Browsing Tag: Sikhs In US Military

If a Muslim woman may wear a headscarf at work, as the U.S. Supreme Court has now affirmed, perhaps a Sikh man should be able to wear a turban while serving in the U.S. military.

[VIDEO] This well produced documentary is about Sikhs in the U.S. military and their struggle to be accepted in to service. It is fascinating to see the huge effort that went into these men finally making it.

Kevin D. Williamson from National Review admits to being a 'Sikhophile'. He aptly summarizes Sikh heroes in history to counter 'pogonophobia': The irrational fear of beards.

In good Sikh tradition, he resisted. Armed with petitions and Congressional letters, he waged a two-year campaign that in 2009 resulted in the Army granting him a special exception for his unshorn hair, the first such accommodation to a policy established in the 1980s.

Sikhs have a historic military culture and have long kept their articles of faith in the armed forces of Britain, Canada and India. In the 1980s, (the US) military moved to increase conformity and banned displays of religious identity for new recruits.