(AFP): The South African military has amended its dress policy to allow Muslim women to wear hijab, or headscarves, as part of their official uniform, an army spokesperson confirmed.
The decision comes almost a year after the South African military court dropped charges against an officer, Major Fatima Isaacs, for wearing hijab under her military beret.
Major Isaacs was criminally charged in June 2018 with failing to obey lawful instructions and wilful defiance after her superior asked her to remove her headscarf when in uniform.
The South Africa-based Legal Resources Centre, which represented Isaacs, said the officer had been criminally charged with three counts of contravening section 19(1) of the Military Discipline Code: disobeying lawful commands or orders.
We will therefore not be pursuing this matter further as the current SANDF policy no longer discriminates against Muslim women in the military. Some background on the case https://t.co/3PQfzaCR1G
— Legal Resources Centre (@LRC_SouthAfrica) January 27, 2021
Spokesperson Mafi Mgobozi told an international news agency said, “The SANDF dress regulation was updated to allow the wearing of headscarves by Muslim (women) according to stipulations in the dress regulations.”
The Legal Resources Centre welcomed the decision via Twitter, saying that it was withdrawing the equality court case. It consequently “filed a Notice of Withdrawal in the Equality Court” and will therefore not be pursuing this matter further as the current SANDF policy no longer discriminates against Muslim women in the military.
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