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Summary: Ravenwood High School student Demin Zawity was told she could not march in the homecoming parade with her fellow JROTC cadets wearing her headscarf.
[BRENTWOOD, 18 October 2011] - A Ravenwood High School freshman said her Muslim beliefs were put to the test when commanding officers in her Junior Reserve Officersâ Training Corps programme told her she couldnât both wear a headscarf and march in the September homecoming parade. Demin Zawity, 14, has since quit the JROTC and returned to regular physical education classes, but the Council on American-Islamic Relations sent a letter of complaint to Williamson County Schools Director Mike Looney. Zawity said she felt like crying when she was told she couldnât wear the headscarf with her uniform. Sheâd been wearing it all along, but homecoming marked the first time she was going to wear her JROTC uniform as well. "They were making something that is not such a huge deal into something so dramatic,â she said. âThe next day was the parade, and I couldnât march. If I canât march, I want it to be because I donât want to and not because of my religious headwear.â Calls to US Army Junior ROTC cadet command communication officers were not returned Monday afternoon. Carol Birdsong, Williamson County Schoolsâ spokeswoman, said such programmes are run under military regulations, and the district follows those. âJunior ROTC only exists at high schools if approved by the U.S. military,â she said. Under cadet command regulations on the US Army Junior ROTC website, religious headgear can be worn, but it must be "completely covered by standard military headgear." Wayne Hall, a spokesman for the U.S. Army, says exceptions can be made to the rules. However, all requests must be evaluated and they take time. There are cases on the active duty side where exceptions have been made for men who wear beards for religious reasons, he said. Nevertheless, requests are made by the individual. CAIR is calling the situation religious discrimination and demanding a formal apology to the teen and modification of JROTC policy that would allow Zawity to wear her religious head covering. They say Ravenwood High is a school and not bound by the codes and regulations of the US Army. No one is saying Zawity should be exempt from the rules, but schools cannot keep her from practicing her faith, said Gadeir Abbas, staff attorney for CAIR. A school has to provide reasonable accommodations for her to practice her faith. âCAIR is deeply troubled by these allegations,â said Nadhira Al-Khalili, legal counsel for the organisation. âIt is unconscionable that a school district would enforce a third partyâs discriminatory policy.â Williamson County Schools are on fall break Monday and today. The letter from CAIR to Director of Schools Mike Looney is dated October 13. The headscarf covers a womanâs hair and neck, and is an outward sign of modesty and adherence to the Muslim faith for women. A New Jersey teen dropped out of the Naval Junior ROTC in 2003 over the same issue, even though her school ultimately offered to exempt her from the uniform rules. Zawityâs mom, Perishan Hussein, said she contacted the Council on American-Islamic Relations to complain about her daughterâs treatment. âThere are some Muslims who say she shouldnât be involved in this and there will be Americans who say she needs to assimilate,â Hussein said. âWe have to ask ourselves: Do we want to be a melting pot full of vibrant cultures? Or, do we want everyone to assimilate to one culture, one rationale, one way of being? Sheâs an American. Iâm an American. She has a right to stand up for her rights.â Zawity said sheâs lost her interest in returning to the JROTC even if the rules are changed, but she wanted to make things better for future Muslim girls who wish to join.  Further Information:Â
Owner: Jeanne Reasonover pdf: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111018/NEWS/310180025/JROTC-s-headsc...