A Muslim soldier based in Fort Carson intends to sue the U.S. Army over allegations of discrimination and harassment that began shortly after she started wearing a hijab.

Spc. Cesilia Valdovinos, who has been in the military for seven years and has served in Afghanistan, converted to Islam in 2016. Since she started wearing her hijab, a head cover, at work, she has been subjected to name-calling, increased personal inspections and has been demoted, she and her attorney, Mikey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation said.

“It’s been harsh; it’s been hard,” Valdovinos told The Denver Post in an interview.

Weinstein said a federal lawsuit will be filed as soon as he determines whether it should originate in Colorado, where Fort Carson is located, or in Virginia where the Pentagon is. They also are looking into filing a complaint with the U.S. Civil Rights Commission.

“It’s a scandalous outrage the way she’s been treated,” Weinstein said.

Col. Dave Zinn, the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, said in a statement Friday to The Denver Post that he and other leaders are committed to supporting religious diversity.

“I have, and will continue to take all reports of soldiers disrespecting religious beliefs, observances or traditions very seriously,” Zinn said. “I will ensure our unit continues to place a high value on the rights of our soldiers to observe the tenets of their respective religions or to observe no religion at all.”

Valdovinos, 26, started wearing the hijab with her uniform once the military authorized it in 2018. That’s when she said the harassment and discrimination began.

During her third deployment to Afghanistan, she said she was called a “terrorist,” “ISIS” and a “ninja” by fellow soldiers but nothing was done when she reported it.

After she returned, a command sergeant major of the 704th Transportation Battalion asked her to take her hijab off in a public place to show that her hair was in a bun underneath the scarf, per Army regulations.

Valdovinos, a culinary specialist, said after she removed the scarf, her hair fell out of the bun, making it appear that it wasn’t following code.

But Valdovinos said she was reprimanded for violating Army regulations for women’s hair even though she was in compliance.

Fort Carson officials declined to discuss whether Valdovinos was punished over her hair, saying it would violate Valdovinos’s right to privacy. But Zinn’s statement said the sergeant major acted appropriately by enforcing regulations for how women should wear the hijab.

“The Army has not taken any adverse actions against Spc. Valdovinos in response to the wear of any religious garment, her equal opportunity complaint, or the resulting media attention,” Zinn said.

Weinstein was contacted by a high-ranking military official who is Muslim so he helped Valdovinos file a complaint first through the appropriate channels.

But he believes the complaint was not investigated seriously or thoroughly.

Then, she was called out again.

A superior asked Valdovinos if her bun underneath her hijab was in regulation and when she said yes, the commander said she didn’t believe her and asked her to go fix it.

The Army Times wrote about her allegations.

Valdovinos then was demoted from sergeant to specialist and had her pay docked as punishment for another disciplinary issue. In that case, Valdovinos, who is married, was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with another soldier, Weinstein said.

It’s “another example of anti-Islamic hatred that’s being poured all over her,” he said.

There was no proof and the other soldier denied it, Valdovinos said, so her superiors first told her she would only receive a written reprimand.

But after The Army Times story was published, Weinstein alleges, Valdovinos received the demotion.

Valdovinos said the accusation is baseless — she was helping a fellow soldier who had oral surgery back to his barracks after she was ordered to do so, and other soldiers reported the alleged relationship.

She said she became a target because she stood up for herself. The lawsuit would be a way to “show people that just because we’re in the military doesn’t mean we have to put up with mistreatment and people higher (ranking) than us misusing their ranks and authority,” she said.

“Just because I’m Muslim doesn’t mean I’m not American,” said U.S.-born Valdovinos.

Weinstein said since Valdovinos’ story became public, he’s received numerous calls from members of the military who are Muslim who have shared similar stories and others who have had a “crisis of conscience.”

He said eyewitnesses to Valdovinos’ incidents have been afraid to come forward publicly.

“We have to stop this — what we’re calling perverse and pernicious anti-Muslim bigotry and prejudice and harassment,” he said.

Valdovinos’ military contract is set to end in January 2020. What she does next is up in the air, she said.