Simran Preet Singh Lamba graduates from U.S. Army Basic Training at Fort Jackson in Columbia, SC. He is the first Sikh enlisted soldier since the 1980s. (source: Sikh Coalition)
On The Daily Beast, Simran Jeet Singh examines common — and often, outdated — rationale used to deny practicing Sikh men from serving in the US military with turbans and beards intact:
Concerns with placing protective masks on people with beards first emerged during World War I, but technology has developed enough over the past century to render this a moot issue.
Sikhs who maintain their articles of faith are serving in the military but require specific exceptions from military grooming policy that is only valid for specific tours of duty. Three Sikhs have received this exception and are serving successfully and with distinction, demonstrating that Sikhs are able to fully serve with their articles of faith intact.
While the debate around US military action around the world is certainly legitimate, it should not be confused with the civil rights issue around allowing Sikhs and members of other faith groups to serve without discrimination.
Read more at The Daily Beast.
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