US Air Force to allow Uniformed Members to wear Turbans, Hijabs, Beards for Religious Purposes in new dress code law

The United States Airforce has announced a new set of rules to its military clothing policy, allowing military personnel to wear turbans or hijabs as a part of the military uniform.

According to the newly revised dress code policy, the “Dress and Personal Appearance of Air Force Personnel” code, now permits airmen to request a waiver to wear religious apparel while in uniform as long as they are “neat and conservative.”

According to the policy, the material used for headwear must resemble the colour of the assigned uniform and includes camouflage. It must be worn in a fashion that presents a “professional and well-groomed appearance.”

In addition, members also can request permission to have unshorn beards and unshorn hair.
But if the length of the beard exceeds 2 inches, it must be “rolled an or tied”.

This isn’t the first time, a special requests to observe religious practices have been approved by the US Military as Airman 1st Class Harpreetinder Singh Bajwa became the first active-duty Sikh to be permitted to wear a turban, beard and long hair in 2019.