July 20, 2009
Source: Syracuse.com
Wire Service: AP
A Danish military unit has become embroiled in a dispute about Muslim headscarves after it allowed a hijab-wearing woman to complete a training course.
The Home Guard, a home defense corps of thousands of volunteer soldiers, does not allow headscarves and violated that rule when it allowed Maria Mawla, 27, to wear one during its 10-day basic training program, spokesman Joergen Jensen said Monday.
"We made a mistake internally," Jensen told The Associated Press.
The issue became national news in Denmark after the populist Danish People's Party, known for its anti-Muslim outbursts, expressed shock over an article about Mawla posted on the Home Guard's Web site.