Milaap Singh Chahal is likely one of the males who was denied entry to fundamental coaching due to his beard.

Sikh Coalition

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Sikh Coalition

Milaap Singh Chahal is likely one of the males who was denied entry to fundamental coaching due to his beard.

Sikh Coalition

A federal court docket has dominated that the Marine Corps can not deny entry to Sikhs due to their unshorn beards and hair.

The Marine Corps informed three Sikh males that they might serve provided that they shaved earlier than going via fundamental coaching. Most Sikh males do not minimize their hair as an indication of their non secular dedication. But to serve within the army satisfies one other facet of their religion.

“They believe, as part of their religious duty, in defending the rights of others,” lawyer Eric Baxter, who represents the boys, informed NPR. “[Sikhs] have served for a long time in militaries around the world, including in the United States, with all of their articles of faith in place.”

The District of Columbia’s federal appeals court docket determined that the three are entitled to serve. The Sikh Coalition is campaigning to permit Sikhs to apply their non secular customs whereas serving within the U.S. army. More than 100 members of Congress and 27 retired generals help the group’s trigger.

“The Pentagon’s existing policies are based on stereotypes about what Americans should look like,” the group wrote on its website. “Instead of perpetuating stereotypes, policymakers should focus on whether candidates for military service can competently perform their job functions and promote teamwork and camaraderie.”

Baxter mentioned his three Sikh purchasers had been ready for greater than two years to undergo formal coaching, all of the whereas watching their fellow recruits advance with out them.

“That’s very demoralizing for two years to see that everyone else gets to progress and you’re told, ‘No, you’re not good enough to serve in our country,'” he mentioned.

The Marines claimed their guidelines about hair are a matter of nationwide safety, as a result of the beards will influence “troop uniformity.”

The Marine Corps permits medically required beards and numerous hairstyles for ladies, and has relaxed its guidelines round tattoos.

In 2021, NPR reported that the Marines deliberate to deal with its lack of variety and retention issues. Approximately 75% of Marines go away on the finish of their four-year time period, the very best turnover charge among the many army companies, in response to the article.

The ruling signifies that the three males are allowed to go forward with coaching, whereas the Marine Corps considers a attainable attraction.

“They should really just recognize it’s time to make this change and let all Americans serve without having to abandon their religious – their core religious belief,” Baxter mentioned.