The RCMP's New Dress Code Allows Women To Wear A Hijab If They Choose

    The Mounties say it's eh-OK with them.

    Ishmael N. Daro
    by Ishmael N. Daro

    BuzzFeed Staff, Canada

    The RCMP says Muslim women serving on the police force can wear a hijab as part of their uniforms if they choose.

    Jeff Mcintosh / THE CANADIAN PRESS

    Julie Gagnon, a spokesperson for the Mounties, said the new dress policy was adopted in January, although it escaped wider notice until now.

    "Offering female Muslim RCMP officers the choice to wear the hijab reflects the diversity of the RCMP's workforce," Gagnon told BuzzFeed News.

    The hijabs have been rigorously tested, Gagnong said, "to ensure the design meets the highest standards of officer safety."

    The RCMP is not the first police force in Canada to allow hijabs. The Toronto and Edmonton police departments have accepted the garment as part of uniforms for several years.

    Intercultural Dialogue Institute
    Edmonton Police Service

    A number of other countries including Sweden and Scotland have similar policies in place.

    The change in policy appears to have been a pre-emptive move, since, according to the RCMP, no current member of the police force has requested to wear a hijab on duty.

    The RCMP has also allowed Sikh men to wear turbans as part of their uniforms since 1990, although the change was hugely controversial at the time.

    The change to allow the hijab comes amid concerns that a ban on "burkini" swimsuits in France in fanning intolerance toward Muslims.

    Hend Amry @LibyaLiberty

    You should be weeping, France.

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    This week, a Muslim woman on the beach in Nice was told she had to strip off some of her clothing to comply with the burkini ban. A witness told The Guardian that some onlookers shouted at her to "go home" while others applauded the police.

    More than a dozen municipalities in France have instituted a burkini ban.