By The New Arab Staff
Maysaa Ouza, the first Muslim officer in the legal arm of the Air Force - known as the Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG) - authorised to wear the hijab, sparked a policy change on religious accommodation requests.
(AL ARABY) An American Muslim woman who sought legal guidance to wear the hijab as part of her military uniform has sparked a policy change on religious accommodation requests in the US Air Force, local media report.
In 2018, Maysaa Ouza, 29, became the first Muslim officer in the legal arm of the Air Force – known as the Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG) – authorised to wear the hijab, according to ABC-affiliated WXYZ TV.
When she first joined the Air Force, Ouza said she had not seen any women who wore the hijab, with the permission to wear items of dress such as hijabs or turbans requiring approval through a religious accommodation process.
“I was told I would not be able to apply for religious accommodation until after I completed officer training school. I felt like I was being made to choose between serving my country and practicing the tenants of my faith”, she told WXYZ TV in a report that aired on Thursday.
Feeling as though her religious freedom were being “stripped away” she sought legal guidance and was represented by advocacy group American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Hammoud & Dakhlallah law group.
