A Sikh Marine artillery officer and three potential Marines have filed a lawsuit towards the Marine Corps for the best to put on their beards in fight zones and at boot camp respectively, in accordance with an advocacy group for Sikhs within the U.S. navy.
“Treating a Sikh’s beard, a core tenet of the religion, as merely non-obligatory is unacceptable,” Giselle Klapper, the senior workers lawyer for The Sikh Coalition, mentioned in a information launch. “It’s time for the USMC to acknowledge what the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Pressure, and armed forces all over the world already know: Articles of religion don’t preclude Sikhs from succesful navy service.”
The Sikh religion requires each women and men to have unshorn hair. Religious male Sikhs are required to have beards and put on turbans. Whereas Sikh troopers fought within the British-led Indian military throughout World Wars I and II, some observant Sikhs within the U.S. navy have been at odds with their service’s grooming requirements.
Marine Capt. Sukhbir Singh Toor was granted a partial spiritual lodging in June 2021 that enables him to put on a turban and beard when not deployed to a fight zone. In his lawsuit, Toor argued that the caveat on his spiritual lodging is unfair as a result of though he’s not required to serve in a fight zone, it’s “a profession differentiator for a Discipline Artillery Officer.”
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His attorneys additionally argue that the Marine Corps’ concern that Toor couldn’t get a fuel masks to seal correctly if he deployed to a fight zone together with his beard is negated by the truth that Toor’s beard and Turban didn’t stop him from correctly carrying his masks throughout fuel chamber coaching and there’s little danger of publicity to chemical, organic, and radiological weapons in a number of fight zones.
If Toor had been deployed to a fight zone and refused to shave his beard, he may very well be charged beneath the Uniform Code of Army Justice with failing to obey an order, the utmost punishment for which incorporates dismissal and two years in jail, the lawsuit says.
“I’ve confirmed my dedication to the Corps by my 4 years of service, and I’m able to deploy similar to another service member,” Toor mentioned in a press release. “I can’t do this, nonetheless, so long as I’m left on the bench due to my spiritual beliefs. I’m ready to struggle for the best to do my job whereas staying true to my religion with no caveats, asterisks, or discriminatory restrictions.”
Two different Sikh males — Milaap Singh Chahal and Aekash Singh — need to enlist within the Marine Corps whereas a 3rd — Jaskirat Singh — desires to affix the Marine Corps Reserve, the lawsuit says. Jaskirat Singh has already signed a contract to ship besides camp by April 30 or else he’ll face an administrative discharge.
“Milaap Singh Chahal and Aekash Singh had been candidates for the DEP [Delayed Entry Program], and commenced the method to be contracted, however they in the end weren’t allowed to signal a contract except they agreed to eradicating their articles of religion for boot camp,” Klapper instructed Process & Function.
Attorneys for the three males argue that the Marine Corps claims they can not have beards throughout recruit coaching because of “a necessity for uniformity,” and but Marines recognized with the painful pores and skin situation pseudofolliculitis barbae — also referred to as “razor bumps” — can request a medical waiver so that they don’t must shave.
“For the three Plaintiffs who’re certified candidates, the Marine Corps’ failure to accommodate their spiritual beliefs places them to an unconstitutional alternative: compromise and desecrate their faith by shaving, chopping their hair, and eradicating their spiritual articles, or be denied entry to the Marine Corps regardless of in any other case being totally certified,” the lawsuit says.
The Marine Corps referred questions in regards to the lawsuit to the Justice Division, which declined to supply a remark for this story.
Army Reserve Lt. Col. Kamal S. Kalsi, head of the Sikh American Veterans Alliance, was allowed in 2009 to put on his beard and turban throughout navy coaching, making him the primary Sikh in a era to obtain such a spiritual lodging.
Kalsi, who pressured that he was stating his personal private beliefs and never talking on behalf of the Army or Protection Division, mentioned the Marine Corps has been the least prepared of the navy branches to grant Sikhs with spiritual lodging for his or her beads and turbans.
Concerning the Marine Corps’ hesitancy to let Toor put on his bead in a fight zone, Kalsi identified that U.S. particular operations forces are well-known for donning beards downrange.
He additionally famous that the Army and Air Pressure additionally require recruits to have quick haircuts, but they’ve allowed Sikhs to put on their turbans and beards throughout fundamental coaching.
“Once I was going by boot camp, they break you down and so they then assist construct you up as part of the unit,” Kalsi instructed Process & Function. “I used to be in a position to try this with my turban and beard. I by no means had a problem and all of the Sikhs which were by boot camp within the Air Pressure as nicely haven’t had any points. So, the ideas are the identical. The Marine Corps didn’t give you this idea of unity. It’s there within the Army and the Air Pressure.”
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