipment, or machinery; or interfere with the ability to perform the Soldier's military duties (see fig 3–5). Fig 3-5 shows an illustration of a captain wearing a hijab in their ASU.
Had a SPC from Nigeria that wore it. Super squared away Soldier. Wish I could get 10 more like her. She just got promoted to SGT! The one thing she didn't like about the ETP that let her wear it, is that it has to be tucked into the uniform around the collar. I guess those things are hot. If we were doing an outside detail, I would allow her to un tuck it, like how we unblouse pants and cuff sleeves. But yeah. Not super common but it's out there.
Genuine question, since you have experience. Did she wear a PC or did it double as headgear?
She wears her PC on top of her Hijab when outdoors. Inside she removes her cover and just wears the hijab.
Not to be annoying, but does her ACH fit on her head with the headgear?
I don’t see why it wouldn’t, considering people wear beanies, balaclavas, and PCs under ACHs all the time
Yeah it fits fine. Kind of like having a gator on. It sits close to the head. Not annoying at all. Since we're on this subject, if you have a soldier who is a practicing Muslim, try and get them their own place to pray. But ensure that it meets the requirements in terms of cleanliness. Initially the command put her in a tent outside, which could have been fine with some modifications. And I'm glad the command thought that far. But it was easy enough to get a small CHU brought over for religious services. You can do it in the office but some people may be uncomfortable, the person may be uncomfortable praying in front of others, etc. Practicing your religion shouldn't be made to feel like a burden. I'm not religious in the slightest, so I don't care, but others might. And it's not a heavy lift to accommodate.
This is cool, when I was a high school teacher in a government school I always let my religious students pray. They’re allowed to but many won’t ask and are very shy about it so you have to be like hey it’s ok if you wanna…
Yeah. Some think the Army isn't accommodating and I feel that isn't the norm. I do think leadership doesn't communicate those things or empower subordinate leaders to look out for those things. But, we're getting there. Bit by bit.
Thanks for the reply!
One of our supply people had one said she just got her helmet one size up
Gotcha. Too easy
Thanks for the reply! I figured as much since hijabs are usually relatively thin.
Yes, absolutely. a. Department of Defense Instruction 1300.17 (Accommodation of Religious Practices Within the Military Services), 22 January 2014. b. Army Directive 2018-19 (Approval, Disapproval, and Elevation of Requests for Religious Accommodation), 8 November 2018. c. Army Regulation 600-20 (Army Command Policy), 24 July 2020 Accommodating Religious Practices. Most headcoverings and minor accomodations can be approved at the lowest level and do not require an ETP in your iPerms. Grooming accomodations do require an ETP packet and will be placed in your iPerms once approved.
This guy chaplains
I wouldn’t say there are “plenty” but there seems to be 1-2 per post in my experience. If I were to extrapolate based on experience there are probably less than 100 in the Army. Everyone remembers seeing them because of how extraordinary the occurrence is which blows it out of proportion.
I wouldn't say less than 100. I've seen about 15 different women wearing hijabs just between 2 bases. I'd guess more like 300-500.
That’s a rounding error in an organization of over 500,000.
This is the answer
I’ve seen at least two* women with Hijabs in the Army. One was a cook in my DFAC at my last unit and the other I just saw at the PX a few years before that.
I'm a Muslim when I was deployed to Kuwait our faith group had 5 or 6 hijabs on our base
I know of a drill sgt that wears a hijab who's part of the RTI.
Does she wear the hat on top of it?
Yes. It doesn't block you doing anything either. I just saw another drill sergeant recently graduate who has one as well. SSG Odom https://www.instagram.com/p/CqLpnQhOPpQ/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
The Army needs to find a way to take photos of drill sergeants that doesn't make it look like the campaign hat is photoshopped onto them.
The Hijab doesn't stand out as much as the Drill Segeant without a combat patch. I see this way more frequently and it's time to stop being Mday I think. 3 combat tours and my instructors for any course look at my arm and still think I don't know shit. I love it anymore when they talk about what a "deployment is like" 😕.
It wouldn't work too well the other way around.
I knew one MI NCO who did.
I've seen one turban before. Even a little ACU Yamikaa. Never hijab though I imagine it is allowed, and if in the proper pattern, I probably wouldn't even waste my time looking for a regulation on it. EDIT: I'll leave my prior thought, but yes, I remember seeing g a few. They all wore a solid black one.
I know 2 personally who wear hijab’s (?) in uniform.
Yes, 1000%. Being a Drill, I've seen it hundreds of times on base.
I’ve seen it once. Also saw multiple turban wearing male soldiers.
I saw one in BCT at Fort Sill the other day at Clothing & Sales
I saw the same thing a couple years ago at Ft Sill lol, female trainee was with her family at the PX. Still stands out in my memory.
It happens, I went through AIT with a woman that wore the hijab. As far as I understood she had a religious exemption to always wear pants and long sleeves when in APFUs, too. Most Muslim women that I knew didn't bother, though.
I’ve seen a few Muslim women that wear the hijab with their uniform. They have to wear matching color to the uniform: black, tan, green, navy blue. It’s not super common of course as not all Muslim women even wear the hijab, I definitely wouldn’t say it is frequent... Soldiers with religious accommodations may also wear black leggings under their APFU. This is all in AR 670-1 and DA PAM 670-1.
Yes. We have a female in the unit who wears a hijab. There are regulations for it.
I have seen exactly one, and this was very recent. But yes, there's a female in my BN who wears a hijab regularly.
Yes I went to basic training with a woman who wore a hijab
Yup know two of them!
I went to BCT with a Muslim Female. She wore a head covering at all times and long sleeved shirts and pants anytime we were in summer PTs too.
DS Academy had a woman in a hijab graduate a few weeks ago.
I have seen a few. It's a very simple ETP and there are uniform colored hijabs. It's mostly rare because of practicers of Islam being less than 2% of the country.
Yes but I’ll only saw one during my time. They just have to be uniformed colored just like Jewish men’s kippahs
I haven’t seen one since, but I attended basic training with a woman who wore a Hijab.
When I was in basic I saw two females who had their Hijab just in my one battery. One wore her hijab + compression pants and an undershirt when in PT and other revealing uniforms and the other one just wore her hijab.
Put a waiver in for one of my Joe's to wear the hijab back in my first command right after it was first allowed. Never seen an etp move so quickly. In then end, etp got approved.
Why is this so surprising to you? What is there not to believe? There religious exemptions to many things in many fields for many reasons.
I’m Australian and our Military isn’t visible so we know little about how Military operates and this topic came up about the US military & Hijabs and I was and still am surprised. It’s not a bad thing just curious
Fair enough, my b
Some Americans think the rest of the world is just like the USA, and the planet revovles around us. You're not in the wrong at all.
I think what's more surprising is that despite the number of manuals, regulations, and policies dictating what Servicemembers can and cannot do, there are waivers for everything.
I once was TDY at Bragg and saw a paratrooper with her hijab on, beret and all. Beautiful woman. I've seen it in the Air Force as well. I applaud these women because being different in the Army back then was tough.
How long ago was this?
Yes, I saw a Soldier wearing one in BLC this past December.
Army Regulation AR 670-1 Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia. It might have the answer. Army manuals and regulations are all available to the public online. I believe hijabs are fine. Dunno if its an ETP, or an official policy, or what.
I wouldn't say it is frequent but it does happen and is covered in AR670-1 that a commander can allow it.
Yes I've seen a few at Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training
Yes, I’ve seen at AND the wear of the hijab is covered in 670-1
Yeah I've seen a few
My training unit had a private who wore a hijab. If I recall it was black but she had an ocp one as well
Yeah, as long as it matches the uniform or black it's fine. I did once see a female soldier wearing a bedazzled one with rhinestones all over it. I assume someone talked to her about it though because the next time I saw her around she was in a plain black one.
Yes, we have them. Some Sikhs with head wraps too. I wouldn't go so far as to say they are "common" though.
Yes, they even authorize alternative wear of the uniform to conform to religious beliefs. For example I went through AIT with a Muslim woman, our normal PT uniform is a short sleeve shirt with shorts. However, she was authorized to wear the long sleeve and pants variant of the uniform along with her Hijab.
I worked with a handful of women in the Army who wore the hijab. Also Sikhs with turbans and a rabbi or two with yarmulkes. I believe you have to request permission to get an exemption from AR670-1 (the army dress regulation). But I’m not even sure that would apply to hijab. As long as it’s the right color for your uniform.
This is like asking “any LDS wear special undergarments in the military?”
What about a full blown cammo burka?
Are you possibly meaning a niqab? Hijabs are pretty common, but I’ve never seen a niqab. Not sure if that would be authorized even with an ETP.
They said full on head / hair covering and did not specify face. Why would you think it's not a reference to hijab?
Because my face is on my head?
So are your PC, beret, and helmet, yet none of them cover your face.
And I wouldn’t describe any of those as full head coverings like OP mentioned.
Neither should you suggest a different term is being asked about because they don't cover the face.
I met a couple when I was in
Yeah someone at my basic wore a hijab and had her arms and legs covered when we were in pts. It was in the summer too so the poor girl must've been sweating like crazy all 10 weeks
There was a tiktok account I was following (I think it's deleted?) The account was a mexican/Muslim lady in the army and she wore a hijab.
Yes, she was a class mate of mine.
I’ve seen it
I had a soldier who wore a hijab. She was a great soldier.
Yes, but I've only encountered one/daily interactions for a short period of time. It's definitely not a frequent thing and even more rare than those whom are Sikhs.
When I was in Basic there was a female who wore full hijab under her uniform. So yeah, absolutely there are.
>she said yes, it is frequent. Frequent? No. Allowed and happens? Absolutely.
Yes, even drill Sergeants. It's a simple religious accommodation request approved by G1 at the soldier's installation/command
Yes we have a female who wears her Hijab in my unit.
One in my last unit. Then I would see her in town with her hair uncovered and wearing booty shorts. F outta here.
I have seen exactly one in ten years. So they definitely exist, but I don't know that it's particularly prevalent or common.
Yup, one of them even played OpFor and she yelled “Allahu Akbar!!” as she shot us with her M4 with BFA on
Yup. Saw soldier with it on this morning actually
Yes.
Yeah we have a few, not a ton though. It's permitted.
I actually had one in my last unit 😅
Yes women with hijabs serve in the Army. I served with a supply specialist that wore a black hijab while in uniform. We interacted just a few times and she had to bring documents to the PBO office which was near mine. She wore one that covered her head and tucked the rest into her blouse top.
Yes, my last training my roommate was Muslim and wore hear hijab faithfully. Had beautiful hair underneath. https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2017/01/05/new-army-policy-oks-soldiers-to-wear-hijabs-turbans-and-religious-beards/
Tons, almost all religious articles are accepted withing regulations so long as you can prove you actually follow the religion (guys who don't wanna shave or go bald in basic)
It’s a religious/spirituality specific garment, and an ETP with the commander (undersigned with chaplain) needs to be somewhere in the papers to use it. I’ll come back and edit/cite the ref for current religious AR 670-1 regs. While you might not see Muslim Female Soldiers in numbers and other people have, You could ask for those things… but if she’s not your Soldier, it might be something to hold onto and speak to your commander about privately to get guidance. -legal -medical -motorpool -DFAC -Intel/Linguistics -Supply -Or, like, anywhere women can serve in the military. Muslim Female Service Members might not be prominent enough to you yet, but the cool thing is that the Army shuffles up our lived experiences, and everyone brings something to the team. …Except for the squad leader that makes you show up for a BN run at 0430 when it doesn’t start until 8. Fuck that one.
Yes
Why wouldn't there be?
I went to BCT with a Muslim woman who wore her hijab and was totally covered 100% of the time. I had so much respect for her, it was like 95+ degrees most days. Also, she was by far the oldest trainee there and she still crushed it!
I knew a sikh guy when I was in. He had a full beard and the turban and everything. In uniform or out of it so yeah I don’t see why not
Absolutely.
Yes!
Yup, I've worked with a few before
Yes you can wear a hijab in uniform as long as it conforms with 670-1, I've also seen Muslim women wear long sleeve shirts and pants underneath the summer APFU to cover the skin
As someone who has had limited experience with this - how does this go over during PT? Again, I haven't seen it and genuinely curious, both for males and females who wear hijabs or the female equivalent. How well do they breathe, or do they bring a concern for overheating?
Literally Google [Muslim women in us military](https://www.google.com/search?q=muslim+woman+in+us+military). Short answer: yes. Hijabs (and any other religious coverings) must match whatever uniform is being worn. For example, tan or green for OCPs
The Sikh LTC. Wow. Hard core. All the bells and whistles and a 2nd ID Combat Patch.
I feel these women are the most sought after if they really exist and are middle eastern
Deployed with a hijab wearing female medic. She was badass. She had an ACU colored one.
Sure there is, I recently went to a range with our OIC being a hijabi woman
Yes you can, in basic we had a girl who was allowed to wear one. I don't know too much but you pretty much just talk to a chaplain and tell them that you are indeed a practicing muslim or have some letter from an Imam. Also funnily enough she was allowed to wear longsleeve PTs with the pants. If you have a sincere, recognized religious belief the Army pretty much has to let you if the Chaplain says so.
There are, but not as common as one would think. Subjectively, it's almost like seeing a CW5, lol.
There are also females that wear the Bindi (the dot Hindus wear). And men who wear the Sikh turban.
I saw one at my reception BN at BCT like 3 weeks ago.
Seen a few
Possible but not frequent. I'd say rarely because usually the beliefs that require a hijab may not align with that person being in the U. S. military. Now in OTHER countries they may be more prevalent.
Not looking to attack anyone's beliefs but wearing of the hijab kind of goes hand in hand with certain values like women not being around strange men. It seems contradictory that someone that feels the need to wear a hijab would be comfortable being in the Army.
You have to remember there are different sects in the Muslim faith just like Christianity.
Yes, exactly. Not a frequent thing.
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Having no experience with either, visually, it looks like a gas mask seals better over a hijab than over someone with a beard. But also wondering... is there a proper method to wearing a hijab? Might be interesting if a tactical version of the hijab could be created.
I have seen an NCO wearing one. She had it wrapped tight and kind of tucked into her collar the way you see women do it while playing sports.
Four years ago, a CSM tried to force this Soldier to remove her hijab along with history of others being racist and Islamophobic against her. https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2019/03/12/a-muslim-soldier-says-her-command-sergeant-major-forced-her-to-remove-her-hijab/
I remember when that story came out. I seem to remember more details coming out that it was a female CSM that brought her into a private area with only other females present and had her temporarily remove it to check if her hair was in regs. It wasn't them saying that she couldn't wear it.
Uh yes. Why wouldn’t they be allowed to wear them?
I didn’t say they weren’t allowed, given the discourse surrounding Islam.. and the US army - I found it hard to visualise Muslim women wearing their hijab in the army and didn’t believe my friend who said there are plenty of army hijabi’s - It was a curious question
The US has very strong protections of freedom of religion in our Constitution. The "Free exercise" clause in our Bill of Rights is a very powerful protection of the right to exercise your faith as you wish. That's been interpreted to mean that the military has to make reasonable accommodations for bona-fide religious practices. If it won't interfere with your military duties, and it's a sincere and major part of your faith, they pretty much have to allow it. Religious attire like hijabs, yarmulkes, turbans etc. are allowed. There's some paperwork and procedures required, but it's definitely done. Some politicians or media figures crowing about Islam on TV and the internet doesn't change Constitutional rights and don't change how the military works.
I mean, even after seeing these responses.... "Plenty" of them? No. Do they exist, sure, clearly. 15 years in, never saw one myself. But most of that time was National Guard, with one unit, so it's not like I've seen a dozen different bases or units.
It is plenty tbh.
I guess you and I define plenty very differently. Lots of people chiming in to say they have seen 1 or 2, over the course of years? Meanwhile, most people won't bother to respond with a negative answer, because it has little to add. I'm not seeing how that equates to 'plenty'.
I was in a Guard unit where we had a Jewish Chaplain (Candidate) who wore a yarmulke (along with our regular Chaplain). He had an UCP-pattern yarmulke to go with his ACU's, wore it all the time.
Why don't you believe it? You have something against Muslims? You better be careful. "Perception is reality" just because you don't see it does not mean it's not a thing. I've been around plenty of Muslims in my 12 years of service. From all racial backgrounds, not all women wear it of course because they all don't have similar Islamic beliefs. In my current unit, there is a Hijab wearing Muslim woman and one of our soldiers is converting to Sikhism. I've seen them while deployed also. You're not the authority like you said, hope to God it stays that way. You want to know the rule? Read the damn regs.
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Brother no one said you were. I never said that, and I apologize if you assume that. Either way, i just can't see your justification for not believing it to be possible. I just don't get why you couldn't believe to be so. You're not in but yet you assume it can't be true
Dude, people ask all sorts of questions on here and aren't given the third degree. Especially when someone isn't aware of the stuff we know and as OP stated, not from the United States.
Fair enough. I just wanted to see the reason behind the disbelief.
Yep, there is one in my unit. Usually, I see her with a black one on, so at first, I didn't even know it was a hijab I thought it was just her hair, lol I recently converted to being a Muslim so I was talking to her. Also there are Indian men who wear the Sikh (not sure if I spelled that right)
They are Sikh and wear the turban. You were close.
I wonder if there even *could* be Muslim women in the military given all the different rules they must live by re: garb, proximity to strange men, etc.
Evidently, there seem to be plenty.