Air Force Grants First Beard Waiver to Muslim Airman
20 Nov 2018
Military.com | By Hope Hodge Seck
An airman from the 821st Contingency Response Support Squadron at Travis Air Force Base, California, can now wear a beard in keeping with his Muslim faith, thanks to a recently granted religious accommodation waiver, service officials said.
Staff Sgt. Abdul Rahman Gaitan is the first Muslim airman to receive such a waiver, public affairs officials with Travis told Military.com. It was approved Aug. 1.
According to a news release about Gaitan, the airman was raised Catholic but developed an interest in Islam during a 2011 deployment to Izmir, Turkey, where the Air Force maintains an air station. He continued his pursuit of the faith as he moved on to his next duty station in Hawaii, and ultimately decided to convert.
https://www.military.com/kitup/2018/11/20/air-force-grants-first-beard-waiver-muslim-airman.html
