South Carolina military college reviewing request to wear hijab

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - The Citadel military college in South Carolina is considering a request by an incoming Muslim student to wear a hijab, the school said in a statement on Friday.

The public military college in Charleston, founded in 1842, has never before granted an exception to its strict uniform requirements, according to the Washington Post, which cited an unnamed spokeswoman.

Citadel students are required to wear uniforms furnished by the college at nearly all times except when the corps of cadets is furloughed or a cadet is on leave, according to the college's website.

"A student who was recently accepted into The Citadel for the fall semester has requested to wear a hijab. The college is reviewing the request at this time," Colonel Brett Ashworth, a spokesman for the school, said in the statement.

Another Citadel spokeswoman, Kim Keelor-Parker, declined to answer questions about whether the school had ever granted exceptions to uniform rules and said the school had no further comment.

Some students and alumni have spoken out against allowing an exception to be made at a school that places great importance on uniformity and discipline, the Post reported.

"Equality means the same set of rules for everyone," cadet Nick Pinelli said in a Facebook post on Wednesday. "Not different rules for different people."

(Reporting by Harriet McLeod; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Fiona Ortiz)