16 eminent Indian Americans, 15 Senators give support for Sikh cause.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel is now at the center of the ongoing movement to allow Sikh Americans to keep their unshorn beards and religiously mandated turbans if they serve in the US Armed Forces.
Sixteen influential Indian Americans, and 15 US Senators, have called on Hagel to amend the current rule that forbids any kind of clothing or appearance that is not in line with the rest of soldiers. Hagel’s office has received two separate letters, one from each group, with a list of signatories urging that the rules be amended, according to the Press Trust of India.
Current military protocol requires “unit cohesion,” which the Armed Forces believe a turban and beard would go against. An outcry from religious minorities in the US, mainly Sikhs, has called on the US government to change this, saying that the regulations are forcing US citizens who want to serve their country choose between their patriotism and their religion. For a country that was founded on the principle of religious freedom, this seems like an oxymoron.
The letter from the Indian American community leaders was led by New York Representative Joseph Crowley, a long-time friend and advocate of the US-based NRI population. The letter’s supporters include Aneesh Chopra (former Chief Technology Officer of the US), Reshma Saujani (New York-based lawyer and politician), and Raj Goyle (former Congressional Representative from Kansas’ 87th District).
Crowley’s letter cites the fact that other NATO countries permit Sikhs to serve in their armies, and that by allowing Sikhs to serve in the US Armed Forces, it would further strengthen ties between the US and India, which have seen a considerably strain over the past year. Crowley also underlined that the Indian American community stands behind their Sikh American “brothers and sisters” and called their cause “symbolic.”
Other desi leaders who had their names affixed to the letter are: Shekhar Narasimhan, Ranvir Trehan, Shefali Razdan Duggal, Rajeev Sharma, Parag and Usha Saxena, Frank Islam, Anju Bhargava, M.R. Rangaswami, Mahinder Tak, Sunita Leeds, Vinod K. Shah, and Parag V. Mehta.
The Senatorial letter to Hagel was fronted by several big names, including Tim Kaine (D-VA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Ron Wyden (D-OR). In it, the involved legislators say that religion should not be a hindrance to serving in the US Military, and cited exceptions which have been granted in the last few months as evidence that a widespread rule change should be enacted.
These examples include that of Dr. Kamal Kalsi, who petitioned for years to serve in the Army after volunteering for active duty in 2009, Capt. Tejdeep Rattan, and Cpl. Simranpreet Lamba. Kalsi, in particular, has spearheaded a campaign to allow Sikhs to serve in the US Military.
Hagel’s office, nor Hagel himself, have given any public indication that a rule change is forthcoming, nor have they said that they would support or oppose any legislation introduced on the matter. These letters are simply informal petitions to spur movement in the direction of changing the military uniform regulations.