Air Force updates dress code to clear process for turbans, hijabs

The Air Force’s dress code has been updated to clear the way for an approval process for Sikhs and Muslims that would allow them to wear their articles of faith while serving.

Finalized last week, the new code lets Sikhs and Muslims in the Air Force seek a religious accommodation that will allow turbans, beards, unshorn hair and hijabs, with the expectation that they’ll be approved as long as their appearance is “neat and conservative,” CNN reports.

Before the new policy, Sikhs and Muslims who served in the Air Force could be granted religious accommodation only by a case-by-case basis, and the process could be overly slow.

The new guidelines set a benchmark for the process and set a concrete timeline for approval.