Advocacy groups protest Pentagon’s new clothing regulations.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: In response to newly announced clothing regulations from the Pentagon that they feel are unfair towards their demographic, a coalition of Sikh advocacy groups are collecting signatures from Congressional leaders in an effort to persuade Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel to change the policy.
The Defense Department’s announcement came on Wednesday, when it said that it would allow individuals in the military to express their religious and cultural beliefs as long as such expression does not interfere with what it calls “military readiness and unit cohesion.” In other words, military members can wear any religiously-mandated garments so long as they don’t make the person stick out or call undue attention to them in a unit – something a Sikh turban would almost certainly do.
So far, 20 members of the House of Representatives have signed the letter, pledging their support to the Sikh cause. Among the signatories are Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY), Paul Ryan (R-WI), and Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ).
Crowley, a long-time supporter of Indian American issues, has sprung to the defense of the Sikh community, urging that the regulations be relaxed to allow Sikhs and members of other religious minorities who wear garments as part of their faith – Jewish people, for example – an easier time in the military.
While admitting that the Defense Department’s regulations are an admirable step in the right direction – a sentiment shared by the very same Sikhs who are trying to get the regulations amended – Crowley said that “more needs to be done to end the underlying presumptive ban on service by patriotic Sikh Americans.”
“Sikhs have served in the US Army since World War I, and they are presumptively permitted to serve in the armed forces of Canada, India, and the United Kingdom, among others. Notably, the current chief of army staff of the Indian Army is a turbaned and bearded Sikh, even though Sikhs constitute less than two percent of India’s population,” Crowley said in a statement directed at Hagel. He added that “Sikh Americans love this country and want a fair chance to serve in our nation’s military.”
Sikhs were permitted to keep their beards and hair in the US military until 1974, when tighter restrictions were placed on personal appearance. The new regulations aim to bring some alleviation to those rules, and recognize the growing cultural malaise of the US military, but more may have to be done before Sikhs can feel fully comfortable and appreciated in the military of the very country they love and want to defend.